climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and conquering workplace investigations
Fourteen years ago, this month, I embarked on a journey of a lifetime. I always say that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is one of the hardest things that I’ve ever done - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
And it’s true.
I also say that I would never do it again because I have no confidence that I could do it again.
Also, true.
Here are the five lessons that I learned climbing Kili that I practice every day as a workplace investigator:
Lesson One: Mindset is 90% of the battle.
Mt. Kilimanjaro is a beauty (and a beast) of a trek. And mindset is 90% of the battle. In five days, you trek 72 km through four climate seasons and climb to 19,500 ft. On summit day, you trek for about 18 hours (starting at 11:00 p.m. and getting to your next campsite at approximately 5:00 p.m. the next day). You’re constantly monitoring your mind and body for symptoms of altitude sickness because physical fitness level is not an indication of how your body will respond to altitude. You have to recognize the signs of altitude sickness, so you can scramble down to a lower altitude threshold. If you don’t, it can be the difference between life and death.
So, mindset matters.
Mental clarity, mental strength and mental preparedness are 90% of the Kilimanjaro climb. The other 10% is sheer luck. Seriously.
Mindset is also critical to conducting effective and fair workplace investigations.
Workplace investigations are rarely simple, linear and black or white. More often than not, they are complex, layered, unpredictable and shrouded in shades of grey. There are many moving parts, and you have to constantly stop and evaluate your next steps and actions to ensure that you are making the right choices in the right moments that lead to the right decisions. You have to balance competing demands such as fairness, confidentiality, timeliness, and thoroughness, to conduct an investigation that is rooted in integrity. You also have to take a human-centred approach, so values like empathy, compassion, and giving people some space and grace are non-negotiable.
Lesson Two: Be prepared
For the Kilimanjaro trek, being prepared is critical to your success. You can’t double back and pick up something you forgot, and you can’t buy it along the way, either. After day one of trekking, there is no running water on the mountain, so you are 100% reliant on your team of porters and sherpas who carry your bags, set up your camps, cook your food and keep you hydrated. These people are heroes, I tell you!
In addition to packing clothing and layers for all seasons, here are a few other must-have items:
A journal and pens. You won’t want to forget this adventure, no matter how it turns out. And even though you think you’ll remember each moment, you won’t. So, do yourself (and others) a favour and document the mini, the mighty, and the magical moments. You won’t regret it.
Long underwear, a balaclava and hot pocket hand warmers. Summit night (more like the longest 18 hours of your life) is FREEZING cold, and it’s a slow-going slog, so don’t forget these items. Frostbite is a real risk, and these items can help you avoid it!
A first aid kit that includes your antimalarial and altitude sickness medication, and all your other travel besties like tensor wraps, band-aids, antibiotic cream, moleskin (for blisters), ibuprofen, Cipro and Immodium (fun times with no private bathrooms) and sore throat lozenges (they really help with the dryness and dust).
SPF. Run, don’t walk, to find the highest SPF lip balm and sunblock you can get your hands on. When you reach the summit, it will be early in the morning (I reached Uhuru peak at 8:37 a.m. and I was a late arrival!), the sun will be hotter than you realize and you’re at a much higher elevation than you’re used to. Even though you’re at the summit for less than five minutes, you will get a serious sunburn if you’re not careful (trust me, I speak from experience!)
Wet wipes (because no showers for five days) and tons of hand sanitizer (but after the last 16 months, I’m guessing you’re ready for that!)
Snacks. Bring your own protein bars from home and save yourself a treat for summit night. I brought about ten sour candies and you'd better believe that they were a source of joy and happiness for me on the longest night of my life!
And one final not to be missed preparation ritual:
Before you start the trek, clip your toenails as short as you can get them without drawing blood. If you listen to nothing else, listen to this. If your toenails aren’t as short as they can be, you will lose them (as in the skin around them will swell, they will lift and fall off). I’m not kidding. Learn from my rookie mistake. And yes, they take forever to grow back.
In the same way, when you rush (or worse, skip altogether!) the planning process of a workplace investigation, you miss steps, you get sloppy and you make mistakes that can be serious enough to compromise the integrity of the investigation.
Some of the common mistakes that can be made if you rush or skip the planning process include:
Failing to clarify the mandate or scope of the investigation
Failing to review and follow the investigation process outlined in the policies or collective agreement.
Failing to provide the parties with procedural fairness and the relevant information in advance so they are not blindsided during the investigation interview.
Failing to adequately prepare for the investigation interviews.
Planning leads to a successful investigation that is conducted from a place of empathy and integrity, with findings that can hold up when challenged. If you invest the time, care and energy to plan the process up front, it will save you time, energy, patience and heartache down the road.
Lesson Three: Pole, Pole (pronounced polay, polay)
“Pole, Pole” in Swahili means “slowly, slowly”. It’s the phrase that your guide will say constantly because you need the constant reminder. As humans, we are conditioned to move at breakneck speed. We’re always rushing somewhere. But on the Kilimanjaro climb, the journey (and the destination) require us to slow down. At times, it feels excruciating to not go faster.
But the answer is the same: “pole, pole”.
Slower than we think we need to go.
Slower than we want to go.
Fewer, slower steps with steady, deep breaths will get you to the top faster.
Going slower helps your body to adjust to the altitude. Your body has to work harder at higher altitudes, the air is thinner and there is less oxygen to breathe, so pole, pole is the key to success.
Pole, pole also forces you to savour the moments and the journey, rather than just focusing on the destination.
I struggled a lot on summit night.
It was a cold night plunged in darkness. My guide warned me not to look up. So, immediately, I looked up. And at once, I regretted it. All I could see for miles and miles were switchbacks on switchbacks lit only by the headlamps of the people ahead of me. The night was long, cold and I vacillated between feeling excited and defeated. I kept muttering my mantra to myself: “Pole, pole. You have to go up before you can go down. The only way to do this is to do this.”
Oh, and I also wanted the certificate to prove to the naysayers that I could conquer Kili, even with zero athletic skill, stamina or ability.
In the same way, rushing an investigation is akin to a race to the bottom. If you rush, you’ll skip important steps, you’ll miss asking key questions and examining key evidence. You’ll risk leading by assumption over fact, you’ll risk coming to the wrong conclusion, you’ll risk someone’s current and future opportunities for employment and you’ll risk your own integrity and professional reputation.
Lesson Four: Sometimes down is harder than up
It takes 3.5 days to get up Kilimanjaro.
Everyone on the Kilimanjaro climb focuses on the destination: the top. Uhuru peak.
Everyone tells you how hard it is to trek up. Everyone tells you what an accomplishment it is to reach the peak of the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
It takes 1.5 days to get down Kilimanjaro.
No one talks about the descent on Kilimanjaro. No one tells you how tiring the hike down is. No one tells you how freaking hard it is to get down the mountain without bungling up a knee (or two).
No one talks about this part.
And in some ways, I found down harder than up.
My mind, body and soul were tired.
The anticipation had burned out.
The high of conquering Kili had passed.
And now, it was just a dusty, dirty, descent to the base of the mountain that I had spent months preparing for.
In the same way, everyone thinks the hard part about workplace investigations is coming to findings of fact. But that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part is writing a report that is simple, easy to follow and informative for someone who is not as close to the investigation as you are. A report has to strike the right tone and balance. A report has to be neutral and accurate, thorough but concise. It’s a lot to get right. And it’s important to get it right.
Lesson Five: Celebrate and Self-Care
Whether you’ve just climbed Kilimanjaro or you’ve just closed off on a challenging workplace investigation, it’s important to celebrate the win. It’s important to acknowledge what you did well and what you need to work on for next time.
It’s also important to engage in self-care. A hot shower is always the answer :)
After I climbed Kilimanjaro, I had the best chicken tikka masala of my life, I got a two-hour massage and I got a much-needed pedicure (for the eight toenails that I had left). I also sat on a beach in Zanzibar for the next week and was grateful for the quiet, peaceful lull of the ocean to slow my heart, body and soul.
After I complete an investigation, I try to take at least 72-hours off to do all the things that I’ve neglected during an investigation, such as catching up on laundry, knitting badly, reading a book, binge-watching a show on Netflix or attempting a new recipe using my Instant Pot (which still blows my mind – literally and figuratively). I also spend time with the people that I love and have likely neglected (sorry hubs!)
Once I’ve reset myself and I feel like a human again, I’m ready to rinse and repeat.
Although, the same is not true for Mt. Kilimanjaro.
One beautiful, magical and magnificent time was enough.
July 6, 2021
Saira Gangji is an independent licensed Workplace Investigator at hrology in Calgary, AB. She investigates allegations of discrimination and human rights, harassment, violence and misconduct in the workplace. For more information about hrology and our process, see the work with me page.