Alison Levine served as team captain of the first American Women's Everest Expedition and has climbed the Seven Summits and skied to the North and South Poles. A history-making adventurer who also spent time in the business world, she has survived sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds and sudden avalanches – and that was while climbing the corporate ladder.

In her New York Times best-selling book, "On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Everest and Other Extreme Environments," Alison asserts that the principles that apply to the world of extreme adventure also apply to demanding business environments. A former part-time faculty member at West Point, Alison understands what it takes to lead teams through challenging situations.

Alison is also our keynote speaker at Corporate Counsel's Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) event Oct. 16-18 in Washington, D.C. where she will be discussing The Art of High-Impact Leadership. I emailed her a few questions to give Corporate Counsel readers a sneak peak at her upcoming keynote. 

Heather Nevitt, Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Counsel, Inside Counsel: How do the some of the leadership principles of extreme adventure translate to the corporate world?

Alison Levine: One of the best lessons I've learned throughout my adventures is about embracing failure and using the experience to become stronger in the future. In order for organizations and teams to succeed and grow, they need to encourage a culture of failure-tolerance, because a lack of failure-tolerance stifles progress and innovation. If people are afraid to fail then they will never have the courage to take risks. Another lesson I learned involves managing fear and realizing that it is just a normal human emotion and it should never paralyze you, so fear is fine. Complacency, on the other hand, will kill you. It will do you in every single time. You have to be able to act and react quickly as the environment is shifting and changing.

Nevitt: If there was one piece of leadership advice you wish you could go back and give yourself starting out in your career, what would it be?

Levine: Don't be so afraid of failure. For crying out loud, failure is simply one thing that happens to you at one point in time. It doesn't define you, and it should never deter you.

Nevitt: You are a strong woman and a driven leader. What tips can you share with other women to help them achieve that "executive presence" within an organization? Especially when they might routinely be the "only women in the room."

Levine: Realize that leadership is part of your responsibility regardless of your title or your tenure. You should think and act like a leader from day one — as soon as you walk in the door. If you do not have that leadership mentality, then you cannot expect others to think of you as someone who will be vital to the future of your organization. Be proactive about your career and volunteer to take on things that might be outside of your regular job description. Make sure you are visible and that your voice is heard.

Nevitt: What is the best piece of leadership advice you have ever given or received?

Levine: You can be scared and brave at the same time (I give this advice ALL THE TIME).

Nevitt: In times of crisis, what are some governing rules to live by?

Levine: Be able to take action based on the SITUATION, not based on your "plan." Because when you are in environments that are constantly shifting and changing— whatever plan you came up with (last year, last month, last week or that morning) is already outdated as soon as it is finished. You must possess the ability to act/react quickly and make tough decisions when the conditions around you are far from perfect—and you have to prepare your teams to be ready to do the same. Teams that can only take action based on pre-determined plans are doomed to fail.

Nevitt: When you are not climbing the tallest mountains in the world, what do you like to do in your down time?

Levine: Well, when I am not speaking at events or climbing, most of my downtime is focused on making a documentary film about Pasang Lhamu Sherpa—the first female Sherpa to summit Mt Everest. It's an unbelievable story about a true freedom fighter who broke through all kinds of cultural barriers in order to pursue a goal that everyone told her she could never achieve. Pasang dreamed of climbing Everest after seeing the men in her village do so, but the government of Nepal would not allow female Sherpas to climb (they only allowed men). And although Pasang could not read, write or speak the national language—she had the courage to fight the government of her own country for equal rights for all women in Nepal. She tried three times, unsuccessfully, to reach the summit (thwarted by bad weather or climbing politics). She finally achieved success on her fourth attempt in 1993 and became the first Nepali woman to stand on the summit…BUT SHE DIED ON THE WAY DOWN. She never got to tell her story, so our film team intends to tell it for her. We have a trailer online at if anyone wants to check it out. http://www.theglassceilingmovie.com/trailer/

I think it's really important to share stories of inspiring women so that future generations know that they can break through whatever barriers stand in their way.

If you would like to hear Alison speak about her adventures in person, as well as join hundreds of women legal leaders for three days of learning networking, and unprecedented exchange with the most powerful women in law, you still have time to register for the event. 

Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) is designed to arm you with the strategy and practical solutions to be a driving force both professionally and within your organization. To go beyond the surface issues to dig deep into what it means to grow, inspire, lead, and excel in the legal industry. 

Hope to see you there!