Fast Company | On Thin Ice - oh, yes!!

I so agree with this story. Some quotes:

"But Bancroft and Arnesen's deepest courage has shined not in enduring these environments but in allowing themselves to surrender -- to accept less than their ultimate goal, to fail for the right reasons."

"Doing what Ann and Liv did is much harder than reaching the peak of the mountain, flying a flag, and saying, 'We're heroes, take us to the parade.' " [world-renowned polar explorer Will] Steger says. "Real leadership is not about getting to the top. In this game, leadership is about coming back alive."

There's no courage when selfishness takes over. Bancroft and Arnesen showed the courage to act on their beliefs -- that the team's well-being mattered more than their own goals, that the true mission of the trip was not personal glory but setting an example. The price was high: relinquishing a lifelong dream. But the reward was in discovering their true mettle."

It's not about the mountain (or job, or project, or goal); it's about you.