Management Topics


Innovation Out Of An Unlikely And Uncomfortable Encounter – A Lesson From Hiking The Appalachian Trail


by Josef Martens, PhD, CSP T


he first time I was on the Appala- chian Trail (AT), I didn’t even know that I was on it. All I wanted to do


was go on a hike for a day, so I went to a nearby trailhead. Toward the end of the day, the trail I was on began to run along a stream. I could see that it fol- lowed the stream a little longer, then a bridge crossed the stream, with the trail continuing backward on the other side. I could see that I would be on the other side in a few minutes. There was another man hiking


parallel to me on the other side. We would meet shortly somewhere near the


54 ❘ October 2019 ®


bridge. He had an ungroomed beard, messy hair, pretty basic-looking hiking gear, and overall looked pretty rough. (In contrast, I had showered that morn- ing, looked decent, and had good and expensive equipment. Overall, I was just full of myself and caught up in feeling good and righteous). I made up my mind to walk quickly by him. He might have sensed my aversion.


When we came close to meeting, he stepped out of the way to let me pass and didn’t say a word. As we passed each other, I took a look at him. For one moment, our eyes locked, and there was


something in his look that startled me. Thinking back, I can only describe it as an enormous presence and feeling of peace. So, I stopped, and we started talking. He talked about how his life took unex- pected turns when he left military ser- vice; how he hiked the AT for the first time then; how his money went down to $20 (that’s not just money at hand but total assets); how he had to find some work along the trail, worked for someone for four months, and earned $1200; and how he got everything he ever wanted. Now, many years after his


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