From the Top of Mt. Everest to the Top of Bestseller Lists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK CITY – February 3, 2014 – Alison Levine—history-making polar explorer and mountaineer, acclaimed speaker, and adjunct instructor of leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point—can now add the title New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author to her list of many accomplishments.
In her debut book On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership (January 7, 2014), Levine makes the case that the leadership principles that apply in extreme adventure sport also apply in today’s extreme business environments; both settings require you to be able to adapt to changing environments and make crucial decisions on the spot when the conditions around you are far from perfect.
And Levine would know, as she served as the team captain for the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, has ascended the highest peak on every continent and has also skied to both the North and South Poles—a feat known as the “Adventure Grand Slam,” which fewer than 40 people in the world have achieved. What makes Levine’s perspective unique is that she has not only climbed the highest mountains in the world, she also spent two decades climbing the corporate ladder (including three years at Goldman Sachs).
Set against the backdrop of her remarkable expeditions, On the Edge draws authentic and natural parallels between mountaineering and business. “Leadership in extreme environments requires the willpower, the teamwork, the high moral character, and the emotional intelligence necessary to overcome exceptional hurdles, solve complex problems, and face any sudden, uncontrollable, high-risk situation, including those that exist in today’s business world,” says Levine.
On the Edge argues that everyone is in a position of leadership, regardless of title or tenure, and offers practical, humorous, and often unorthodox advice about how to grow as a leader. Many of her principles are contrarian, countering much of the advice out there on the subject, including looking for teammates with gargantuan egos, rewarding failure, and never, ever trying to overcome weakness.
An empowering manual for anyone looking to take control of their lives, On the Edge provides a roadmap to help people scale whatever big peaks they aspire to climb—be they literal or figurative. As legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski writes in the foreword to the book, “A mountain climb is the consummate metaphor for enduring and, ultimately achieving…[ On the Edge is] a terrific leadership book from one of the toughest leaders I know.”
Today, Levine is a sought-after leadership consultant and business speaker, and has addressed audiences ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the World Economic Forum in Davos. She is also the founder of the Climb High Foundation; a nonprofit dedicated to teaching jobless women in Africa the skills that will allow them to work as guides in the trekking industry.
For more information about On the Edge or to schedule an interview with Alison Levine, please contact:
Kathleen Zrelak
VP, Publicity Director
Goldberg McDuffie Communications
212-705-4222 or kzrelak@goldbergmcduffie.com
Kathleen Zrelak
Goldberg McDuffie Communications
kzrelak@goldbergmcduffie.com / 212-705-4222
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