Last Thursday, our team took on a new challenge for our monthly activity …rock climbing. It was a popular pick among my colleagues, though I had a feeling they might be in for a surprise.

As someone who’s done mountaineering, I know climbing isn’t as easy as it looks.

Climbing can be surprisingly tough for newcomers. It’s not just the physical side – which requires upper body and core strength, flexibility, and endurance – but also the mental aspect.

There’s the fear of heights, the worry about falling, and the need to stay focused.

And let’s not forget the technique: good footwork, route planning, and learning to trust your legs over your arms.

Most of the team, about 99.9%, were complete beginners. Watching their first attempts was both funny and familiar – they looked like “frogs” 🐸🐸🐸 on the wall, arms sotonging and legs slipping.

Realizing they could use a few tips, I gathered everyone and shared some basics: toe pivoting, proper hand placement, engaging the core, and, above all, pushing with their legs rather than pulling with their arms and breathing technique.

I could see my team learning quickly but also getting tired just as fast.

At one point, my assistant manager sighed and said, “This is tougher than I thought!” I couldn’t resist laughing and replied, “If rock climbing were easy, we’d have interns handling RM10,000 audit assignments!”

It was a lighthearted joke, but there was truth in it – real skills, whether in climbing or in our work, take time and practice to develop.

By the end, everyone was exhausted but had a new respect for rock climbers.

It reminded us all that growth doesn’t come without effort, whether we’re scaling a wall or tackling a challenging project at work.

And who knows, maybe next time, we’ll have a few more ‘mountain goats’ in the team, ready to reach new heights!