Benedikt Böhm is international managing director of ski touring brand Dynafit. Since its emergence from bankruptcy in 2003, the brand has developed into a global market leader.
In his other life, Benedikt Böhm is an extreme mountaineer and speaker. In his thrilling talks, he manages with finesse to develop ties between the world of extreme mountaineering with its so-called “death zone” and the business world. Böhm is most certainly no world-weary, fate-tempting risk-taker. Both in sports and in his business life, he meticulously plans ambitious goals and works rigorously and passionately on implementation. Benedikt Böhm studied in both the United States and England; however, what proved to be most valuable to his management career was his zeal for pushing the limits in the mountains, to be an adventurer on the edge.
Benedikt Böhm is the founder of the Helping Band brand that is dedicated to the preservation and expansion of nature and marine protected areas. He also cooperates together with the WWF, which he also represents as an ambassador.
Benedikt Böhm not only climbs 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen or outside aid; he in fact does so extremely fast, using what is called “speed style.
”With this uncompromising, speed-oriented style of taking on the highest peaks, the focus is on the clock in order to limit the risk of too much time spent in the “death zone.” Böhm climbs fast and light without much of any kind of pack in one non-stop push directly from the foot of the mountain to the summit, and then back again on skis. This is done inside of a self-defined space of time (for example, 17 hours up and down Gasherbrum II and its 8,035 meters, or 23.5 hours for Manaslu, which with 8,163 meters is the eighth-highest mountain on the planet). This kind of speed ascent is a radical deviation from high-altitude mountaineering where this type of expedition would normally take 3 to 5 days. It demands absolute precision and preparation to the nth degree to conquer such a monster in such a short period of time. A part of this is an unbelievable training load and massive discipline. But it also demands the creativity to develop new technology, the courage to think a little differently, and also the readiness to take action.
Benedikt Böhm Lectures topics
- Focus and Ease – Reduction to the essentials as a success factor.
- Uncertainty and fear – Dealing with uncertainty and training “courage muscles”.
- Resilience and anti-fragility – developing resilience and strength in the face of challenges.
- Teams in the death zone – Success strategies for teams under extreme pressure.
- Speed and risk – Record speeds in sport and business and what they mean.
- High goals – Building internal momentum and calculated risk management.
- Change and setbacks – mindset and strategies for big changes and comebacks.
- Brand management – Successful strategies for developing a love brand.
- Sustainability – Strategies for sustainable business management and personal commitment.
- Diversity – Leading and inspiring diverse teams in different cultures.
Benedikt Böhm’s presentations are filled with breath-taking images and short video clips with rare footage of the highest summits of the world.
The audience quickly notices that Böhm is no maniac extreme athlete. Indeed, he manages his expeditions as well as his company responsibly since his success relies on painstaking and conscientious planning.
In his talks, Benedikt Böhm answers questions such as: How do I manage to focus on the essentials in order to achieve goals faster and be happier in the end? How do I build up an inner “momentum” to achieve the seemingly impossible and how can I calculate the risk in the best possible way? What role does speed play as a strategy for minimizing risk, and why are patience and flexibility essential if you want to be fast? How do we deal with uncertainty and how can fears be overcome through situational leadership in a team?
What is really essential on the way to the goal, and why does innovation often mean reducing things to what is essential for survival – not only in extreme sports, but also in business? What thought patterns are necessary to consistently pursue new paths, successfully lead major changes and return to the original mindset after setbacks?
Benedikt Böhm is not a lone mountaineer. He describes the uniqueness of teams in the death zone and how they operate under extreme pressure. He emphasizes the immense pressure both within oneself and within the team and how this can be managed in a targeted manner. Benedikt Böhm repeatedly bridges the gap between the world of extremes and the business world to provide inspiring and practical insights.
Benedikt Böhm is very happy to respond to individual customer wishes and, on request, accompanies selected management teams in workshops and training sessions in the mountains.