Ed Viesturs has been climbing mountains for almost 40 years. In that time, he has climbed all of the world's 8,000-plus-meter summits — 14 in total — without using oxygen tanks. Viesturs embodies one of the most important elements of an Evergreen entrepreneur: perseverance. It took Viesturs 21 attempts to complete his 14-summit bucket list. For each of those climbs, he vowed not to break the rules that he lives by — no shortcuts, no complacency.

"Life is a series of climbing mountains," he says. "You have to be willing to take the time to have the journey, roll up your sleeves and strive for the summit while making sure to get back down alive." The same could be said of the path of an Evergreen business leader. Viesturs’ advice: Listen to the mountain. Conditions will guide your actions. You have to be acutely aware of them, adjust plans accordingly and avoid forcing action on your timeline instead of what the mountain offers.