João Vieira de Almeida participated in the Líder Advisors Meeting, which took place on 16 September at VdA's Lisbon office. In a talk entitled ‘The mountain to find - what I learnt on the mountain’, João Vieira de Almeida shared reflections on leadership and personal overcoming, using his experience climbing Kilimanjaro as a metaphor.
 
During the presentation he emphasised the importance of group cohesion, saying that success is a collective task where teamwork is fundamental to reach the top. However, he warned that safety is ‘disjunctive’ - ‘A single member at risk can jeopardise the group's success’. 
 
He also addressed the idea that everyone has their own ‘summit’ - ‘There is the summit of the mountain, and the summit that everyone has, and they often don't coincide. We have to be prepared to eventually not reach it.
 
His vision of leadership emphasises creating space for everyone to achieve their goals: ‘Good leadership is one that creates space for everyone to reach their own summit. Mountains aren't conquered when you get to the top, but when you get down alive. It's the process that counts.