Do Hard Things
COL Mike Kloepper and Dr Ryan Erbe
72 miles through the Italian Dolomites. 22,000 feet of climbing. 31 meals together.
Colonel Mike Kloepper and Dr. Ryan Erbe took a group of West Point cadets into the mountains to work on character development. They join us to talk about how they planned the trip, what they saw in the cadets, and what they’d change next time.
What we get into:
Physical challenge and reflection. The hiking was only part of it. They built in time for cadets to talk through what happened each day, how they handled it, and what they could learn from it.
What they mean by character. Irby talks about humility, self-control, and caring for the people you lead. Kloepper brings it back to duty, honor, country—and what those words ask of you.
Eating together. They shared 31 meals over the trip, without screens. Kloepper explains why sitting down together after a hard day mattered so much, and what leaders could take from that.
What they wish they’d measured. Kloepper came home frustrated that they hadn’t collected baseline data. We talk about what that might have told them and whether measuring the experience would have changed it.
Doing this closer to home. You don’t need a trip to Italy. Kloepper’s advice: get outside with your team, do something physically hard, and eat together. Make time to do it again.
Mentioned in this episode:
Team Red, White & Blue
Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic
Walking the Ridgeline, Colonel Kloepper’s Substack
Jim Collins, Good to Great
West Point’s Cadet Character Education Program
Individual Advanced Development (IAD) programs
The “what, so what, now what” reflection framework
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