I recently set aside some time to re-read Alfred Lansing's book, "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage". Written in 1959, it chronicles the 1914 attempt of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his company of men who made up the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, to cross the Antarctica by foot. They failed when their ship, the Endurance became trapped in pack ice, was crushed and ultimately sank. Despite the failure, this story is packed with great leadership takeaways, demonstrated by Shackleton during this difficult, ill-fated journey, below are few that I believe are timeless leadership attributes:
+Intentional team builder: This was Shackleton's third trip to the Antarctic; when building and assembling his team for the task, he knew exactly what attributes and characteristics to look for in his crew for this multi-year journey.
+Empathy: Shackleton set the tone that "they were all in this together" and his entire team bought in. During the entire 3 years, no one dared abandon him or truly question his leadership.
+Humility: Shackleton insisted on being treated as an equal , not asking his crew to do any tasks he also would not first do.
+Stolidity: Shackleton had mastered his emotions and when facing dire circumstances on a near daily basis, he kept his emotions in check, was able to detach, step back and make a call.
+Emotionless decision maker: Shackleton was repeatedly able to make tough decisions when leading his team, always prioritizing their safety above all else. Below are just a few examples: 1) at one point, after their shipped was crushed, he ordered the 27 men and sled dogs on to the ice where they drifted for months . 2) another time, he ordered their sled dogs put down in order to save rations for the crew. 3) finally, he made the decision to leave 22 men on Elephant island and journey some 650 miles through the Drake passage in a 22 ft boat with just 5 men.
+Delegation: Shackleton was able delegate to team members and having to trust them with their lives.
+Risk Tolerant: By nature of this journey Shackleton was an outlier for taking risks; as a leader he was will to taking big risks, leading a small party of 6 to go for help on South Georgia Island while leaving the remaining 22 on elephant island some 650 miles away. #leadership #leadershipmindset
Culinary Service Director at Solstice Senior Living
1moCongrats Essie!!! You have definitely made a positive impact in our community!!! We appreciate your constant support!