During This "Time OF COVID", Be the Captain of Your Life…Lead with ZEST!

“Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all.”

― Ernest Shackleton

During our "Time of COVID", I sometimes feel like it will never end. I read conflicting news reports and wonder what do I REALLY need to do to be healthy and safe? How do I help keep my family, my business, and my community healthy and safe while supporting our economy so others can support themselves and their families?

I realize I have to lead by example. I need to be the captain of my own life. Only then can I inspire others to be responsible and make good choices during this pandemic. With so much uncertainty, it's hard to stay hopeful and have faith day after day. Over the years, I've discovered how to be the captain of my life and live with zest. With zest, I can muster the courage to weather any storm.

If ever there was a captain who led with zest, it is Sir Ernest Shackleton. For those who may not know his epic story of leadership through adversity, I’ll briefly recap it.

Experienced polar explorer, Shackleton, had a bold, history-making goal. In 1914, he and his team would be the first men to walk across our planet’s southernmost continent, starting from the coast abutting the Weddell Sea, traversing Antarctica through the South Pole and ending up at the Ross Sea (see the proposed route going through the South Pole on the map below).

Source: Wikipedia

How hazardous could this journey be? One slightly humorous indicator is from a rumored advertisement in a London newspaper (though never validated), recruiting fellow explorers:?

“Men Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”

Upon Shackleton’s arrival in South Georgia, a whaling island north of Antarctica, local seamen and whalers warned the team to postpone their polar adventure because of unusually thick ice floes that could trap their ship, the Endurance, if the wind and temperatures shifted suddenly. Always the man of action, Shackelton commanded the ship to press on.?

For many of us who have taken the time to study the Shackleton story and draw leadership lessons from it, we agree that his decision to press on was his first strategic mistake. Still. Shackleton like the rest of us, was human. Given his and his team’s skill level and experience acquired from prior polar expeditions, all the time and money spent in preparing the expedition, limited access to reliable weather data, the thrill of victory (or the agony of defeat), if you were in his position would you have made a different decision? Probably not.

In today’s world, how often do we make similar risky decisions based on incomplete information and the dream of glory or riches, or both? All the time! We often justify our decisions based on our skill and experience, the quality of our team, and our innate sense that we’ll figure it out as we go along.

In January 1915, it looked like Shackleton and his leadership team had made the right decision when the Endurance came within sight of the Antarctic mainland. Unfortunately, brutal winds and plummeting temperatures caused the pack ice to trap the ship. The Endurance was frozen solid and now drifting with the ice floes away from their planned landing site.?

?Credit Frank Hurley/Associated Press

Take a moment to let the situation sink in. If you were one of the team, what would you have done? If you were Shackleton, what would you have done?

Of course, in 1915, over 100 years ago, there was no satellite phone to call for help, and certainly no U.S. 12,000 ton, 400 foot long, rescue icebreaker capable of breaking through 6’ of ice at 3 knots to free the ship, or a Russian MI-26 T rescue helicopter to safely airlift the entire 14-man and 69-dog team to safety.

Instead, Shackleton leveraged world-class leadership to save his team. Within days of being trapped in the ice, it became apparent that he and his team would need to survive through the harsh winter on the Endurance. To protect the team from depression, he required each person continue his daily duties. The dog handlers cared for and occasionally raced the dogs. The scientists collected specimens. Hunters brought home fresh meat. Sailors maintained the vessel.

The team maintained a routine for meals and took walks in the moonlight to socialize. When the inevitable disappointments occurred and frustrations or anger bubbled up, Shackleton personally took control of the situation to diffuse it before it escalated. He often kept the most challenging men close to him to minimize their negative influence on others.

If anyone still wonders the value of art in society to instill hope, Shackleton proved the mental health benefits of musical theatre by asking his team to come together to create and deliver weekly theatrical productions filled with music, lyrics, and costumes.?

From January 18, 1915 to October 27, 1915 – over 9 months – this was daily life trapped in the packed ice on the vessel Endurance.?Imagine yourself in that situation. How would you cope?

As “next gen” leaders, the journey ahead to solve some of your own challenges will not be easy. At times your journey may feel like you are running a series of back-to-back marathon races. How will you maintain your own emotional resilience so you can bring your best to your family, your team, your organization, and your community?

On 24 October, a large ice floe on the starboard side of the Endurance pressed against the hull with such force that the hull began to bend and splinter. Water rushed into the ship. When the timbers finally broke under the pressure, they made noises which sailors later described as the sound of "heavy fireworks and the blasting of guns". Shackleton ordered three lifeboats and emergency supplies to be transferred to the ice. For three days, the crew attempted to shore up the ship's hull and pump out the incoming sea. It was futile. On 27 October 1915, and in freezing temperatures below ?15° F, Shackleton ordered, “Abandon ship”.

Here is a map of the region and the major milestones with dates over the course of the year and seven-month ordeal:

Source: Source: Endurance - Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage

Shackleton and his team were trapped on the ice for nearly 15 months from Jan 18, 1915 to April 9, 1916. After overcoming a series of death-defying challenges to escape the ice, his team were all finally rescued from Elephant Island on August 30, 1916. The team’s 20-month “adventure” was over.

I re-read the Shackleton story every few years and over time have drawn the following leadership lessons that I continue to apply when adversity strikes:?

• When mistakes are made or something bad happens, avoid recrimination.?
• Take ownership and clean up the mess, especially clean up your own messes.
• Be personally committed to your mission. Be flexible when the mission needs to change.
• Shackleton brought all 28-crew under his command safely home. In today’s world, where the value of loyalty is often a distant memory, taking care of your whole team and bringing them safely through the challenge matters as much today as they did then. Bring them home.
• Have the moral courage to manage your own emotions. Be optimistic.??
• Lead by example and don't ask someone to do something you’re unwilling to do yourself. Share equally in the hard and mundane duties.
• Maintain the team’s daily routine.?It helps create cheerfulness and inspires confidence.
• Have unshakable faith in yourself and your abilities. Feed yourself.

As a “next gen” leader, how do you feed yourself when the proverbial “shit hits the fan”?

In my experience working with my teams and with clients, it is different for each of us. I learned to leverage zest.?

In positive psychology, zest is one of the 24 strengths possessed by humanity. As a component of the virtue of courage, zest is defined as living life with a sense of excitement, anticipation, and energy, approaching life as an adventure, such that one has "motivation in challenging situations or tasks".

Questions to help you get clear and move forward as a leader with zest during our "Time of COVID":

1. What does being a leader with zest look like to you??
2. Who do you know who lives a life of zest???
3. What one thing can you do to live more like them during these challenging times?

During today’s difficult “Time of COVID,” most of us are experiencing intense work pressures. I certainly am. You have or may experience job loss. I know exactly how that feels, too, and want to point to hope. When you decide to Be the Captain of Your Life and find your zest – your courage under fire - and are willing to show up despite the fear, uncertainty, and doubt, you’re a winner and will be victorious. In the words of Winston Churchill: “Never Give Up!” “Never Surrender!”

As an Integrative Life and Growth Business Coach, Teacher, and Speaker since 2005, I leverage my experiences as an innovative business founder, program manager, sailing adventurer, and?licensed maritime captain to help successful professionals level up the leader inside to deliver breakthrough results.?

Being a leader can be lonely. It would be a privilege to be your sounding board, to help you not just survive, but thrive during these uncertain times. Do you have the courage, humility, and self-discipline to shed those beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve you? Are you interested in leveling up the leader inside? Let's figure it out together!

Connect for a 15 minute chat: https://calendly.com/sustainableby2030/15-min-letschat?