A Leadership Lesson from the Antarctic; Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition

By William Laitinen

Stories of extreme human success and failure offer a unique opportunity to reflect on universal truths about human communities and the factors that truly drive their success.?

Success in the business world hinges on a simple yet often overlooked truth: the greatest successes are not driven by fancy marketing, expensive strategies, or cutting-edge technology. Instead, they stem from a company’s most valuable asset—its people, particularly those who lead.?

Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic expedition, renowned as one of the greatest stories of group survival in modern times, provides a perfect lesson in appreciating the value of people in achieving ambitious goals.?

The story of Ernest Shackleton’s failed 1914 mission to reach the South Pole is captivating because it so accurately depicts the trials of leadership when strategy, and technology fail. Set in one of the last great wildernesses on our increasingly connected planet, it is a narrative of a neutral, yet relentless and unforgiving environment.??

Vision and Securing Resources

In his aspiration to claim the South Pole for the waning British Empire on the brink of WWI, Ernest Shackleton proved himself a savvy communicator, adept at selling a vision. Shackleton felt a deep primal urge to be part of a mission with purpose, part of a team with shared objectives. This feeling was shared by many; Shackleton received over 5,000 applications to be part of the crew, ultimately hiring 28. Some were chosen for their expertise, others for their intuitive fit with the mission.?

Through sharp awareness of what drove people, Shackleton effectively secured financing for the mission. The British government donated ￡10,000 (￡1 million in 2018), and private investors, such as James Caird, provided the remaining funds.

As any founder knows, money is the oxygen of creation. Securing funds depends on the ability to clearly and passionately drive home a vision, with just enough details to show the potential for success. When your vision is strong, it secures more than money; it secures belief from people who ultimately have to deliver the vision.

Technology

With high-profile stakeholder support and funds secured, the team invested in cutting-edge ice-breaker technology: the Endurance. A magnificent 348-tonne labor of love, the Endurance was a testament to technology and craftsmanship. Constructed with marine-hardy Greenheart wood and a 1.3-meter bow for shearing thick ice, she was one of the strongest sea-faring vessels ever constructed.

On August 8, 1914, the 9,683-mile race to the South Pole began. However, much like the ever-changing global markets today, the unpredictable conditions of the Antarctic rendered the expedition’s strategy ineffective, leading to catastrophic failure.

After four tortuous months of slow progress through the ice, on January 19, 1915, the Endurance became irreversibly stuck in the ice, a lifeless sculpture on the harsh Weddell Sea. Shackleton and his team spent another 11 months with their ship until they had to accept the failure of their strategy and technology. On November 21, 1915, the brutal natural forces of the Antarctic saw their trophy of technology, refuge, and hope sink below the surface.

Many companies would deeply benefit from such icy deaths of their technological obsessions. Too often, companies ascribe superhero attributes to their technology, lavishing time and attention even when it has become obsolete or irrelevant to their customers. Always be ready to abandon your technological obsessions and let the natural forces of the market indicate when a new plan is needed.

Adaptation

Shackleton’s new strategic reality was clear: adapt or perish. During their 15 months on the open ice without their ship, each day presented new terrifying challenges. With only two lifeboats and limited provisions, the team had to continually adapt, cooperate, innovate, and survive. Storms relentlessly reaffirmed the majestic, startling reality of their situation as they dragged their boats in search of open water. Finally, on April 9, 1916, the ice began to crack, and they could set sail for Elephant Island.

Shackleton had to act; the mission had to change, or death and complete failure were inevitable. Crucially, Shackleton had recruited a team of talents who now shared a crystal-clear mission: survival. The team’s collective leadership, skill, resilience, and motivation were the true reasons they adapted and survived this life-or-death mission.

For companies, moments of life or death occur during major recessions or unexpected competitor disruptions. At these pivotal moments, the investment in people, team dynamics, and leadership becomes apparent. This is why organizations must be relentless in selecting the very best people and creating a company culture where adaptation is a key pillar. As nature teaches, those who adapt not only survive—they thrive.

Leadership at All Levels

Leadership is often mistakenly viewed as the preserve of senior team members. In its purest form, leadership is about excellence in concept and execution, inspiring others to follow. Consider the consequence of the ship’s cook who does not effectively manage his stores; the crew starves. He must lead in his daily duties to ensure the survival of the group. The navigator likewise must keep his equipment in excellent condition, proactively take readings, and provide course adjustments as needed: he leads through his interpretation of duty, through action.

Within Shackleton’s team, he maintained the macro leadership role while relying on key members to lead and excel in their functions. Having reached a small island outcrop in the harsh Antarctic ocean on April 16, 1916, Elephant Island had very few resources capable of sustaining such a large group.

Leadership and cooperation were needed. After 15 months of experience on the open ice, Shackleton had developed trust with the team. He knew who could be trusted to ensure the group’s survival on this tiny island and who would be a disruptive force. With his selected group chosen to remain, Shackleton faced the most crucial decision: selecting the crew that would undertake an 800-mile journey to seek rescue aboard a 23-foot lifeboat, the James Caird.

Words cannot capture the awful conditions this crew of five endured: 17 days crossing the world’s most tempestuous sea; 800 miles of freezing winter waters, with towering waves and very basic provisions. Shackleton needed all the trust and leadership he had accumulated to this point. The crossing was life or death.

Frank Worsley’s achievements as the expedition’s navigator stand out as leadership in function. The difficulty of navigation in a 23-foot boat across a rolling ocean armed only with a sextant is hard to over-emphasize. To navigate using a sextant, you must find the Sun—elusive in the April waters of the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Then you must find the horizon, very difficult in a rolling ocean in freezing conditions. Then you must calculate boat speed over time, which Worsley achieved with incredible accuracy using estimation.

Given the conditions endured over the two years, the equipment Worsley had on hand, and the pressures he faced to navigate accurately, Worsley’s achievements were extraordinary. Consistent excellence is in itself a form of leadership: leadership in performance.

In the simplicity of their equipment, the singular focus on an outcome, and complete and utter commitment to success, much can be learned for us in the calmer waters of everyday business. Keeping objectives simple and clearly understood should be the number one priority of leadership in any company, no matter the prevailing markets.

Success

On April 25, 1916, having successfully landed on the wrong side of South Georgia, the team faced a 36-hour hike over hazardous terrain, culminating in a miraculous leap of faith from a sheer-faced glacier. Yet they survived and reached a whaling station on the northern shore.

By August 30, 1916, all of the original 28-man crew were rescued, and Shackleton had successfully achieved one of the greatest feats of survival ever told.

While success drives us forward and is needed to maintain a healthy objectivity about one’s efforts, it remains a transitory state. For Shackleton, success came in a very different form from his original objective. Instead of becoming a renowned explorer, he became known as the pinnacle of survival leadership. This status was likely not what Shackleton initially sought. He was an explorer, and success for an explorer is to discover. However, the exceptional discovery of leadership and team survival he achieved is profound.

In a business setting, creating a clear set of success objectives that truly reflect the journey and development of the team is key. While ever-changing objectives can be a tool to hide poor performance, an inflexible mindset that takes no account of prevailing market conditions or fails to celebrate successes will be destructive to individual and team morale.

Embrace your successes no matter the form in which they manifest, big or small, because they teach us much and will become either a force for further purpose or future unhappiness.

The Team

The success of the Antarctic mission did not rest solely on Shackleton. One could argue that despite his strategic miscalculations and single-minded commitment to a strategy, the mission evolved into a much greater story.?

Many team members contributed their talents, energy, and commitment to achieve success for the group. It’s important to remember that when conditions change, it’s people who adapt and create solutions.?

Choose your people carefully and create a culture that values all forms of leadership. Focus relentlessly on selecting the best people you can. They will become the innovators, drivers, supporters, and leaders of the future upon whom the success or failure of your business will depend.