Leading on Ice

Sir Ernest Shackleton has been called “the greatest leader that ever came on God’s earth, bar none” for being able to save the life of all his 27 men after their ship sank in the frozen ocean and they were stranded in the Antarctic for almost 2 years.

Shackleton and his crew set out from South Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 1914 with the aim to explore the Antarctic. Their ship Endurance got stuck in the pack ice one day’s sail from their intended landing site and was later crushed in ice.?

The men lived for months in tents on the ice floes, sailed on lifeboats over the tumultuous waters of the Atlantic, walked for endless hours in the dark, freezing, inhospitable environment.

At the end, they were able to find help and were all saved in the spring of 1916.

Reading the story of Shackleton’s expedition and all the dramatic situations in which the whole crew found themselves for months and months is an incredible journey to the edge of what the human body and mind can endure (yes… the name of the boat was indeed appropriate!).

Other explorers had faced similar situations while trying to reach the Antarctic, but none of them was able to come back with the whole crew alive. Most of them suffered horrible deaths for accidents, starvation, suicide, or even cannibalism.

So, what was different in Shackleton’s experience??

Probably a mix of elements, maybe a bit of luck, but most of all his belief that people come first, always, and therefore no glory, money, nor worldwide fame would be worthed if he had to sacrifice even one of his men to reach his goal.?

As he wrote to his wife: “Better a live donkey than a dead lion”.

What is striking, considering the time and the extremely harsh conditions, is that Shackleton’s people-centered leadership still talks to us today, more than a century later.

The three elements that particularly stand out for me are:

His ability to wisely recruit people and build very effective teams, identifying and leveraging the best out of each individual?

He hired people with complementary skills, that had talents and expertise he was lacking, without feeling threatened by them.

Most importantly, he looked for people that were cheerful and optimistic, knowing that these traits would have played a big role in the tough journey ahead of them (a journey that turned out even much harder than expected)

Within each team, he made sure everyone had meaningful and challenging work, clearly tied to the overall purpose of the expedition.

He brilliantly built teams balancing not only experience, but personalities and attitudes.

Everybody had a role onboard, but they all had to take a turn at the wheel and give a hand in the galley, including doctors, scientists, and himself, thus courageously breaking down hierarchies (at the beginning of 1900!)

His ability to lead effectively through a crisis, by maintaining optimism and a “can-do attitude”?

Shackleton wouldn’t probably have known this term, but I believe he is an extraordinary example of “growth mindset”.

He never doubted they would have successfully come out of their situation, he kept exploring his own and other people's potential and stretching it to achieve the unbelievable result of survival for all

Being able to maintain spirits high even in dramatic circumstances

He acknowledged that, in order to survive, his crew needed food for their souls and minds as much as they needed food for their bodies.

Even when stranded on ice, during the long Antarctic nights they performed skits, sang, and played the banjo to celebrate birthdays.?

Humour and camaraderie played a big role in never letting desperation take over.

A hundred years later, in much easier environmental conditions, with no threats for our own and our team’s lives, how could we apply some of these lessons?

• Do we have the well-being of our team as one of the highest priorities?
• What do we look for when we hire new people or build new teams?
• Are we willing to break down barriers and courageously put ourselves out there in bringing disruptive innovation?
• When facing adversities, do we retreat to the good-old ways or do we try to go the extra mile and seek other people's support in doing it?
• Do we wait for the once-a-year team-building retreats or do we constantly intentionally connect on a personal level with our colleagues?
• …

And if we think that our role as leaders is tough… think about the 2 years on the Antarctic ice! ;-)

If you want to read more about Shackleton’s journey and his leadership style, I definitely recommend the book by M. Morrell and S. Capparell, Shackleton’s Way- Leadership lessons from the great Antarctic explorer, Penguin Books, 2002.