Shackleton - 100 Years on, what can we learn from him today as a leader?

·??????Take time to understand your team - During the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition Shackleton invested personal time understanding the 28 individuals in his team, he also encouraged them to do the same, making them switch tents regularly to help them build a balanced rapport with each team member and avoid the creation of cliques.

·??????Develop a clear and shared purpose – in understanding his team’s strengths and weaknesses he was able to develop a shared purpose, often getting them to swap roles so they had a greater awareness and empathy for their team members. He also understood the importance of balancing hard work and discipline with a sense of fun, from organising sing-a-longs and birthday celebrations to staging an 11-a-side soccer game on the ice.

·??????Build loyalty and trust – he made people feel equally important and avoided favouritism, he kept his commitments to them, and in return expected their loyalty.?On one occasion a cook was fired for being drunk, he quickly spotted those in the team that were not putting the team first and had a low tolerance for misbehaviour. ?He never asked them to do something he wasn’t prepared to do himself, hence gaining their respect and loyalty whilst setting a strong role model.?

·??????Have a plan and be prepared to change it – during the Antarctic Expedition on his ship The Endurance, Shackleton came across many situations where his original plan went awry. When his ship was eventually crushed by the ice he was able to quickly identify risks and mitigate, his endurance and improvisation ensured the safety and survival of all 28 crew members.

·??????Take responsibility for the tough decisions – the tough decisions are not always popular but if you have the trust of the team, the team will follow. During his early Nimrod expedition they got within 97 miles of the South Pole but knew that they only had enough food to get there, but not enough for the return journey.?Shackleton made the difficult decision to turn back and forgo the fame of being the first to accomplish such a feat. In explaining to his wife he said “I thought you would prefer a live donkey to a dead lion”.