ILS565 - Library Management

Shackleton’s Way; Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton

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Introduction

Michael H. Dale, former president of Jaguar North America, Capt. James A. Lovell Jr., commander of Apollo 13, Luke O’Neill, 1995 Harvard Business School graduate and founder of an innovative high school in Massachusetts, and Richard Danzig, former U.S. Secretary of the Navy are but a few of highly regarded leaders and managers who admire and emulate the leadership skills of the man referred to by Sir Raymond Priestley, member of the Nimrod expedition 1907-1909, as “The greatest leader that ever came on God’s earth, bar none”. Yet, as Margo Morrell and Stephanie Capparell point out in Shackleton’s Way; Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, “never led a group larger than twenty-seven, … failed to reach nearly every goal he ever set, and until recently, … had been little remembered after his death” (pg 1).

On December 5, 1914, Sir Ernest H. Shackleton joined up with 27 hand-picked members of his expedition and set sail on an ill-fated voyage from South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic with the goal of reaching and crossing the continent of Antarctica. Their wooden ship, the Endurance, became trapped in the polar ice of the Weddell Sea less than two months into the expedition - less than one day’s sail from their destination. For the next ten months, Shackleton and his crew were “dragged … north [by the polar ice pack], … forced to camp on the ice… [and] watched in horror one month later as their vessel sank to the bottom of the sea”. Over the course of the next four months, they survived the frigid winter until the ice shattered beneath them, at which point they made their way to land in three small lifeboats. Their ordeal ended when Shackleton, “The Boss” as his men called him, took five men in a lifeboat and sailed 800 miles to reach South Georgia, crossed a frozen mountain range, and upon reaching civilization, immediately turned back and led a party to rescue his men on Elephant Island. “Amazingly, every single one had survived. Credit Shackleton” (pg 4).

The leadership qualities possessed by Shackleton are as applicable today in the most mundane of office settings as they were in the harshest environment of Antarctica, where temperatures range from -115°F to +6°F; the mean temperature is -56°F, and winter wind-chills can plummet to -148°F. And while many believe that Shackleton possessed “superhuman” qualities, Morrell and Capparell break down his skills and his approach to managerial tasks with the underlying theory that they are “eminently learnable” (pg 10). The format of this book is accessible to everyone, focusing on Shackleton’s professional life, the lessons he learned, and current day applications by a number of prominent leaders and managers.

Shackleton’s Way of Developing Leadership Skills

While a strong moral compass and solid intellect will serve anyone in a leadership position well, Shackleton based his leadership skills on those life’s lessons common to everyone. Morrell and Capparell identified areas of Shackleton’s early life at home, his years as a merchant marine, his early failures and cautious approach to his expeditions and the role they played in his development as a leader:

• Be compassionate toward and responsible for those you lead
  
• Once a decision is made, commit to stick it out through the learning curve
  
• Help create an upbeat environment at work, it’s important to productivity
  
• Learn to see things from different perspectives, it leads to flexible problem solving
  
• Be a risk taker, seize new opportunities and learn new skills
  
• Turn setbacks and failures to your advantage Be bold in vision and careful in planning
  
• Learn from yours and others past mistakes
  
•  Put people first, no goal is worth the cost of undue hardship on your staff
  
• Don’t engage in public fights with rivals. You may need their cooperation later (pg 45)
  

Shackleton’s Way of Selecting and Organizing a Crew

It is hard to imagine a situation where ‘hiring well’ could be more apropos than an expedition to the South Pole. From his experience on the Nimrod expedition and his observation of other failed expeditions, Shackleton developed his own unique style of interviewing and hiring staff any manager could adapt:

• Start with a core of workers you know from past jobs or who come recommended
  
• Your No. 2 is your most important hire.
  
• Look for someone who complements your management style
  
• Hire staff who share your vision
  
• Be a creative and unconventional interviewer if you seek creative, unconventional people.
  
• Dig deep, ask questions that show personality, values
  
• Surround yourself with cheerful and optimistic people
  
• Weed out slackers by choosing people who show a willingness to tackle any job
  
•  Hire those with talents and expertise you lack
  
• Spell out clearly exact duties, requirements, and compensation of the position
  
• Provide the best equipment you can afford, outdated tools create an unnecessary burden on staff (pg 75)
  

Shackleton’s Way of Forging a United and Loyal Team

Over the years Shackleton developed an aversion to “leadership that was rigid, remote, undemocratic, and uncertain” (pg 84). For Shackleton, teamwork and unity became a goal itself, with the knowledge that it would give him the best chance for success.

• Observe before acting, changes should be for improvement, not to build your legacy
  
• Always keep the door open to staff, keep them informed
  
• Establish order and routine Break cliques and hierarchies by training workers to do a wide variety of tasks
  
• Lead by example, chip in and help where needed, even with mundane tasks
  
•  Have regular gatherings to build ‘esprit de corps’ (pg 100)
  

Shackleton’s Way of Developing Individual Talent

As the months wore on, one would expect the crew to be deep in despair, yet, “the crewmen’s diaries show a surprising lack of concern about being trapped in the ice. Instead, they wrote about the weather, books they were reading …”(pg 108). Shackleton was able to get the best out of each crewmember by encouraging them as individuals. His attention to what was unique in each man contributed to his mental health and well-being.

• Create a work environment where people want to be, allow for personal preference
  
• Be generous with programs that promote well-being
  
• Give challenging and important work
  
• Match the person to the position
  
•  Give consistent (and positive) feedback
  
• Get to know your staff and develop a personal as well as professional relationship
  
• Reward individuals as well as the group for work well done
  
• Be tolerant of individual strengths and weaknesses, indulgence is needed sometimes (pg 124)
  

Shackleton’s Way of Getting the Group Through a Crisis

In recent times, many organizations have dealt with crises ranging from downsizing to safety recalls. When faced with his crisis, Shackleton was able to keep his crew from a mutinous situation following these steps:

• When crisis strikes, address your staff immediately, take charge, offer a plan, ask for support, show confidence in a positive outcome
  
• Get rid of middle managers, direct leadership is better in an emergency
  
• Plan several options in detail, get the big picture
  
• Streamline supplies and operations
  
• Give staff a reality check as the crisis wears on and seems ‘normal’
  
• Keep malcontents close, try to win them over, not avoid them
  
• Defuse tension
  
• Let go of the past, ask for advice but make the final decisions
  
• Let everyone participate in the solution
  
•  Be patient, and give staff plenty of time to adjust to bad news by leaking details
  

Shackleton’s Way of Forming Groups for the Toughest Tasks

Capt. James A. Lovell Jr. looked to Shackleton when he was faced with a potentially deadly situation on the Apollo 13 mission. “I think he took the same attitude we took on Apollo 13: You have to look forward as long as there is a chance” (pg 178). Tough tasks require specific skills to divide the seeming impossible into something manageable.

• Divide into teams for biggest tasks and give autonomy
  
• Have a ‘go to’ team that can handle most difficult tasks
  
• Give tedious tasks to those who don’t complain, rely on their goodwill
  
• Empower team leaders to handle their own group, but keep an eye on them
  
• Don’t be afraid to change course if things aren’t working
  
• Be self-sacrificing, give as many perks as possible
  
•  Show confidence in those in charge when you aren’t there
  
• Never point out someone’s weaknesses in front of others
  

Shackleton’s Way of Finding the Determination to Move Forward

When a leader is faced with a seemingly impossible situation, s(he) is required to provide the impetus to move forward. A rudderless ship will founder, so be prepared to provide the motivation and inspiration needed in difficult times.

• Riskier options seem more acceptable as alternatives narrow
  
•  Seek inspiration from that which as provided comfort in the past
  
• Congratulate yourself for a job well-done
  
• Motivate staff to be independent
  
• Let your staff inspire you
  
• Remember that your contributions matter to the larger world
  
•  See the job through to completion (pg 199)
  

Conclusion

In Shackleton’s Way; Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer, the reader is given a first-hand account of the often-times harrowing experiences of Sir Ernest H. Shackleton and his 27 member crew as they struggled to survive almost two years of unbearable hardship on the Endurance expedition to the Antarctic. Through this lens, we are introduced to Shackleton’s unique leadership style and see how his determination to return his men home safely and his brilliant ability to motivate his crew ultimately led to their miraculous rescue from Elephant Island without losing a single crew member. While many influential leaders today recount being inspired reading Alfred Lansing’s Endurance, Margo Morrell and Stephanie Capparell are able to introduce him to a wider audience by illuminating the leadership skills he used and organizing them in a straightforward and eminently readable text that any manager could use as a blueprint to develop more effective leadership skills. Text Reviewed:

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Text Reviewed

Morrell, Margot, and Stephanie Capparell. Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer. New York: Viking, 2001.