By David Parmenter
With the film “Shackleton – The Greatest Story of Survival” doing the rounds in the cinemas it is appropriate to, once again, look at the ten lessons from Shackleton’s legacy.
Sir Ernest Shackleton saved the lives of the whole Endurance party that lived for two years in the harshest environment in the world, with turn of the century equipment and no support from outside agencies. They managed to make a home on a floating ice shelf, row to an uninhabited island (Elephant Island), and a rescue party set sail across 800 miles the roughest water in the world in little more than a life boat. On arriving at St Georgia three of them crossed unclimbed mountains and glaciers in an epic 30 hour traverse. In the must see film, explorer and adventurer, Tim Jarvis, explores the journey, putting his life at risk in the process.
1 Manage a crisis with a sense of humour
Letting go of the past (abandonment)
When Shackleton (known as the Boss) witnessed the final sinking of the Endurance he knew it meant bankruptcy. Yet not for one moment did he let this event affect his optimism of getting his team off the floe and back to safety.
Great leaders know when to cut the losses, admit they made an error of judgement, and move on. The act of abandonment gives a tremendous sense of relief to the leader, it stops the past haunting the future.
Be flexible in tactics
The Boss was flexible, always thinking ahead. However, some decisions would have to be reversed on a daily basis as conditions changed. The change in circumstances constantly meant a change in what could be taken on the next leg of the return journey back to safety.
When they knew it was time to leave the breaking ice floe the Boss had to assess what was the safest option bearing in mind the various attributes of three potential destinations. The conditions of the men, the sea, and the fact that one life boat was marginally seaworthy had to be weighed up. In a sequence, over the course of just three days the destination for their escape changed: Clarence Island or Elephant Island; King George Island; Hope Bay (on the Antarctic mainland); and finally, Elephant Island, where they landed safely.
Maintaining a sense of humour when all looks lost
He maintained a sense of humour even when all looked lost. The Boss’s sense of humour was always to the fore. He was the life and sole of the group. He was constantly looking for ways to maintain morale. As Tom Peters says about bad times “I can say with conviction and confidence that ‘this is when it gets fun’ for talented and imaginative leaders.”
2 Recruiting your team with care
Invest time to recruit well
The Boss chose his people carefully.
He was always looking for character, competence and multi skills. The Boss’s interview questions penetrated the individual to see if they had a positive attitude and a light-hearted, even whimsical nature. His recruitment strategy was as follows:
- “Loyalty comes easier to a cheerful person than one with a heavy countenance”.
- He had to see an inner core of loyalty.
- He set difficult tasks for the interviewees to see how keen they were to join.
Pick your second in command with care
He picked his second in command, Frank Wild, with great care. Wild was totally dedicated to acting on behalf of the “Boss” in his absence. He was in many respects a Shackleton clone. Frank Wild started off with Shackleton as a seaman and became a great explorer.
Wild left the planning to the boss and focused on maintaining a happy and friendly nature no matter what prevailed.
3 Show an abundance of positive energy
The capacity to go-go-go with healthy vigour and an upbeat attitude
Shackleton had an abundance of positive energy, he worked the hardest, slept the least, and led from the front. He was fitter than all the others on the team with the exception of possibly Wild.
Never give up
The Boss never gave up: he was a believer in “there’s always another move, you just have to find it”. The Boss was always a purveyor of hope and optimism. When setbacks occurred, he had to remain outwardly optimistic, despite his own feelings, to prevent a growing despair among his men. He knew that such despair could, in the face of adversity, lead to dissension, mutiny, or simply giving up.
Having arrived at the whaling town on South Georgia the Boss made four attempts to rescue the men from Elephant Island and a further seven months to rescue his men stuck on the other side of Antarctic.
Young at heart and celebrate
He was young at heart always looking for ways to amuse his team such as holding plays, sing-a-longs, cards, football matches under moonlight. The Boss loved a party. Every Saturday night they would celebrate and toast their loved ones. Birthdays were always honoured. On a previous expedition, Shackleton even went to the trouble of taking a Xmas pudding on the arduous walk to the then “furthest South” with Scott. On Xmas day out came a small pudding with a piece of holly. Through near starvation he had kept this pudding to share with Scott and his other companion.
4 Invest time to communicate effectively
Avoid public fights
The Boss avoided public fights. He said only positive words about crew members when expressing an opinion in public knowing that one day he would need their support.
Informal one-to-one communication
The Boss engaged in informal one-to-one communication. If a major change was about to be made, he would mention it in passing individually so when he announced the change it was of no surprise to anyone.
The bad news was never unexpected. The Boss always canvassed the men when the likely options were unpleasant.
Walkabout everyday
Every night, no matter how many degrees below freezing it was the Boss would visit each tent for a pep talk. He would wake in the early hours of the morning to keep the man on watch company. He always found time to cheer up members who were feeling depressed about their prospects.
Link with key decision makers
Shackleton knew that his dream of being the first to transverse the South Pole could be achieved only through the support of the Royal Geographical Society and wealthy sponsors who needed to be inspired by the epic proportions of the enterprise.
5 Develop and use your emotional intelligence
Be a student of psychology to motivate you team
Shackleton read widely and his understanding of psychology played a big part in saving the lives of this team. For example, on the hike over the mountains of South Georgia, his two team members wanted a short sleep. The Boss knew that would be the end of them and his crew stuck on Elephant Island. He let them sleep for 5 minutes and then woke them up saying they had slept for 30 minutes.
His selection of crews for the three life boats took account of the dynamics of the friendships, the seamanship and finally the state of the boats.
He never, during all the trials and tribulations, ever shared any doubts he might have had about their predicament. When he sensed that the mood of the men was darkening, he would use a holiday observance or some other pretence to justify extra rations of food to boost morale. He rose to his best and inspired confidence when things were at their blackest.
Master self-regulation to minimize any emotional damage
The Boss was the master of conflict resolution: he avoided emotional outbursts. He would gently point out the reason why it should be a done a different way. He would only tell staff off in private.
The Boss was able to manage his anger and frustration. He had seen many times leaders shouting at subordinates and had promised himself never to be like that.
The Boss did not like all his team. One team member stole personal possessions left on the ice. During the difficult 18 months he worked with everyone. Only on returning to England did he truly punish those who had crossed the line.
Keep trouble close to you
On the famous boat trip to South Georgia, he took two members on the James Caird who would be of no use but could not be left behind. These two were the negative soothsayers who would have poisoned the minds of those left on the god forsaken Elephant Island
6 Invest time to look into the changing future
The future has to be owned by the leader
The Boss could visualise things ahead and plan accordingly. The extent of the Boss’s detail in planning included: different gear to avoid the problems he had experienced in past expedition; provisioning food and equipment that saved their lives many times; packing cases made of ply wood (a new material) that could be reconstituted into building material for a hut.
Bold in planning but careful in execution
While the vision must be bold every conceivable risk was minimised to ensure a safe outcome. He was over provisioned. His original plans were to be away for just over a year but had wisely provisioned for two years based on 4,000 calories a day.
Equipping the team must be a priority
Only the best was good enough for the Endurance expedition. And where necessary new equipment was designed. The food on board was fit for a king. Unusual treats that were capable of being stored for years were taken. In the bleakest moments the Boss used a treat to say to his men “There is more of this when we get home”.
7 Copy Shackleton’s team building techniques
Removing barriers of rank to build cohesion
The Boss insisted on courtesy and mutual respect between all members of the team. He broke down any barriers that would get in the way of a cohesive team. He devised rotas where all team members, including himself, were involved. All members, including the Boss, did the dishes and cleaned the floors. When it came to ration the fur lined sleeping bags to the team, straws were drawn, the three main leaders drawing a shorter straw, in a rigged draw, benefiting the younger men..
Keep the team busy
The team were prepared to take on any task the Boss wanted as they knew he would be in the line with them. It could be the fruitless task spending weeks trying to break the ship free from the ice, the hauling the life boats over the ice floe, to the seemingly impossible transverse of South Georgia.
Fitness and health of the team
Being focused on the fitness and health of the team he devised many activities on the ice flow to keep the team in good health.
Cross train and rotate teams to develop staff
Shackleton cross trained and rotated the teams to develop staff. He changed all the given rules for previous expeditions. All staff were required to master new skills, to act as back-up in case of injury. The surgeon skippered the Endurance when it docked at Buenos Aires on its journey to the southern ocean.
Match tasks to the individual capabilities and personalities
Shackleton went to great lengths to suit tasks to the individual capabilities and personalities.
Know your staff inside out
The Boss knew his staff inside out and spent time with each member of his team to find out what made them tick, how he could best lead them, and how he could serve them.
8 Embrace continued learning
From an early age, Shackleton looked for experience. At the age of 14, he was a cabin boy on his first sea voyage. He learned from working with both accomplished and not-so-accomplished captains. He sought to go on as many polar adventures as he could, to prepare himself to get to the South Pole.
He trained himself to become an exceptional leader. He learned from prior mistakes, he was a student of other explorers’ experience and he admired the successful Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen. He admired and sought to emulate the skill, preparation, and attention to detail displayed by Amundsen in the 1911 race to be the first to the South Pole.
9 Embody the values you seek in others
Value people over results
He valued results, but he valued life and people more. No goal no target was worth the loss of life. He took no unnecessary risks. He never attempted a goal if the return journey was not guaranteed. In an earlier expedition, the Boss could have been the first to the South Pole but he knew that some of the team would have died doing it so he turned around 90 miles short of his goal.
Make ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’ your guiding force
This founding belief is the building block of many religions and thus has a profound purpose. The Boss respected his team members treating them as equals, he would never ask them to do a task he would not do himself and put their wellbeing at the forefront of his mind.
Shackleton time and time again gave up comforts for his men. During the trip he gave up the fur lined sleeping bag and his bed for a sick team member, he gave his gloves risking severe frost bite. He always shared the provisions faultlessly to all no matter what their contribution.
Ken Blanchard’s book “the Secret” neatly records that a leader exists to serve others rather than be one who is served to.
Maintaining your humility
Whilst the Boss loved the lime light, enjoyed the public adoration and the attention from the fairer sex, he was very humble when communicating to his team, knowing that through humility greatness can be achieved.
10 Finding and nurturing a safe haven
The film struck a poignant cord when we are reminded that Shackleton could not stand still. Back in Britain, without a safe haven, an interest that could absorb his energy, he was compelled to go back. This time as a sick and weaker man who died in St Georgia before he could set sail for his beloved Antarctica.
The importance of the second passion, Peter Drucker noted, was that it acts as a failsafe and at the same time stimulates the brain in different ways leading to clearer thought patterns and better decision making. Sir Winston Churchill safe haven was his beloved Chartwell House. For Jack Welch, during his GE days, it was his golf.
Action
- Read Shackleton’s Way – leadership lessons from the great Antarctic Explorer by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell
- Access my “Leadership the Shackleton Way” checklist from management.davidparmenter.com
- See the film, “Shackleton – The Greatest Story of Survival”