Leadership is often discussed within the framework of
success and successful achievements, even after a series of failures. We are all familiar with the string of
“failures” experienced by Abraham Lincoln prior to his election as the
country’s 16th President. I
am not going to cite them here, only to say the culmination was his election to
the Presidency. He achieved a goal; he
succeeded; he was a great leader!
But can one be a great leader even if one does not achieve
some great landmark accomplishment? The
simple answer is yes! I present as
evidence the great Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton had as a goal to reach the South
Pole. He never made it. He died in 1922 during his final attempt. In 1902 he attempted to reach the South Pole
with Robert F. Scott and fell short by 460 miles. He tried again six years later and this time
fell 97 miles short abandoning the effort in lieu of certain death. As a result of this heroic failure, he was
knighted by King Edward VII. He tried
again in 1914 and this time did not even reach the continent of
Antarctica. His ship, the Endurance, was caught in early ice and
his entire crew became trapped. They
could not go forward, they could not go back! It was a colossal failure…or was it? Shackleton’s crowning achievement was what is
commonly called a successful failure.
What ensued was perhaps the most heroic example of raw
leadership in recorded history. 28 men
survived the harsh Antarctic winter. The
Endurance’s First Officer, Lionel Greenstreet, was once asked in an interview
how they all survived when so many other expeditions ended with a number of
deaths. He simply replied “Shackleton!”
Shackleton had Character.
One of Shackleton’s priorities was the professional development of his
crew. He was not satisfied with just
achieving his personal goals (many of which he would never achieve); he was
dedicated to the development of others.
Shackleton saw the potential in each of the members of his crew and
challenged and encouraged them to improve and fulfill their potential. By setting personal and character development
as a priority, he demonstrated great character himself.
Shackleton had Courage!
You would be hard pressed to list any leader who out performed
Shackleton in the area of courage. He
was faced with a lose-lose situation and he won. Not only did he win, all of his crew won (win is defined in this case as lived!).
His ship was caught and crushed in early drift ice and then sank, his crew was stranded
and eventually made their way to a deserted Elephant Island without a chance of
surviving the Antarctic winter, he embarked on and successfully made an
impossible voyage of 800 nautical miles to South Georgia Island in a converted
lifeboat, and landed on the “wrong” side of the island and had to travel over a
mountain range to reach help. Eventually
his entire crew was rescued. No one
died. Let me repeat that…everyone
lived!! To the man, credit was given to
Shackleton’s courage and leadership as the sole reason for their survival. He exuded confidence and instilled hope.
Finally, Shackleton had compassion. The needs of the crew came before his
own. After the Endurance was trapped, crushed, and sank, Shackleton and his crew
launched five life boats and sailed 346 miles to Elephant Island. One of the crew lost their gloves. Shackleton gave him his. Shackleton suffered severe frostbite as a
result. Further, Shackleton developed a
personal relationship with each member of his crew. They were each an individual, and Shackleton
knew this. He built rapport and
trust. He got to know them and as a
result they trusted him. I would argue
that one of the reasons that Shackleton was able to pull off this miracle was
due to the relationships he built, the rapport he established, and the trust he
earned.
As with all leaders, Shackleton was not without his
warts. He was obsessed with the
Antarctic. He died of a heart attack at
the age of 47 while on an Antarctic expedition.
He just could not let it go, but he was one of the greatest leaders when
it came to stepping up when it counts.
In their book Shackelton’s Way, Margot Morrell and Stephanie
Capparell offer the following:
“British explorer Apsley Cherry-Garrard best expressed the
feelings of his fellow ‘Antarcticists’, as he called them, when he explained: ‘For
a joint scientific and geographical piece of organization, give me Scott: for a
winter journey, give me Wilson: for a dash to the pole and nothing else, give
me Amundsen: and if I am in the devil of a hole and want to get out of it, give
me Shackleton every time.”
Shackleton was a great leader!!
For a great read on Shackleton and his leadership, I recommend:
Morrell, Margot;
Capparell, Stephanie (2001). Shackleton's Way: Leadership lessons from the
great Antarctic explorer. New York, N.Y.: Viking. ISBN 0-670-89196-7.
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