05 Jan Sir Ernest Shackleton

Sir Ernest Shackleton, British Antarctic explorer, died 100 years ago today.  He famously led a 28-man expedition in 1914 to be the first to cross Antarctica. He did not achieve that objective, but made history by heroically saving his entire crew despite incredible hardships over the course of nearly two years.  It’s unusual to devote attention to a leader whose expedition failed.  Shackleton is an exception, and I highlight his achievement in almost every keynote presentation on leadership and overcoming extreme adversity, because what happened instead provides impactful lessons about what we now call “crisis management” with an emphasis on inclusiveness, adaptability, attitude and perseverance.   

Disaster struck Shackleton’s expedition when its ship, ENDURANCE, became trapped in pack ice (“frozen like an almond in the middle of a chocolate bar” according to a crewman) and was eventually crushed.  The crew found themselves Icebound, hundreds of miles from any other humans in an era before wireless communications and no one knew of their predicament.  Here’s where Shackleton’s leadership was put to the test.  His inspirational style included: 

• TEAMWORK:  Shackleton personally selected his crew for their expertise, interest, understanding and enthusiasm for achieving a common goal.  There was a clear, shared purpose to become the first to cross the Antarctic. Often times teams are brought together and their purpose is vague or team members hold different understandings of that purpose. Clarity of purpose is a proven factor for team success, and that was the case here. Shackleton was a Servant Leader: putting the needs of his crew before self, especially when the mission changed from crossing Antartica to one of survival and rescue. His biggest concern while waiting for warmer weather was crew demoralization. To avoid this, he focused on keeping his men’s spirits high by organizing athletic contests, games, singalongs and skits. He had all the men cross-train in various roles to increase their stimulation and competence.  He was especially inclusive; listening to his crew with an “open-door/tent policy” long before that phrase was coined.

• TONE:  By sharing and consistently reinforcing a vision for a positive outcome, the crew’s morale remained upbeat. Shackleton took the time to understand everyone’s personality, strengths, weaknesses and motivations.  Recognizing that optimism is a force multiplier  – and negativism a force destroyer – Shackleton kept the few pessimistic crew members closest to him to lessen their impact on the others.  “Difficulties,” Shackleton would later say, “are just things to overcome, after all.”

• TENACITY: In an era with no radios, weather reports, outboard motors or Gore-Tex, Shackleton adapted his cold weather, sometimes open ocean survival and rescue plans whenever necessary, without emotional attachment to previous ideas, and taking prudent risks to save his crew.  He demonstrated unmatched discipline and relentless drive in doing so.  Once the pack ice finally broke apart in 2015, the crew battled icy elements, sea sickness and exhaustion during a seven day sail in three boats to the dry, but uninhabited Elephant Island,100 miles away.  Next. Shackleton took five healthy crew on a perilous thee-week sail in ferocious waters and frigid seas for South Georgia Island’s whaling station to contact those that could bring help.  They amazingly reached the island but landed on its uncharted far side, 20 miles across mountains and glaciers from the whaling station.  It took several additional days of desperate hiking to reach it. Once they did, it still took several months and four separate ship attempts to rescue the remaining crew on Elephant Island.  There, each morning since Shackleton departed several months earlier, the Officer In Charge issued the call for everyone to “Lash up and stow” [your belongings] … The Boss may come today.” On August, 30, 1916, he was right.     

When one of the survivors was asked how they eventually made it, he answered with one word, “Shackleton.”

– Rear Admiral Paul Becker, USN (Ret) is a former Naval Intelligence Officer who led large, diverse teams in peace, crisis and combat.   He is the CEO of The Becker T3 Group, a platform for his motivational and national security keynote speaking. In 2016, The Naval Intelligence Community established “The Rear Admiral Becker ‘Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity Award for Leadership” in his honor