Thursday, March 29, 2012

Shackelton Endurance

Endurance -the story of Shackleton's ill fated attempt to reach the south pole was gripping. I listened to it on audio while on one of those long car rides where it was more efficient to drive than fly. I find a 5 hour drive is about break even to flying by the time you drive to the airport, wait for security lines, wait for the flight, fly for an hour, get a car etc and then you have to depend on the flight schedules. (Not true of course when flying private but the economics are way different).

I was excited to receive a copy of Leading at the edge - Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition.

At the same time Endurance set off to conquer the south pole, the Karluk set off to conquer the North Pole. Both ships were stranded in ice. Both sets of explorers had to endure unbelievable hardship. But, Shackleton's group pulled together. It was a story of sacrifice, teamwork and loyalty. The Karluk explorers drifted into theft, deception, lying, and mutiny.

This book delves into the why. How did Shackleton do it? From this, they derive the following 10 leadership lessons.

1. Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives.

2. Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors.

3. Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.

4. Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt.

5. Reinforce the team message constantly: "We are one- we live or die together."

6. Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.

7. Master conflict- deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles.

8. Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.

9. Be willing to take big risks.

10. Never give up-there's always another move.

3 Comments:

At 9:51 PM, Blogger Mark Fasciano said...

Looking forward to reading this book!

 
At 9:52 PM, Blogger Mark Fasciano said...

Looking forward to reading this book!

 
At 1:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I personally like the "Never give up" statement, "there is always one more move."
Very appropriate.

 

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