Got Leadership Challenges…Add Starvation, Dismal Odds of Success, & The Possibility of Death!

Writing this article makes me feel hugely and morbidly inadequate. This is a story of a leader that dealt with horrible odds of success, starvation, internal quarreling, physical and mental weakness of massive proportions, and the possibility of death for him and his team …every day for months and months. You may have guessed what this story is about, but I suspect, like I, that you had never really considered the leadership lessons from this amazing epic adventure. I have been involved in turn-around situations, but this is the ultimate turn-around. (If you are a skimmer, read the last paragraph).

The story is that of Sir Earnest Shackleton and his attempt at leading the first overland crossing of Antarctica. I have known and read about the expedition many times, but it wasn’t until recently that I truly came to respect and understand Shackleton’s profound leadership abilities and how closely the lessons of that expedition tie into modern day business situations.

This awareness came while reading the recently released second edition of Leading at The Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition by Dennis N. T. Perkins.

I read a lot of great books, but this one really taught me and made me think about my life and leadership. In this remarkable book, Perkins explains ten strategies to being a world class leader. He brilliantly does this through the literary illustration of the story of the expedition, mixed with modern day examples of companies and leaders that exemplified these strategies, and wonderful summaries to bring it all together. It is so nice to read a book that is not just inspirational, but properly designed and formatted to instill in you the strategy that the author is explaining.

These ten strategies will give you an idea of what Shackleton and his team went through and the leadership lessons that can be gleaned from that experience.

1. Vision and Quick Victories:Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives.
2. Symbolism and Personal Example: Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors.
3. Optimism and Reality: Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.
4. Stamina: Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt.
5. The Team Message: Reinforce the team message constantly: “We are one—we live or die together.”
6. Core Team Values: Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.
7. Conflict: Master conflict—deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles.
8. Lighten Up! Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.
9. Risk: Be willing to take the Big Risk.
10. Tenacious Creativity: Never give up—there’s always another move.

Perkins goes in depth into each of these strategies and I feel I should mention that there was not a single chapter that did not leave me in awe and feeling like I had been taught some important truths. The story of Shackleton and his team is enormously inspiring. Sir Edmund Hillary once stated of Shackleton, “For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”

There is not enough space in this post to adequately go into depth into the lessons of the book, and I feel doing so would be a disservice to Perkins. But for those that know the quantity of books I read, let me sum up the value I place on this book by stating that it will sit in my bookshelf as one of the top ten books that I want my child to read when he is old enough. The lessons are not just about leadership, but about life, persistence, tenacity, overcoming trials, and extraordinary resilience. This is definitely high on my favorite leadership titles as well.

Pick-up your copy and please let me know what your thoughts are: Leading at The Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition