I came across a book recently that piqued my interest, “Shackleton’s Way” by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell. It’s a book primarily on leadership lessons but reads like a real adventure story and I can totally recommend it for both! Sir Ernest Shackleton was in the great Antarctic explorers club of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Captain Roald Amundsen and the race to the South Pole.
Sir Ernest Shackleton has been called “the greatest leader on God’s earth, bar none” for saving the lives of the 27 men stranded with him on an Antarctic ice floe for almost 2 years.
From 1914 to 1916, Ernest Shackleton and his men survived the wreck of their ship, Endurance, in the crushing Antarctic ice, stranded 1,200 miles from civilisation with no means of communication and no hope for rescue. The temperatures were so low the men could hear water freeze. They subsisted on a diet of penguins, dogs, and seals. And when the ice began to break up, Shackleton set out to save them all on his heroic 800 mile trip across the frigid South Atlantic – in little more than a rowboat. Unlike most other polar expeditions, every man survived, not only in good health but also in good spirits – all due to the leadership of Shackleton.
Shackleton’s leadership skills and care for his men were well ahead of his time. I saw a programme recently on Captain James Cook, another man ahead of his time in the humane way he treated his men, which was echoed a century and a half later by Shackleton – influenced by Cook’s good example perhaps?
In this book, there are many great tools and lessons that can be applied to your personal life or career, in whatever stage you may be at. I’m going to cover my top 5 from the first chapter if you find these useful, I recommend you get the book.
Shackleton’s way of developing leadership skills.
1. Cultivate a sense of compassion and responsibility for others. You have a bigger impact on the lives of those under you than you can imagine.
2. Do your part to help create an upbeat environment at work. A positive and cheerful workplace is important to productivity.
3. Broaden your cultural and social horizons beyond your usual experiences. Learning to see things from different perspectives will give you greater flexibility in problem solving at work.
4. Find a way to turn setbacks and failures to your advantage. This would be a good time to step forward on your own.
5. Learn from past mistakes, yours and those made by others. Sometimes the best teachers are the bad bosses and the negative experiences.
These are the kind of things my clients experience when working with me, so contact me today “here” or email jackie@age-drop.com to learn more about how I can help you look fabulous, feel fantastic and love the body you are in!
Reference: Shackleton’s Way by Margot Morrell & Stephanie Capparell
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