What we can all learn from Sir Earnest Shackleton

Lessons from leading 28 stranded men to survive 16 months in Antartica, and return home alive.

I’m almost done reading Sir Ernest Shackleton’s failed and yet awe-inspiring Antartica expedition. It’s an incredible, almost unreal true story — how Shackleton led 28 men stranded in Antartica for 16 months on floating ice pack and uninhabited islands, frost bitten and without proper clothing or enough food, to return home alive. It’s a book everyone should read.

3 things impressed me about his leadership style:

1. Unfailing optimism about making it out alive. He always maintains a positive outlook, taking every challenge and setback in its stride, even when they seem hopelessly out of options.
2. An intense focus on the things that mattered most to their survival — food, shelter, and health.
3. A truly “agile” approach — each day he took stock of changes to weather, available supply of seal meat, and the health of his men. If the weather turned and a blizzard was approaching, he cut rations so it would last longer. If after a few days of eating lesser, he felt the men were getting depressed, he increased food supply for a day to keep them going. He even made sure there was variety in their food, in spite of their situation.

We can all apply these principles to our lives and work. If it helped them survive, it can certainly help us achieve our goals!

If you’re looking for an amazing book to read, or simply want to feel good about your comfortable life, read this book.

South: The Story of Shackleton’s 1914–1917 Expedition http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0082QC1ZQ/