Leadership during times of crisis and uncertainty

Crisis and Uncertainty — 5 LEADERSHIP Lessons from Shackleton’s ENDURANCE Expedition

With the COVID-19 pandemic unfolding, we are facing an unprecedented crisis with so many unknowns of what tomorrow may bring. There are some great leadership lessons learned from Ernest Shackleton to help us through this time of uncertainty.

Shackleton’s ice-trapped Endurance ship before succumbing to the ice pressures and sinking in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. — F.HURLEY/SPRI

The Endurance Expedition

Ernest Shakleton is revered as one of the greatest leaders of all time, and certainly at the top of the list for me. The Shackleton expedition (from 1914 to 1916) is a compelling story of leadership and endurance when disaster strikes again and again on the ill-fated Trans-Antarctic expedition.

Shackleton and his crew set sail from England with the goal of being the first expedition to traverse Antarctica from one coast to the other and passing through the South Pole on the way. After 5 months sailing, they reached the freezing Weddell Sea and spotted land when the Endurance (Shackelton’s ship) became trapped in the ice pack. The ship couldn’t move and after nine months was finally crushed due to the extreme pressures of the ice, leaving the crew stranded on drifting ice floes in a desolate sea of white at the end of the earth.

What followed is one of the most remarkable survival stories in the history of human exploration. Shackleton’s men camped on the ice floes for five months before they escaped to their lifeboats and, after a harrowing five-day voyage, reached Elephant Island, a barren outcrop too remote for any hope of rescue. From there, Shackleton and five of his select, and most skilled men set out for South Georgia island and miraculously reached their destination after traversing 1,350km of the fiercest seas on the planet in an open lifeboat. There they found help at a whaling station, and three months later (after three failed attempts), Shackleton made it back to Elephant Island with a rescue ship. Incredibly every single one of his men survived.

This is not only a remarkable story of survival, but a story of resilience, teamwork, optimism, and a desire to live.

Where do you turn during a time of crisis that requires real leadership?

As a father of a medically fragile son who is compromised as a result of mitochondrial disease, I have paused to think about how to approach this time of uncertainty in order to reduce the risk to my family and to help others and our community in any way I can.

When previously faced with big life challenges and crises, I often ask myself, “How would Shackleton navigate these uncharted waters?”. As I think ahead about the unknowns and challenges we face, here are the pages I am taking out of Shackleton’s ENDURANCE book to prepare my mindset:

1. Ability to respond to constantly changing circumstances — When Shackleton’s expedition encountered serious trouble, he had to reinvent the team’s goals. He had begun the voyage with a mission of exploration and new exploration firsts, but it quickly became a mission of survival. Our world is changing by the day and even by the hour right now. We need to be acutely aware and open to these changing conditions, conscious about the implications and plan to act accordingly, knowing it will likely all change again tomorrow. If we have a flexible mindset it helps us be more open to our thinking, planning, and ability to react to the changing circumstances.
2. Being prepared and focus on what you can control — Shackleton knew how important it was for his men to get outside for fresh air, feel the rays of the sun on their faces, stay optimistic, and exercise to burn off excess energy while reducing tension within the expedition team. We can only influence what is on our control and prepare for scenarios that are out of our control. Think about who in your life is most vulnerable and develop a plan to help support should they get sick and quarantined. Let’s follow the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (or other national health agency's) recommendations to protect ourselves and others to flatten the curve and prevent community spread of COVID-19
3. Build Unity and Community — Shackleton valued hard-work and loyalty above all else. Yet, he didn’t expect this automatically; he intentionally fostered it. The team’s well-being was his top priority, higher than his mission. He knew without the team, they could never reach their goal. He got to know each team member personally and understood their strengths and style. He made sure team members could come to his with concerns and had an “open-door policy” long before the term was coined. This is a time to think about what is really important in all aspects of our lives and communities. We need to unite as family, friends, co-workers, communities, cities, nations, and the world to help each other through this crisis. Technology allows us to stay (safely) connected with others. Reach out and support one another, even consider making an old fashioned phone call to say hello. We see the best of humanity in times of crisis.
4. Routine and sense of purpose each day — Shackleton feared the potential effects of idleness. He required that each man maintain his ordinary duties as closely as possible. Sailors swabbed decks; scientists collected specimens from the ice; others were assigned to hunt for seals and penguins when fresh meat, a protection against scurvy, ran low. He also kept a strict routine for meals and insisted that the men socialize after dinner, play games, and celebrate holidays and special occasions. With people practicing social distancing, self-isolation, and being quarantined, our daily routines have instantly changed to being cooped up in our homes (or elsewhere) with little to do. We should be very conscientious to maintain social distancing and self-isolation, but that does not mean we can’t take the dog for a walk or go for a run. We all risk cabin fever over the coming weeks, but if carefully planned we can get outside, which will help us all maintain a healthier body and mind. By creating a daily routine and finding ways to be productive it will help us get through each day with a greater sense of purpose.
5. Inspire optimism — Shackleton kept his team focused on the future. The ship was gone; previous plans were irrelevant. Now his goal was to bring the team home safely, and he improvised, adapted and used every resource at hand to achieve it. Shackleton believed in his mission and in his team. His optimism was contagious. He intentionally made decisions to inspire optimism in his crew. He was enthusiastic, clear in his vision, encouraged singing, games, fun antics, and other merriment during the expedition. He even organized football games on the ice and encouraged competition to distract his men and to have fun. This too shall pass and the world will get back to a ‘new normal’ in time. With good risk planning, minimizing exposure, and looking after each other, we will get through this pandemic.

Endurance Mindset

We all play a role in influencing how this unprecedented time of uncertainly unfolds. Let’s do our part as individuals to educate ourselves and make informed decisions. This requires a strong mindset of ENDURANCE — one day at a time, we’ll get through this!