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A Dealer in Hope
by Tricia Jack, MPA, CPPA
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew set sail
from London toward Antarctica aboard Endurance.
The ship Endurance was ironically named because it never reached its
destination; it was “frozen in” about a day away from its planned landing
point. This led to a ten-month ordeal while the crew waited for the weather to
warm enough for the ice to soften, but even after all this time, the ship was
still stuck. With hopes crushed, a new mission emerged: that of staying alive. After
the crew attempted to march to land, they camped on the ice for six more
months. At last the ice opened up enough to allow them to use lifeboats to
reach an island and bring the crew to safety. Remarkably, all 28 of the crew
survived.
Like most leaders, Shackleton faced many problems during this expedition. His original mission failed spectacularly. He didn’t even come
close to achieving his goal; he merely survived in the most difficult of
circumstances. He had to handle fears, stop negativity, prevent stress
and work with limited resources. All he really achieved was damage control, but
he did it in a most spectacular way.
His
biographers wrote: “Shackleton’s wisdom is by no means simple or obvious. Much
of it is counterintuitive, especially for those schooled in more conventional
management tactics. Shackleton served tea in bed to the ship’s crybaby,
flattered the egomaniacs, and kept close to him the most abrasive
personalities. Often, he made great personal sacrifices. Sometimes he led by
not leading at all.”[1]
Shackleton
was optimistic about success and he inspired this optimism in others. He let
everyone know that he was in charge and confident of success. He kept up the
crew’s spirits by making things fun, such as soccer matches on the ice, dog
racing and other goofing off, creating the atmosphere of a summer camp.He redefined his goals as the
environment changed, obliterating the failure to achieve the previous goal with
the success of attaining the new one.
Shackleton got his crew through a crisis by using a variety
of methods:
- He immediately addressed the
crew and asked for their support.
-
He defused tension and kept the
crew busy.
-
He let all members of the
crew participate in the solution.
-
He was patient, and
sometimes did nothing but watch and wait.
-
He gave the crew early
warnings of unpopular decisions to let them get used to the idea.
-
He kept the malcontents
close to him where he could influence them and win them over.
In today’s economic situation,
having to lead in difficult times and in crisis situations is a sobering
thought. To remember Shackleton is to remember that leaders
are “dealers in hope” (Napoleon). Shackleton’s way was to use the tools he had
at his disposal: humor, generosity, intelligence, strength, and
compassion, even in a time when all hope could easily have been lost.
[1] Morrell,
Margot and Stephanie Capparell. 2001 .
Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons From the Great Antarctic Explorer.
Viking Press: New York.
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