By Bob Kelleher
Few leaders – historic or modern-day - have shown as much true leadership as Ernest Shackleton did in 1914, leading his crew through hazardous, life-threatening conditions for a period of two years in the Antarctic. What made Shackleton an employee engagement trailblazer? What can we learn from him today?
21st Century Employee Engagement in the 1900s?
Think back to England, circa 1914. Can you imagine leaders from this era being advocates of employee engagement? Let's take it a step further – is it possible in the 1914 world of cutting-edge polar exploration -- known for autocratic leadership-- to have within its ranks an Antarctic explorer who practiced a style of leadership that in today's world is considered enlightened?
After extensive research of the famed Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, it is apparent that Shackleton was truly our first engaged leader. Although a coercive leadership style was common in the England of 1914, Shackleton's humane leadership style was both unique and effective as he led 27 men to accomplish the extraordinary.
The Stakes Don't Get Any Higher
In 1914, Shackleton set sail on his ship – the Endurance – with 27 carefully selected shipmates. The goal was to be the first crew to cross the Antarctic continent by foot. Shortly after reaching the Antarctic the Endurance was trapped by ice. Shackleton and his crew drifted aimlessly across the treacherous Weddell Sea for 10 months before the Endurance was crushed by the ice and sank.
Now ship-less (aside from three small life boats) Shackleton and his men floated on ice for months. Shackleton's extraordinary leadership skills managed to keep his men focused, engaged, and most importantly, inspired to follow his vision.
He knew when to change course and communicate the changed vision (“My new goal is to keep you alive”), when to ‘walk the talk' (he lead by example – assigning himself onerous tasks), when to demonstrate succession planning (rotating the men to different assignments – unheard of in 1914), and how to hire people to fit the culture. Shackleton's Antarctic exploration is considered one of the greatest survival stories of all times. I believe it is one of the greatest ‘hiring' stories of all time.
Against All Odds
With the days getting longer and the ice melting, Shackleton knew he had no choice but to sail for land in the lifeboats. They landed on Elephant Island -- an inhospitable place far from any shipping routes. They were not safe yet.
Shackleton split the group and set sail again with a smaller team of men in a dangerous open-boat journey destined for the Island of South Georgia, a distant whaling station. This leg of the journey involved crossing 800 miles of the world's most forbidding seas in a small open boat. Amazingly, Shackleton made it, found help on the Island of South Georgia and returned to resuce the rest of his men.
After an amazing two years away, Shackleton enjoyed a hero's welcome on his return to England in 1916, with all 28 men alive.
4 Keys to Extraordinary Leadership and Employee Engagement
There is no doubt that Shackleton was an exceptional leader. The good news is that the qualities he exhibited are ones we are all capable of emulating. These are the most critical to successfully lead and engage employees:
1. Agile & Adaptive Leadership
Like the golfer who knows which club to swing and when, Shackleton knew how to engage his men by adopting different leadership styles depending on the situation:
- When the men needed direction, his leadership style became more authoritarian;
- When the more junior men were homesick, Shackleton would switch to a more altruistic leadership style;
- When there was work to be done under tight deadlines, Shackleton would personally exemplify a pacesetting style; and
- During times of emergencies, when quick action was necessary, Shackleton's style became necessarily coercive.
2. Compassionate Leadership
Research on engagement shows that the true capture of discretionary effort is most likely to occur when staff believes their leader cares about their wellbeing. Only then are people willing to go the extra mile.
Historians have noted from reading diaries and logs that there were countless examples of Shackleton putting the wellbeing of his men before his own. A simple gesture of exchanging his dry mittens for someone else's wet mittens is one small illustration.
3. Pragmatic Leadership – Tactical Leadership
Engagement experts talk about the importance of ‘line of sight' in fostering employee engagement – creating a link between the vision and one's job. Shackleton would often reinforce this link, acknowledge that all the jobs were equally important – and linking all the jobs with the ultimate goal of survival.
4. Inspirational Leadership
It is often said that engaged leaders inspire others to follow. Shackleton was an optimist. He inspired hope and ‘followship' throughout a death-defying adventure in the world's most extreme and inhospitable climate. There was very little, if any, margin for error.
Conclusion
You may never be faced with the life-and-death challenge that Shackleton had to overcome. But imagine what you could accomplish if you were able to bring that level of leadership to your organization.
Want More?
If this puts leadership and employee engagement on your list of, “things I want to know more about,” please contact Beth Chartier at 781-343-4008 or bchartier@wsa-intl.com for information on speaking engagements, workshops, organizational engagement surveys and assessments.
And please let us know if you would like to be added to the mailing list for a public workshop conducted by the author of this article, Bob Kelleher. The workshop will focus on building an employee engagement culture that drives results.
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