Strategies for Leaders

Endurance trapped

This is one of Dr. Macklin's wonderful and insightful comments that point to Shackleton's leadership strategies of leading by example and maintaining a positive attitude.

In the years following the Endurance expedition, some crew members refused to talk about their experience. In some cases, they couldn't share what they had been through because they saw it as sacred. In one case, the crew member thought it would be bragging to talk about it.

In the 1950s, when a crew member passed away, an author wrote to three people asking for their perspective on the individual. One wrote back and said he barely knew him. Another wrote a perfunctory note. The third, my hero, Dr. Macklin, wrote a seven-page letter full of interesting stories and insights.