Twelve good years a book sat on my shelf until Covid 19 thrust it into my hands.

The epic story in the book bears an uncanny relevance for leaders in families, institutions, or teams that need inspiration to endure in our current abnormal conditions.

Earnest Shackleton an Irish Antarctic explorer in the golden age of exploration set out to cross overland the Antarctica on foot from one shore to the other. It was a feat that no one had yet accomplished back in 1914.

Recruiting a team of 27 men and defying warnings of adverse weather conditions by local explorers, he pushed for the polar aboard Endurance, (the ship purchased specifically for this expedition).

Nothing prepared this explorer and his men for the great adversity they encountered. From his experience, we can deduce seven key questions for leadership in times of crisis.

Leadership in times of crisis

1. Accept and trust

As they approached Antarctica, the weather conditions worsened and soon the Endurance was marooned by ice packs. They waited this situation out for several weeks but fortune was not on their side. Sadly the strongly built Endurance succumbed slowly to the pressure exerted by the ice packs and soon it crumbled and began to sink. This was the beginning of the crew’s two nightmarish years quarantined in extreme conditions.

On Shackleton’s instruction, the crew had to abandon the sinking ship to camp on the cold ice packs having salvaged a last-minute measure of supplies. What new realities does your team have to accept and adjust to?

2. Spiritual reflection

In his quiet reflections that night, Shackleton wrote in his diary, “A man must shape himself to a new mark, directly the old one goes to ground”. “I pray God, I can manage to get the whole party to civilization”. What spiritual reflections are you having during this time?

3. Routine productivity

The adventure, having turned into a race for survival, steered Shackleton’s priorities into a sharp new focus. Knowing that the lives of the men were in his hands, he heroically instilled such a high level of discipline. This involved applying every man to productive work whether hunting for seals or keeping night watches and gathering scientific evidence or taking the sledge dogs for a routine run. He also insisted that the men socialize with board games, singing, and a bunch of fun activities to end the day.

Several times the ice floe cracked and split in the dead of night. The man on watch came in handy to wake everyone up in haste and shift camp to safety lest they all sink into the ice-cold water beneath to their death. What routine productive work are you engaging in with your team or family?

4. Inspiring confidence

Thankfully they had rescued three open boats that became their escape when the ice packs couldn’t hold them anymore.

The journey of coming back home became a battle zone of desperate courage and will to live for another day.

Shackleton even in these conditions rose above the situation and projected an infectious confidence and control, so much so that his men calling him “boss”, followed everything he told them. In the face of dissenting team members cracking under the pressure of adversity, he brought them close to him to make sure that they didn’t negatively affect the morale of others. Are you projecting confidence that inspires your team or family to thrive?

5. Faith/risk/courage

Anyone who attempted to launch on a 22-foot open boat with paddles into the sea would have been thought to be wishing death upon themselves. By sheer miracle, they managed to break through mountainous tides that threatened to capsize their boats. Multiple days without sleep in wintry open seas, drenched cold, thirsty, taking turns to drain water from the boats was the long nightmare that lasted too long. The “boss” held his men on course. On Elephant island an amputation was carried out because one man’s foot was frostbitten. What bold risks or faith steps are you taking to chat the way forward?

6. Pragmatic budgets

As supplies dwindled, rations were reduced accordingly. At some point, they were on one biscuit, a cup of milk, and seal meat which they had learnt to hunt and use for fuel (blubber) and meat. In winter months when the seal meat was also dwindling, they made do with smaller portions. What pragmatic steps have you taken to manage resources?

7. Sacrificial and caring leadership

Meanwhile, Shackleton had rowed off with 5 other men dancing with the shadows of death aiming for the tip of South Georgia to get help.

The gales blasted tides against them of magnitudes that would take two hours to drain water from the boats. Landing miraculously on the wrong side of the island with a wrecked boat, the only way to the other side was through glacier mountains with six days worth of squalid supplies. They made it.

It would be another four months of a raging battle in the sea, three false attempts in at least 3 different vessels before reaching his men. What a delight and relief it was for him to find all his men alive. What sacrifices are you willing to make that communicate care to your team?

Such were the treacherous conditions for two nightmarish years of battling with furious forces of extremities before getting back to civilization. As I have reflected, I can’t help but think that our finest hour of leadership is demanded the most during difficult times.

We have made adjustments in this season as I shared previously in STILL THE SUN RISES https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3358639097483637&id=1813140042033558

Steve Kiteto is the Team Leader at Badili Experience Ltd; A Training, Coaching and Consultancy company.