GROUP 3 SPEAKER NOTES

Transcription

1 GROUP 3 SPEAKER NOTES I. EVALUATING SHACKLETON AS A LEADER 1.) In what context should the Endurance expedition be analyzed? As a scientific endeavor? An entrepreneurial venture? An exercise in imperial opportunity? By what criteria should the expedition be evaluated? Why? The voyage of the Endurance expedition can be analyzed as an entrepreneurial venture as well as scientific endeavor. Sir Ernest Shackleton devoted just about half of his life to polar work. It was Shackleton personally who arranged to gain contributions and loans to fund the voyage. He was able to earn about 4.5 million dollars (in today s value). He also was the one who interviewed the crew members and chose the ones he saw fit to sail on the voyage. He was the man in charge, and the crew referred to him as Boss. He arranged for the supplies aboard the Endurance. He was meticulous in his choosing when it came to the supplies for the voyage and his crew. He bought only the latest technology and windproof coats lined sleeping bags and made sure that he had the sturdiest tents. He also teamed with a chemical expert prior to setting sail on his journey to make a compact version of a man's daily intake, they called it a composite cake and there was 3,000 calories packed in to one of these cakes. When it came to his last expedition this voyage was certainly a scientific endeavor. Shackleton's main reason for this voyage was to cross Antarctica. His desired method was scientific with in itself. Shackleton set out to be the first to conduct an overland excursion when it came to the crossing of Antarctica. His journey consisted of a new path that would lead to the South Pole, crossing the Ross Sea coast on the other side of the continent. Planning for this journey must very precise, both parts of the journey land and sea carried risks that could be deadly. Not only did Shackleton and his men get about 100 miles of the South Pole but they had made great discoveries. They had discovered a Glacier, which was called Beardmore Glacier. They also contributed to the map of the Antarctic coastline, adding two hundred miles. 2.) A managerial scholar has defined entrepreneurship as the relentless pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled. Using this definition, was Ernest Shackleton an entrepreneur? A leader? If so, why? If not, why not? Shackleton was definitely a leader, a strong leader at that. He did have many qualities of an entrepreneur; he did arrange and set out on this voyage. If it was not for Shackleton this journey probably would never have been embarked upon. Even after the ice had broken through the barrier on their boat he was able to keep his crew optimistic and they were able to salvage most of the food, supplies and the life boats. Shackleton and six of his men had traveled 800 miles

2 alone to South Georgia Island, leaving 22 of their men behind. When they arrived it was his top priority to arrange a rescue mission for his men that were left behind. One could see his true leadership qualities when Shackleton did not give up when his third rescue attempt failed, due to the deadly ice preventing the ship from passing, the same ice that had cost him his ship the Endurance just months earlier. Shackleton had taught his men how to ration, provide shelter, look out for each other and do what they needed to do in order to survive. Shackleton was able to keep all of his men healthy and he was able to keep his crew in good spirits especially in the toughest time when it was bitterly cold. One of his former crew men stated We would have gone anywhere without question just on his order. This statement shows just how much his crew trust and believed in him. 3.) What were the key features of the context in which he operated? Shackleton was a smart Leader. He used the knowledge he gained in his previous journeys to better this one. He did not put this voyage together quickly. He took his time and thought each detail out thoroughly. Shackleton was the kind of leader who was eager to learn about his crew and valued their opinions. However, he did not take unacceptable conduct lightly. Early on in the voyage he dismissed three sailors for being drunk and disorderly. Shackleton wanted the best of everything, his vessel, supplies, food and crew. Even though the Endurance had been lost, almost everything on it was able to be salvaged, thanks to the leadership and direction Shackleton provided his crew. Shackleton operated best in a state of being under extreme amounts anxiety, sorrow, or pain. If he was put in a stressful situation he began to leap into action and devise a plan for whatever the task at hand may be. In this state of urgency he not only saved the lives of his men but he did other things like coerced people into doing things unimaginable. He also was able to raise an immense amount of funds for his journey that was somewhat shocking all while composing the plans and logistics for the trans- Antarctic expedition. Through the long and gruesome hours of suffering out to see he convinced the men of hope and a future. He would entertain their thoughts with reading to them and playing games with them. He also convinced others to help him attempt FOUR times to save his men that where left behind and somehow with his persistence and strong demeanor he convinced them and was able to save those men. 4.) What role does fame play in entrepreneurial agency? What role does charisma play? This case analysis shows how fame and charisma play a huge role when it comes to entrepreneurship. From the beginning Shackleton did not have anywhere near enough money to fund the voyage he had wanted to do so desperately. Shackleton was so smart that he made a list of hundreds of the wealthiest (potential donors) in Britain. He sent each possible donor a personal letter which included the proposed expedition. Shackleton s confidence and charisma paid off. Sir James Key Caird who was a Scottish Magnate donated two million dollars (in today s money value). He was able to raise about 4 and a half million dollars (in today s money value) in total to go towards the voyage.

3 5.) Was Shackleton an audacious entrepreneur/leader? How important is audacity in understanding leadership action? On one hand Shackleton was an audacious entrepreneur. He was willing to be bold and daring when approaching lords, kinds, business men and physicians for sponsoring of his voyage. He was confident and sure of himself and his abilities to be a leader, yet he had never been on a successful voyage to Antarctica. Was Shackleton an audacious leader? The readings do not portray him as audacious. Was he confident? Sure he was, I doubt those men would want someone meek and mild to lead them. Was he brave? Yes. Before this voyage Shackleton had years of naval experience. He started low man on the totem pole and continued to gain rank as he showed his skills. Shackleton was not portrayed as an audacious man to his crew. He was not disrespectful to his crew nor was he rude, cocky or mean to his men. In fact, he was almost one of them in the way he interacted with them and was able to keep their morale and spirits up even in freezing, frigid weather. 6.) How did Shackleton conceive of this expedition? What was at stake for him in putting the enterprise together? Since early childhood Shackleton was enamored with naval voyages and vessels. At the age of sixteen, in hopes of scaring Shackleton into going back to school to become a physician, his father employed him as a boy on a ship. As a boy on a ship he was given the grunt work. For years he worked hard, showed great progress and would raise himself in the ranks of naval history. Shackleton had visions of becoming the leader of the first naval vessel to reach the South Pole. In 1901 Shackleton approached the NAE. Many found the act of approaching the NAE a heroic act. He and his partner Scott had already tracked further south than anyone, but Shackleton was still unable to reach the unobtainable at this point. He was able to raise money from approaching heads of state, aristocrats, business people and philanthropists along with appealing to the Royal Geographic Society. Unfortunately this voyage was not meant to be as it was laid out. In December 1911, Roal Amundsen was the first explorer to reach the South Pole. This in fact gave way to a new idea Shackleton dreamed up. He not only wanted to reach the South Pole, but he wanted to trek across Antarctica via boat and dog drawn sleds. Neither Shackleton nor any of his crew had any experience with dog sleds, but they took that leap of faith and went for it anyway. In order for Shackleton to attempt this enterprise of raising money from differing classes of society and approach men and women for large sums of money he had to put his reputation on the line as well as his credit, which at this time was subpar because of overextending. While Shackleton was in search of sponsors, he had to be able to exude confidence and experience because he wanted to show his shareholders he was able to be trusted, had working knowledge and experience of the upcoming voyage, but he was also putting his life on the line. Remember in the previous voyage with Scott they almost did not survive the voyage because of poor planning. 7.) How do you evaluate Shackleton s timing once he had marshaled the necessary resources?

4 After gathering the necessary resources Shackleton announce in December of 1913 that the expedition would take place. He put out an ad that he wanted crewmen to go on a hazardous journey that involved bitter cold, small wages, darkness, danger, and possibly death. In July 1914 he prepared for departure from Thames to the Antarctic. It was rather odd timing because he shortly found out after setting sail that the British government had declared war against Germany. He offered to abort the mission but Winston Churchill told him to continue with his mission because too much money and effort was already at risk to stop even though Shackelton and his crew felt horrible and that they had a moral obligation to fight but later on when returning home many were able to do so. 8.) Why does he appear to have been in such a hurry once the expedition was ready to set sail and Churchill had given him the go-ahead? Does this speed matter? At time of departure the British government had declared war against Germany. The valuable leader Shackleton offered to cancel the Endeavor in order to surrender his teams to war time. Winston Churchill promptly issued a telegram to proceed. Everyone knew there were millions of dollars involved in this voyage, along with the stake of the reputation of Great Britain. Along with war being on the brinks, Shackleton had planned departure around the potential winter months at the South Pole. He was warned on his trip that he and his men may run into early patches of ice further north than ever before. He gravely ignored these warnings and continued south. His timing was important because the further south the party went, the deeper and thicker the ice would become. Shackleton had his timing down right, so he thought, to reach Antarctica. On this voyage he knew timing was everything. II. Evaluating Shackleton s Effectiveness and Success 9.) Was Shackleton effective? Shackleton was effective in many ways when it came to his survival skills. He was able to save the lives of many people through his intense set of skills. Although it was in part his fault that these men s lives were at risk. He was also very effective in causing someone to believe that what he thought to be the best solution was true and real. He would set his mind on something and he would achieve it at all cost. He spent 22 years of his live devoted to something that he believed was greatly important and that was Polar work. He explored 97 miles of the South Pole and somehow miraculous y never lost one crew members live on his journeys. He also added 22 hundred mild of Antarctic coastline to the map. He is the reason that the magnetic South Pole was located. He never lost sight of whom he was and that was an epic leader. 10.) How important is the quest for fame? Does that matter in evaluating Shackleton s success? At the time the quest for fame was important but not the main factor in the achievement of this journey. Shackleton wanted to discover new lands and that was his focus. He had a mission that

5 was much larger than simply obtaining fame. In the end he did successfully become famous not only for beginning this mission but for saving those lives of his 22 men that he left behind. He never gave up hope in finding them and returning them to safety. He was successful because of his determination and that is what led him to his fame so in a sense it is important in the evolution of his success but not the underlined key factor. He was successful in many ways throughout this story. He was successful in bringing hope to those around him and helping them to ultimately survive. 11.) What were the underlying causes of the Endurance crisis? Shakleton decided not to stop at Vahsel Bay because it would shorten the distance 200 miles. When they approached their destination of the coast icebergs forced them to draw away from the shore. The ship then froze from moving ice and wind 80 miles offshore. The ship got stuck in the ice and for 150 days the men waited while drifting 685 miles northward to dangerous Iceland s. On October 24 th the ships pressure ridges converted at the back and ripped away the rudder. Three days later the decks warped and the keel tore away. November 21 st the ship finally went completely down under the sea the bows first then the stern rose in the air and dove into the ice closing around the ship submerging it into the darkness. 12.) How important -- to Shackleton s effectiveness, to entrepreneurial/leadership effectiveness in general -- is the ability to change course midstream? He was impeccable at organizing his crew to achieve whatever course they set out to achieve regardless of the risk involved. He was also capable of taking advantage of their vulnerability and managing to change their minds by creating a likable environment that would benefit the crew member. The men were offset many times during their journey and the ships would sail off course but he would keep their attitudes focused on opportunity. He was capable of managing change within whatever course they ended up taking to benefit the whole group of men by giving each man the same amount of duties such as scrubbing the decks. Regardless of their job title he somehow made them equal to one another in their duties to the ship. He offered to pay the men even after the ship had sunk in hopes of giving them incentive to continue pushing on. In the deepest mindset Shackleton could change their outlook and give optimism to focus on the process required to continue forward. 13.) On balance, was Shackleton a good leader or a good manager? I observed from the case study that Shackleton was both a good leader and a good manager. He had the ability to take charge of every aspect of what he set his mind to do. He was able to not only chart and plan the intense uncharted explorations he was also able to raise the funds and plan out every aspect of what it took to carry out the exploration from the planning stages to the exploration itself. III. Evaluating Shackleton: Effectiveness and Success

6 14.) What parallels do you see between Shackleton and other entrepreneurs or leaders whom you have studied? What were Shackleton s strengths and weaknesses? The qualities that stood out to me about the traits that Shackleton possessed as other great leaders that I have studied are many. It seems that the Great Leaders all seem to possess the ability to connect with those the lead on a personal level. They have the ability to be approachable to those they lead but they also can keep a sufficient and appropriate distance that needs to be in place in order to be an effective leader. He also knew many very important things that he needed to do in order to help his crew to come together despite their backgrounds or vocations. He put everyone on the same level which I feel is extremely important to do. These strengths that he possessed seem to be similar in nature to other great leaders. His weaknesses in my eyes could also be what he possessed as strength this being the unwavering optimistic idealist personality he had. This also led to his death when he failed to listen to the urges to see a Dr. about his health. If he would have listened to the warnings to wait and put the expedition off another year because of the signs of the poor weather conditions he possibly could have been successful in his original exploration. 15.) Why are people today so interested in Ernest Shackleton? Since the mid-to-late 1990s, why have there been so many books (business/general interest), movies, exhibits, and other projects about Shackleton? Honestly I had not known much about Earnest Shackleton before this assignment. In order to answer this question I went on to do some comparative research with the leaders of today using his examples to help them be strong leaders of their organizations. A list of 10 things that were pointed out specifically about Shackletons leadership traits are used as a blueprint and are to overcome fear and anxiety, draw on the power of personal example, stay optimistic, yet grounded in reality, maintain their stamina in the face of overwhelming demands, reinforce the message of team unity, deal productively with conflict and dissent, use appropriate humor to deal with tension, step up to appropriate risks, and to build a culture of tenacious creativity. 16.) What did you personally learn from case? From your ReachHigher experience? What I learned from reading this case was the balance that is needed in all aspects of leading others. You need to be approachable yet separated from those you lead. You need to take care of yourself but put those you lead needs before yours. Be in tune with attitudes and personalities and have the skills to bring them together to help them grow and learn but also known when you need to separate conflicting people when appropriate. I have learned many similar attributes from my experience here in the Reach Higher program. I know that I have learned many things about others as well as gotten to know myself better and can identify ways I need to continue to develop my leadership skills to become successful in my chosen vocation as well as in my personal life. Case Analysis:

7 Isolate the problem: Shackleton was in desperate need to find secure funding for his voyage to the South Pole. Shackleton would need at least 4.4 million to set sail but that was a very conservative amount. It was estimated that he could need up to seven million dollars for a successful journey. Potential investors and donors knew that this was a dangerous voyage and there was a huge risk that they would never get their money returned. Shackleton on multiple occasions needed financial assistance from others. He needed funds for his first expedition. Later on he needed additional assistance in having the necessary s to pursue the saving of the lives he felt he had put in jeopardy by going on this expedition. He was very good at convincing others to partake in what he believed to be a very curtail mission in order to find additional parts to the map. One problem that occurred on his journey was in what ways would he be able to get his crew to hold on to what hope they had left. He had to help the men in any way possible to find glimmers of hope in the miserable situations they were in; in order for them to live. Analyze and evaluate alternatives: Shackleton had hired a photographer to set sail on his journey and sold the shares of the photos prior to them being taken. He had made friends with some people in the press that also helped to promote his voyage to the South Pole. Shackleton created a list of the wealthiest people in Britain that could be potential donors for his voyage; he enclosed a personal letter as well as the proposed expedition. Even though he had raised the lower end of the budget that was estimated to fund his journey he still would have enough to set sail. Shackleton would beg and plea with some just to get what he wanted. He devised very great tactical plans to obtain the things he needed. If he would have put more thought into the men s safety as opposed to following what would save more time during their journey he may have been able to avoid the chaos. He should have followed what his gut was telling him or better yet what all the people where telling him and that was not to continue on at the time that he did. He knew the amount of danger and still put himself and his men in the situation that he did. Recommendation: I believe that if Shackleton had raised the full amount, seven million he would maybe would have had a more successful outcome. He could have used the extra millions to invest in a sturdier vessel that would have been able to resist the ice instead of just getting stuck. He was almost able to make it to the South Pole but not quite. If Shackleton and his crew had more money to start with and invest in their supplies better they may have been able to get all the way to the South Pole. Shackleton and his crew did receive some fame from their journey but it was not as much as they would have received if they had completed the whole journey. Also, Shackleton had to pay back money to his investors. If he would have been more successful and received more fame he would have also received more money and would be able to pay back his

8 investors with no problems instead of struggling to do so. If he had spent more time gathering the things he needed for his journey it would have helped the outcome. If he had a better plan and had put more thought into what types of rescue mission may or may not need to be set in place he may have been more successful at getting the men home safely faster than the four attempts it took him. He may have had a better ship with more ample supplies if he had put more time into devising his mission before setting sale.