Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance

In 1914 Ernest Shackleton left London for what was destined to be one of the world's greatest polar adventures. In fact, his efforts on this trip are widely regarded as the greatest polar survival story of all time. All I know is that whenever I'm feeling the strain of managing IT projects, his achievements and leadership in the fact of virtually impossible odds refreshes some of my core beliefs - about leadership, about people, and about striving to do your best - no matter the situation or the odds facing you.

In short, here's the quick summary of what happened to Shackleton and his ship, the Endurance. His aim was to walk across Antartica from coast to coast. In one of the worst Antartic winters ever seen, his boat is trapped in the ice, and eventually sinks. He and his men are now literally stranded on pack ice, drifting aimlessly in the wild southern seas. They have no chance of rescue, and little hope of survival. But Shackleton overcomes all obstacles to save his men. He beats the weather, the pack ice, two journeys in open boats, one across 800 miles of dead reckoning navigation, a mountain range and glaciers. More significantly, he oversomes the fear and desperation of a team of men seemingly stuck forever in the certain death of a Antartic home.

Shackleton didn't achieve his original project goal - he never even landed on Antartica. But he keep a group of men together during the darkest times ( literally and figuratively). And yet he managed to lead that group for nearly two years back to civilisation. He made the right decisions when he needed to, and he would never ask his men to do something he wouldn't do himself. And then there's the sheer mind boggling will power. He simply never gave up. Boat crushed in ice? No problem - we'll camp on the ice. Pack ice disappearing? No problem, we'll sail to the nearest island? No chance of rescue? No problem - happy to sail 800 miles using dead reckoning over 17 days in some of the world's worst seas. Land on the wrong side of the island? No problem - we'll just go over it. Every time - he simply asked himself - What's the right thing to do here?, and then did it.

So - next time you're worried about writing that regression test, or asking your project sponsor for another week - take some time to reflect on what real problems look like - and make sure you do the right thing - by your client, by your team, by yourself.

Timeline of major events

August 1st 1914	Day 1	Leaves London
December 30th 1914	Day 151	Crosses Antartic Circle
February 24th 1915	Day 207	Endurance becomes stuck in pack ice, and is slowly crushed by the ice
November 21st 1915	Day 507	Endurance finally destroyed - sinks under ice. Crew's only hope is to sail out of Antartic waters using the three small open lifeboats from Endurance. Note: they are still walking on the pack ice at this stage - so need to find open water first.
April 7th 1916	Day 615	Spot Elephant Island on Horizon
April 16th 1916	Day 624	After seven difficult days at sea, all crew arrive and setup camp on the first firm footing for over 16 months.
April 20th 1916	Day 628	Whilst there is plenty of food, and some shelter, Shackleton realises there is no chance of rescue. There is a war going on in the Northern Hemisphere, and few would be concerned about a missing expedition to the Antartic. There is also little chance of flagging down a passing whaling boat - the island is too far away from the established whaling islands in the Southern Ocean. He decides that he will attempt an 800 mile open water crossing to the nearest whaling station at South Georgia Island.
April 24th 1916	Day 632	Shackleton and 5 others board the James Caird to attempt the navigation.
May 10th 1916	Day 648	17 days of hell - bitterly cold seas, little fresh water, and nothing short of a miracle sees them arrive on the west side of the island of South Georgia. The wrong side of the island. The men are near dead - somewhere between hypothermia, exhaustion and dehyrdation, they are separated from the main whaling station by a massive, snow clad, never mapped let alone crossed mountain range. They rest for a week before setting out to cross the range.
May 20th 1916	Day 658	Another miracle later, without rest, and without equipment, Shackleton and two others cross the range and arrive at the whaling station.
August 30th 1916	Day 760	After three attempts, two thwarted by weather, Shackleton returns to Elephant island and picks up all his men.

Image by permission Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales