Would you reply to the following job advert?
| Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honour and recognition in case of success. |
In 1914, over five thousand men actually did reply. Twenty-seven of them were selected and in August that year, they set off from England under the command of Sir Ernest Shackleton on an Antarctic expedition with the intention of being the first to complete a transcontinental crossing. From the moment their ship Endurance entered the Wedell Sea off the Antarctic Peninsula in early 1915, anything that could possibly have gone wrong with the mission did go awry. Endurance became trapped in ice and was later crushed by its force and the group remained stranded for months on ice flows suffering one unimaginable challenge after the other, including having to undertake a seven day sea voyage in flimsy lifeboats to reach the uninhabited Elephant Island which still lay beyond the possibility of rescue.
Yet, despite the hopelessness of their position, Shackleton’s optimism never waned during the endless months of uncertainty. Staring death in the face, he still did not quit. As a last throw of the dice, he and several crew members undertook a treacherous voyage in a small boat, crossing 800 miles of the roughest seas on earth in order to reach the nearest inhabited island, South Georgia; a feat later described, without hyperbole, as the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. Then, having landed on the wrong side of that island, he and his small crew had to cross over the uncharted mountainous interior to reach the whaling station, from where rescue for his remaining men would later be launched. He had promised them he would return, and return he did on August 30, 1916. Not one member of the party was lost.
I am sure that you are aware that the story of Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic expedition has become a popular lesson in leadership in recent years; for me, it is one of the greatest stories of human survival ever told. Shackelton undoubtedly had many great qualities as a leader, but he himself placed optimism at the top of the list of attributes that saw him through the ordeal, followed by patience, and imagination. As he said himself, ‘difficulties are just things to overcome, after all’. Without this mindset, it is probable that he and all his men would have met a cold and painful death.
Leaders in our industry do not, thankfully, have to face such a series of seemingly insurmountable challenges, but mindset still matters for every one of them and particularly during challenging times such as these. The best hotel leaders that I meet continue to have an upbeat and determined outlook, which contributes to their ability to effectively lead others through this downturn. Yes, there is still a lot of negativity floating around at the moment but it is good to see that some hoteliers are remaining positive even when there isn’t a whole lot to be upbeat about.
Enjoy your day!
