Ernest Shackleton's Leadership Qualities - Case Study Example

Shackleton Case Questions Was Shackleton an effective leader? Why – Why not? Ans. Shackleton, according to me, was an effective leader who helps his men land back in safety tot heir homeland despite all hindrances including a sailing ship, dwindling resources, and nearly fatal cold. His ability to take decisions to meet the need of the moment and delete authority apart from exerting his own determines one of his great leadership ability. When the ship was sailing he took decisions about what to keep and what to leave behind despite the impending danger which lay ahead. He did not let anyone’s emotions interfere when decided the animals to be shot. His order to kill the cat brought by McNeish was one of them. Again, when he sailed to Georgia Island to bring help for the rest of his crew, he took crucial decisions about the men whom he would take with him. Despite their personal problems, he decided to take McNeish instead of leaving him behind to influence the rest of the crew negatively (Koehn, 2010, p.18). He also delegated authority to Wild over the men as long as he returned (Koehn, 2010, p.18). He desperately tried to save his men and begged for a ship from his home country and also South American nations and after the fourth attempt he succeeded in bringing them back on board by Yelcho (Koehn, 2010, pp.22-23). Another extraordinary aspect was his ability to communicate effectively with his crewmen and retain his composure at times when the crewmen would otherwise panic. He read poetry and stories at times when there was hardly any hope for safe reach (Koehn, 2010, p.16). When two of his men were almost freezing with deteriorating conditions he ordered hot milk for all, lest those two men get panicked about their health condition (Koehn, 2010, p.19). His tactics of handling crisis situations were praiseworthy. Whether he should have decided in the first place to sail past the South Pole is a different consideration altogether but the adventures and obstacles which the expedition brought to his ship and crewmen could be dealt only with the extraordinary leadership of Shackleton. 2. What were Shackleton’s strengths and weaknesses? Shackleton’s utmost strong point was his ability to keep the team together and reduce their tension even in situations of dire crisis. He managed to take fast effective decisions for the need of the moment especially when there was shortage of food on the ice and the decision to abandon the ship at the right time (Koehn, 2010, p.12). However, the mains weakness lies in his shortsightedness regarding food supplies. We find examples of the men feasting and entertaining themselves with the flesh they hunted and whatever they brought along but care could have been taken to ration the food from the very beginning such that the animals could be kept alive. In fact his decision to kill McNeish’s pet worked against his relation with his subordinate since the latter never pardoned him for this (Koehn, 2010, p.30). When the dogs were shot in front of the men, the sight was disturbing to all of them (Koehn, 2010, p.16). In a situation where men are fighting for their own survival such a sight of death at the leader’s instructions might give them little confidence about a safe return. 3. What parallels do you see between Shackleton and other leaders whom you have studied? Shackleton knew that an effective leader needs to inform the team members about the rewards and incentives lying in the path of achieving the goals. He promised his men that they will be compensated in full despite the fact that their ship was lost (Koehn, 2010, p.15). His tactics are similar to that of Agamemnon who sent for Achilles with the promises to shower him with gifts of women, land and riches in order to win against Troy (Bass & Bass, 2008, p.366). Machiavelli’s principles of ruling show some great ideas of leadership some of which have already been applied by Shackleton. According to Machiavelli, a leader can be “deceitful when it suits his purpose and not appear that way” (Heijden, Bono and Jones, 2008, p. 35). When Shackleton trekked across the islands of Georgia with his two men they had to continue walking without rest but his men fell asleep. Instead of going away to sleep which would have caused death to befall all of them, he woke up his mates after five minutes telling them they slept for half an hour (Koehn, 2010, p.18). Then they continued walking. On one hand he knew how to motivate them and cheer them up but like Machiavelli he also believed that when one could not be loved fear should be generated to follow orders. Therefore Shackleton always ensured that at the end of all arguments his men did what he wanted and instructed (Koehn, 2010, p.9). 4. What were the underlying causes of the Endurance crisis? The main cause of crisis was the impulsive decision about the time to sail out which entrapped the ship within the ice and gradually broke it. The crewmen lost their ship and despite all the necessities with little time, there was shortage of food. The danger of ice and cold made their health deteriorate further. Men suffered from frostbites, wounds and bloated feet from being immersed in salt water (Koehn, 2010, p.19). The men lost their hopes and courage along with their ship. They trekked towards the land on the ice but later had to retreat as ice began to melt. 5. What are the lessons from this case for leaders/managers in business situations today? Leaders and managers might learn from Shackleton’s experience that a one man’s authority might not always be conducive and suggestions need to flow in from other people as well. There needs to be a participative style of leadership instead of authoritative style as followed in the days of Shackleton. Though the marine leader knew how to delegate authority, his voice reigned supreme. This might often lead to problems and unnecessary clashes. However, leadership skills with respect to decision-making and communicating with his men are things to learn for the current generation of leaders and managers. References Bass, B.M. & R. Bass, (2008), The Bass Handbook of Leadership, Simon and Schuster. Heijden, B.V.D, Bono, S.D. & S. Jones, (2008), Leadership, Change and Responsibility, Meyer & Meyer Verlag Koehn, N.F. (2010), “Leadership in Crisis”, Harvard Business School Read More