Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World -- Why is Shackleton a good leader? (Easy memorised)
Uploaded by DueDate on Mar 01, 2012
A leader is an organized person that is able to maintain discipline among his team. He needs to make good decisions even if it requires making sacrifices in order to make that happen. A leader needs to be loyal to gain trust from his team and motivate his team to try harder in order to reach their goal.
Some of these qualities in a leader can be seen in Shackleton through the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. In order to keep discipline among his team, after a quarrel between two men, Shackleton made them shake hands and forget all about it. This because he thought with teamwork, they had much larger chances in succeeding. Shackleton also made sure the ship´s routine was followed. There were specific times for meals and others for tasks in the ship that needed to be completed.
Shackleton also proved to be a good decision maker. In October 27, when he noticed the ship was being crushed like a nut by the pressure of the ice, he recognized it was time to evacuate the ship before anyone got hurt. In another situation, after giving a two-pound limit on personal gear to his men before they started their march to the Paulet Islands, Shackleton took his gold cigarette case and a handful of golden coins from his pocket and dropped them on the snow.
Knowing they were going to pass through a lot of problems before reaching the Paulet Islands, Shackleton ordered one of his men to take the banjo with him because they would need the comfort the music gave them. This decision showed Shackleton was concerned in keeping his team motivated with high spirits to accomplish their mission. Finally, Shackleton was a man of loyalty. This trace of leadership was seen when he came back to Elephant Island to rescue the 22 men that he had left behind. According to Shackleton, it was there that he received its highest compliment when a man told him that “We knew you´d come back”.
In my opinion Shackleton was a true, good leader. In hard times, men need a leader that inspire them, motivate them, and at the same time recognize their work and make them feel part of the team, and most importantly, a leader to whom they can trust their lives. Shackleton was the best leader possible for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
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