Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success – Ernest Shackleton
Surprisingly, more than 5,000 people applied for positions after this ad appeared in the London Times in 1912. For Shackleton and his crew of 27, the notice proved to be prophetic. When their ship was crushed by the ice in Antarctica, the men struggled to survive against seemingly insurmountable obstacles. For nearly two years, they endured extreme temperatures, hazardous ice, dwindling food, complete isolation and long periods of darkness. Despite the odds, every man survived.
How they survived is well worth studying. Part adventure story, part leadership guide, Leading at The Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure is an engaging book that reveals valuable strategies for today’s business leaders.
The first to use the Shackleton saga as a case study in leadership, Leading at The Edge draws on the amazing account to reveal the power of effective leadership and teamwork under adversity. It uncovers ten lessons from the Shackleton expedition and uses contemporary business case studies to show them in action. Readers learn how to:
- Lead through change and transition
- Develop and sustain a vision and core values
- Find their voices and provide direction as leaders
- Overcome adversity and remain optimistic during challenging times
- Build and lead high-perfomance teams
- Take appropriate levels of risk to achieve success
- Manage conflict and business challenges
- Achieve work/life balance to increase performance
Expert Reviews
“Fascinating. Great story after story, along with important learnings about leadership.”
“Dennis Perkins uses Shackleton's extraordinary adventure to demonstrate invaluable, practical traits of leadership. Leading at The Edge is a well-written, power-packed read. I could not recommend it more highly.”
“It is ironic that a 90-year-old story of courage and endurance should have lessons for the Internet Age-but it does! Anyone attempting to lead in the face of uncertainty and adversity will learn much from this tremendously engaging and compelling book.”
DAVID A. NADLER, Chairman, Delta Consulting Group, Inc., and author of Champions of Change and Competing by Design
“Perkins offers a unique and refreshing perspective on the challenge of leadership. His insights and skillful use of the Shackleton expedition as a case study make the book a valuable contribution and a must-read.”
WILLIAM H. DONALDSON, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.; founding Dean, Professor of Management, Yale School of Management, and former Chairman and CEO, The New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
“Leading at The Edge captures the remarkable Endurance story and serves as an effective guide for all those who find themselves in leadership positions--both on and off the ice.”
“An epic story that not only provides lessons on how to be a good leader, but also makes us stop to think about the fundamental goals of leadership as invaluable tool for any leadership initiative.”
Relevant for Today’s Challenging Times
Leading at the Edge—the first book to explore the Shackleton expedition from a business perspective—reveals valuable lessons from the ill-fated voyage. The explorer’s approach to leadership and teamwork under extreme conditions provide a compass for today’s executives faced with significant business and leadership challenges.
Since its publication in May 2000, Leading at The Edge has become an important resource for leaders and teams around the world and is now available in six languages. Global interest has been fueled by recent films such as The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, directed by George Butler, and the IMAX film, Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure. Television added to the mania with a two-hour ”Nova” documentary on PBS and A&E’s four-hour miniseries starring Kenneth Branagh.
The Journey of a Lifetime
In January 2003, Leading at The Edge authors Perkins and Kessler spent three weeks retracing part of Shackleton's incredible journey to experience what the explorer meant when he wrote, “Tongue and pen fail in attempting to describe the magic.”
Sailing from Tierra del Fuego aboard the Polar Pioneer, they first traveled to the Falklands, where Shackleton stopped on his return from the Antarctic. They spent four days on South Georgia Island, where they visited Shackleton’s grave and retraced the last six miles of Shackleton's trek across the mountains and glaciers to Stromness whaling station.
From South Georgia, the authors traveled 800 miles across the Southern Ocean and landed on Elephant Island, learning first-hand the brutal environmental conditions that confronted Shackleton. Finally, they landed on the Antarctic Peninsula and made their way north across the treacherous Drake Passage, where the Atlantic and Pacific collide in perhaps the roughest seas on earth. There, the Polar Explorer was slowed by 25-foot swells and struck by a 45-foot “rogue wave.”
Returning home, Perkins reflected, "We already understood the Shackleton saga on an intellectual level, but now we understand it on an emotional and visceral level."
Kessler added, “We gained insights that can only be realized by going to Antarctica. Now we fully understand what Shackleton meant when he said, "’There must be an intangible something that draws one back to the wild wastes of Antarctica.’"
