150 YEARS OF INSPIRATION
WHAT DOES THE BOSS MEAN TO YOU?
IMPACT & STANDARDS
15th February 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the
birth of Ernest Henry Shackleton in Kilkea, Ireland.
It will also see the unveiling of a memorial plaque in
his honour at Westminster Abbey, near those honouring
fellow explorers Cook and Drake, and close to the tomb
of his favourite poet Robert Browning.
Alongside his titanic polar exploits, Sir Ernest is especially revered for his unique brand of leadership. The adverse circumstances faced after the loss of the Endurance would have defeated most of us, but as he wrote;
“If you’re a leader, a fellow that other fellows look to, you’ve got to keep going.”
As soon as news of the impossible rescue of the entire crew of the Endurance filtered out, the Shackleton legend picked up pace. The indomitable optimism and boundless resourcefulness on show continue to inspire generations of fellow explorers. Leaders of all stripes look to his example.
Here at Shackleton HQ, he’s still very much “The Boss”. It’s an honour and responsibility to be trusted with expanding his legacy, in every way available to us. Let us know what Sir Ernest's legacy means to you in the comments below.
For swift and efficient travel, Amundsen.
But when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems to be no way out, get on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”
“If anyone made and deserved their luck, he
did....His story is universal because we all wonder how
we would have coped if we had been there - wonder,
whether we would, like Shackleton, Worsley and
Crean on that final supreme test, have grown in
stature ... Retracing his steps across South
Georgia, experiencing for ourselves the complexity
of that difficult mountainous country which he
crossed so rapidly, with only the haziest
knowledge of what he would find, and no proper
mountaineering equipment, we were all filled with
intense, almost incredulous, admiration for what
he achieved.”
-Shackleton: The Antarctic and Endurance - Stephen
Venables
“Shackleton’s name will always be written in the annals of Antarctic exploration in letters of fire.”
"At the end of the 1990s, I discovered the explorer
Ernest Shackleton and how, in the midst of a long,
drawn-out crisis that lasted two years, he made
himself and his team on the 'Endurance' expedition (1914-1916) capable of doing the impossible ... It
quickly became clear that this story was a treasure
trove of leadership lessons."
- Professor
Nancy
Koehn
of
Harvard
Business
School
“Many times on expeditions in the past, when I’ve
felt low or beaten, I’ve thought of Shackleton and
his men to give myself perspective. They were the
living embodiment of a great truth: that
selflessness, looking after each other, positive
thinking and just getting on with it is the key to
survival.”
- Steve
Backshall
“I am not the hero-worshipping type, but Shackleton
has definitely become a hero to me, and I have used
his example in the past when I have found myself in
tough spots. I have learned from him the virtue of
waiting, of having patience.”
- David L. Mearns
“The one who stands out a mile for persevering in the face
of abominable luck was Ernest Shackleton, whose life – and
death in 1922, almost 100 years ago – I have scrutinised
with great care.”