In their book, Robbins & Judge argue that responsible management is founded under three pillars namely: ethics, authenticity and servant leadership, attributes that in sync with Captain Ernest Shackleton’s governance qualities. Shackleton was a famous polar voyager of the Antarctic explorations. The Captain’s legacy was branded by three main missions, including a catastrophic trip that saw his vessel get stuck in ice before sinking. His unique abilities to command his crew enabled him and his team members to overcome the horrific obstacles. At the time, it was extraordinary to find a marine who had attained the rank of full master by the age of 24. He was later promoted to 3rd
mate and eventually, he was given full responsibility to carry troops to South Africa. Theories and tenets of stewardship come in many forms and they have been useful in explaining the meaning of true and effective management. However, they do not deal with the role of ethics and trust. Quality headship should embrace ethics and authenticity in every step of the way. The paper seeks to demonstrate how Shackleton applied the three values of responsible leadership namely ethical, authentic and servant leadership, during the Antarctic explorations.
Authentic leadership
Shackleton’s leadership skills are closely associated within the three elements of a responsible forerunner. An authentic steward imparts mental endurance in his team members (Lansing " Overdrive Inc, 2014). More importantly, authentic stewardship emphasizes on the moral aspects of a figure-head. A dependable person knows who they are, their beliefs and act on behalf of the values of their organization (Robbins " Judge, 2011). Therefore, their followers trust and follow them because they are highly regarded as moral. While raising money for his Antarctic expedition, the Captain did not hide the dangers of travelling across the ocean. In fact, the advert that he issued during recruitment read: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success” (Koehn, 2014). To handpick the crew, he had to be truthful and authentic. Attracting and selecting talent require authenticity because no one in their right mind would accept the above conditions. However, Shackleton used aspiration as a powerful motivator. The primary attribute associated with authentic management is trust. People have faith in a lead that models humility, integrity and models his followers to understand the risks, challenges and expectations that come with following them (Fluker, 2009). Eventually, people volunteered for the expedition. During the hiring process, he selected his members based on attitude, motivation, moral character and personality.
According to Robbins " Judge, authenticity comes with patience, morality and strategy (2011). After sailing for a while, the ship was trapped in ice. The crew members tried their best to free the ship but it would not budge (Lansing " Overdrive Inc, 2014). They had to be patient for nine months. Shackleton made the decision to abandon the ship. A new mission always reveals itself when a goal is achieved or when the previous target is not achieved (Fluker, 2009). For the captain, the expedition did not go as expected and thus, the new goal was to make sure that all his men would return home safe and sound. He did not show disappointment because of their setback. He had to come up with an alternative strategy. The plan was to trek to Paulet Island, a destination that was 340 miles away (Koehn, 2014). Enroot to the Island, they camp out in ice, hoping that killer whales would not tip them into frozen ice. When ice began melting, they were forced to leave their small triangles and leap on the life boats. With the leadership capabilities and trust accorded to their leader, the crew managed to land in Elephant Island, a destination that was hundred miles from the wrecked ship. Elephant Island was inhabited and it was 800 miles from the nearest land (Koehn, 2014).
Authentic leaders encourage information sharing and ensure that people stick to their ideals irrespective of the situation (Lansing " Overdrive Inc, 2014). By the time they were in Elephant Island, the crew members were exhausted, cold and hungry. However the captain appealed to their higher motives of honor and he encouraged them by citing temperament, perseverance and optimism as the ingredients to success. Moreover he inspired an energizing effect that improved their performance. Such leaders are usually classified as transformative or charismatic because they inspire people to follow their lead and they build trust in their followers. The top tier of any stewardship process requires unshakeable character and this not only requires authenticity but also another attribute: ethical leadership (Koehn, 2014).
Ethical Leadership and how it was demonstrated by Shackleton
Authenticity and ethical leadership go hand in hand. In assessing effectiveness of any leader, it is imperative to understand that most successful people achieve their goals but how they achieve these goals matter (Fluker, 2009). Leadership is not value-free and thus, it is the responsibility of these individuals to set ethical expectations of all members of the team. Strong stewardship influences both the direct followers as well as other stakeholders such as sponsors (Koehn, 2014). High-rated persons are ethical and tend to attract team members that have similar attributes. Such followers tend to bring problems to the lead’s attention rather than profiting from the venture on their own.
Another dimension of ethical leadership is fairness in providing frequent, accurate and honest information regarding a situation (Robbins " Judge, 2011). While stuck at Elephant Island, “the boss” (nickname for Shackleton) had to make a viable decisions to make sure that the men got food and survived the incredible weather conditions. Therefore, the captain had to leave the group and sail to the nearest occupied Island alongside 5 men. Although the mission was dangerous, his integrity could not allow him to let his men to die under those conditions (Fluker, 2009).
Transformative leaders may have a problem with ethical stewardship because of the ethical implications especially on the side of the followers (Fluker, 2009). Additionally, some charismatic leaders tend to overpower their followers for the purpose of self-serving needs. However, Shackleton demonstrated a combination of charismatic, transformational control and integrity. After travelling for two weeks with the five men, they sported South Georgia. However, the ferocious gale wrecked the ship that they were in, and thus, they had to spend 2 more days and nights on the ocean (Morrell et al., 2012). Finally, they reached the inhabited Island. After docking, some of his men were already giving up but they still had miles to cover in order to reach land. His charismatic nature encouraged the crew to keep walking to avoid freezing. The walked for straight 26 hours.
Ethical leadership breeds trust. Frontrunners who have integrity tend to attract followers that are confident that their rights and interests will not be abused. Further, it creates confidence and eventually, high levels of performance (Koehn, 2014). Before he set sail, Ernest lacked the funding because people viewed the expedition as too risky. With the ingenuity of a determined entrepreneur, Shackleton hired a professional photographer and sold him stocks of whatever pictures that would be taken during the Antarctic journey. His persistence, ability to command confidence and breed trust ensured that he raised the 51,500 pounds ($ 4.5 million today) that was needed to complete the journey (Koehn, 2014). Additionally, Shackleton’s men entrusted him with their lives when they were left in Elephant Island. He kept the team together because they all believed in his leadership. The crew members were not sure that their leader would be back for them. After weeks of waiting, Shackleton went back for the rest of the crew. Every single man survived the expedition.
Trust is advantageous because it encourages employees to take risk. Deviating from the normal ways of doing things facilitates that leap that is needed for a goal to be achieved swiftly. Additionally, trust facilitates sharing of information (Morrell et al., 2012). If leaders demonstrate that they may give employees a chance of fair hearing, then they will be willing to speak out. Additionally, such governance attributes are more effective because they set a trusting tone among members, and this comes in handy during risky situations (Morrell et al., 2012). Productivity is also enhanced because collaboration and cohesion among the crew members. Trust among the crew members was enhanced through benevolence and integrity. When Shackleton and his crew were about to depart from South Georgia, local fishermen had warned them of the rough conditions in the sea. However, due to compromise reached with sponsors and the risks posed by World War I, he chose to take the step of sailing. Ethical leadership and authenticity is complemented by charismatic governance.
Socialized Charismatic Leadership (complements charisma, authenticity and ethics)
While authenticity and ethics addresses morals and values, the concept of socialized charismatic leadership conveys a form of management whereby charismatic and transformational management is exhibited but at the same time, authenticity and ethics are maintained. This concept is enhanced by aligning team values with those of the front-runner (Morrell et al., 2012). Basically, Shackleton selected his team by disregarding class boundaries and everyone believed took each member as an equal. The leader kept everyone busy by spelling out the need for integrity and trust among the members (Robbins " Judge, 2011). He made them sing songs and play soccer during the expedition. He stayed positive and decisive in every move that he made. In his words, he said, “difficulties are just things to overcome, after all” (Koehn, 2014). In October 28, 1915, ice snapped the hull of Endurance and thus he had to make an important decision on whether to continue with journey or not (Koehn, 2014). After deliberation, he ordered all members to abandon the ship. That night, he wrote the following in his dairy, “A man must shape himself to a new mark directly when old one goes to ground” (Koehn, 2014). Despite setback after setback, he kept going and refused to quit. Although he did not manage to reach the South Pole, he still saved 28 crew members in the most dangerous of conditions. While the aforementioned three topics (ethics, authenticity and socialized charisma) are vital, the most outstanding attribute that Ernest Shackleton employed was servant management; and this is explained below.
Servant Leadership
After explaining the concepts of ethical leadership, charismatic stewardship and ethics, it is important to explain how “the boss” kept his team together during the expedition. Shackleton’s missions were all characterized by the value of servant leadership. This new angle of leading is derived from ethical and responsible guidance (Morrell et al., 2012). As the name suggests, servant lasers are self-less and therefore, they go beyond their interests in order deliver the overall goal and at the same time; they help their followers to grow and develop their governance capabilities (Robbins " Judge, 2011). Some of characteristic behaviors include persuasion, empathy, listening, communicating and accepting stewardship from other crew members. Since servant leaders peg their values on serving other people’s needs, they have the well-being of the crew members at heart (Koehn, 2014). The effects of servant guidance are evident from Shackleton’s trips across the sea. After Endurance sank, the crew was left hungry and cold. Being a servant leader, he prepared hot powdered milk for every breakfast. Moreover, he even shared his clothes with the crew. He did not care whether he would go shirtless as long no one among his crew went without clothing. As the sailors took refuge in the tents, he remained in the cold looking after them.
Servant-leaders create a culture of service, performance and creativity. Gathering the crew’s opinions was important creating an environment of trust and commitment (Robbins " Judge, 2011). According to Koehn, people attract high performance levels, self-efficacy and perceptions of justice when they employed servant leadership (2014). Equally, the relation of the follower and the leader blossoms because the team is encouraged to be dutiful and responsible. More importantly, employees work their best to avoid disappointing their leaders. Additionally, such figureheads increase team potency because of increased team performance. Although the expedition fell short of its goals, Shackleton’s people-centered approach ensured that ever crew member arrived home safe. He showed remarkable care to his crew. An example is an episode whereby Thomas Orde Lees, store-keeper suffered from sea sickness. The “boss” tended to him for two whole weeks. More so, his ability to perceive and adjust to changing realities was essential in the stewardship of his crew members. After sinking of Endurance, most of the crew members had given up. However, he encouraged the team to look into the future (Koehn, 2014).
The captain demonstrated incredible servant-leadership because of the inspiration that he provided to his men (Morrell et al., 2012). To keep the spirits of the crew members, he created positive morale and assured his crew members that they would survive the near-death conditions. To cheer up the crew, he brought up his love for poetry. The crew members admitted that they had no idea that their lead was good-natured. The captain however demanded loyalty and responsiveness. He solved disagreements and at the same time, he maintained an aura of authority (Koehn, 2014). For instance, he ordered scientists, sailors and officers to share equally the manual drudgery. Although some members felt that it was below their standards to scrub floors, they respected their leader and accepted the responsibility.
Conclusion
In summary, members of Shackleton’s team were responsible for ethical behavior, irrespective of their position in the crew. Top leaders such as Shackleton set a moral tone and thus they are required to demonstrate the same standards. The Captain influenced his team members and ensured that they fostered an ethical and responsible climate. Therefore, it is recommended that a unit (such as the expedition members) have to be trained to incorporate positive cultural values when carrying out foreign trips. Moreover, attributes of authenticity and integrity breeds responsible governance. The search for opportunity begins when the team leaders take on meaningful challenges. To do so, they have to exhibit these three values in order to accomplish extraordinary achievements. Yearning to explore Artic and Antarctic, Shackleton he applied calculated risk and embraced responsible servant leadership when selecting and leading his men in the expedition.
References
Fluker, W. E. (2009). Ethical leadership: The quest for character, civility, and community. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Koehn, N. (2014). Leadership in Criisis.: Ernest Shackleton: Exploring leadership. Harvard Business School.
Lansing, A., " Overdrive Inc. (2014). Endurance. S.I.: Basic Books.
Morrell, Margot., Capparell, Stephanie., " Pigott-Smith, Tim. (2012). Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer. Csa Word.
Robbins, S. P., " Judge, T. (2011). Organizational behavior. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.
