Loneliness is the penalty of leadership.
Earnest Shackelton
April 24, 1916, a decision had to be made. Either someone had to go and find help or all 27 men would die.
The famed explorer Earnest Shackelton decided to go for help, along with 5 other sailors set off in a tiny boat, the James Caird. They were heading for the whaling outpost of South Georgia, but they didn’t sail at it, they sailed away from it.
Endurance
That was one of the many perilous decisions Shackelton had to make on the ill-fated voyage to try to make it to the South Pole. In storytelling, you are meant to make it hard for your characters. You wouldn’t write this story because it sounds too far-fetched.
The journey started nearly two years earlier on the 8th of August, 1914. The crew was full of excitement and enthusiasm. These feelings were immediately shattered by the fast-growing bed of ice that was rising to meet The Endurance, their aptly named vessel. It would take all of their endurance and Shackleton’s legendary leadership ability to give them any chance of survival.
They had hoped of getting to land on the South Pole and setting up camp to see out the winter before pressing on towards the Pole. The sea Ice had other plans and for weeks they slowly crept forward trying to find a way through the ice.
The ship got stuck in the ice on the 24 of January 1915. It was caught in the drift. The shit and crew got within 97km of their intended landing point but the terrain was too uncertain that they couldn’t get the crew and gear to land.
On the 14th of July, the crew recorded wind speeds of 112 km/h and temperatures of -36 degrees Celsius. This weather put extreme pressure on The Endurance which has been sustaining pressure on its hull for months.
She held on for many more months and in the afternoon of the 21st of November, she finally succumbed to the pressure and when the flows moved she sunk into the ocean.
From there the crew camped on the ice, hoping the flows would take them to an island. They eventually took the 3 boats and after multiple setbacks got to Elephant Island.
The Straight Line Isn’t The Best Way
Now Shackelton knew that the island they were on wasn’t going to have any boats passing by so he decided he would have to South Georgia to give his men a chance at being rescued.
This was an 800-nautical-mile journey in a boat with no keel to keep them balanced in swells so large that their sails would deflate because there were walls of water around them.
They couldn’t go straight for South Georgia because the trade winds and ocean currents made it impossible. They decided to go north until they hit South Georgia latitude and then use those trade winds to their advantage.
It took them 17 days to Make it to South Georgia. It has been described as one of the greatest small-boat journeys ever completed. Then they had the small task of hiking over the whole island, full of glaciers, mountain ranges, and deadly crevasses with no map.
128 days after they left Elephant Island they made it back and rescued all of the men.
Your Easy Path
Sometimes the path you need to take might not be a straight one.
Yes, your idea is amazing and everyone should marvel at your magnificence but unfortunately, it doesn’t always work like that.
You might need to convince someone else that your idea is their idea. They might need to be the champion.
You might need to let someone else’s idea fail before they can see the error in their ways.
You might need to let someone else have resources first before you can get them.
It might not always be smooth sailing, but sometimes that straight line will get you in trouble and the longer path will be faster in the long run.
Leadership can be a lonely place.
Luke McMeeken-Ruscoe 