If your actions inspire others to believe in themselves, move beyond their limitations and maintain their integrity where others would sell out, you are a leader. Leaders inspire others to be more and do more, especially in times of unusual uncertainty.
Some time ago I wrote about Sir Ernest Shackleton, who led a failed expedition to cross the South Pole yet somehow managed to keep his entire crew alive and well despite the loss of his ship in an ice flow near Antarctica. One of the many photographs taken by crew member Frank Hurley struck me as being odd on first viewing.
Here they were, stranded on an ice floe in the middle of nowhere, with the odds stacked firmly against them, yet Shackleton had his men play soccer and hockey on the ice! Shackleton commented that: “If you’re a leader, a fellow that other fellows look to, you’ve got to keep going” and these occasional games were a means of keeping the men fit and lighthearted.
In many ways, managing pressure is the core of leadership. Pressure waxes and wanes like the tides and most leaders find themselves at one point or another under the necessity of easing pressure to prevent blowouts.
Levity is a powerful tool when it comes to managing pressure. Used rightly, it is like a valve that can ease the pressure on a controlled basis. A properly timed joke, smile or activity can be just the thing to keep things moving forward.
Your longevity as a leader – as a parent, teacher, coach, manager, team captain, etc. – depends partly on your ability to manage the overall pressure on those you lead. Even when times get really rough, you can find lightness somewhere in your heart or in the room.
Have a great day and don’t be afraid to inspire at least one person to smile!
Gregory Hake 
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Pressure is a divining rod to discover leaders. It is not enough to tolerate pressure; learning to manage it is the mark of a gifted leader. They make the best parents,spouses, friends and coworkers.
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Thanks for a great reminder of a story that inspires anyone who reads it to be not only strive to be a better leader but to be a better person. Everyone is a leader at some level in their world and is at one time or another in a position to inspire others. Every time we open our mouths to speak, we are given this opportunity, and we often do so without appreciating this fact. The perspective of “pressure” is often overlook and yet it is so valuable to understand how the right management of pressure can literally “save lives”. What a great example this is of handeling pressure under dire circumstances.
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I find that in leadership situations I have the tendency to sometimes push instead of inspire. I have been working hard to change my default here, and I will certainly make use of levity more now. Thanks!
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I love the point about “keep going.”! I think inertia is the antithesis of leadership and have found that often it’s a result of feeling “under” the pressure. Handling pressure with grace and skill whether internal or external certainly is the hallmark of a great leader.
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Great post, Gregg! Anyone who wants to be a leader should read this book (and re-read it every so often) and give consideration to the qualities present in Shackleton that allowed him to be such an effective leader under such miserable circumstances. It was good for me to look at what qualities the worst brings out in me, and the Shackleton story provides some amazing guideposts for where I know I need to be as a leader.
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This is the most incredible story of survival. Most of our roles as leaders will never come close to the extreme hardship of this story. It puts what most would fuss about into perspective. Amazing tale of survival against the odds, and a great point that we each are capable of and have a choice in making a challenging situation better, not worse.
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Noble post, Gregg. Thank you!
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This story always impacts me because of the bleakness of their surroundings, the seeming hopelessness of the location and season. Really there was nothing, that I could see, that they could have held on to as a light at the end of the tunnel.
It appears to me they held on because of the courage, vision and LEADERSHIP of Shackleton. He was the tipping point. This story has all the intensity, thrills, heroes and villains of a blockbuster best seller, but it is true and the redemption was because of wisdom, courage and the skill at managing tremendous pressure. Great post, thanks.
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Thanks Gregg,
The link to your previous post on Shackleton combined with the instruction on handling pressure has significant implications with what I am dealing now, in preparation for what is coming, even though that is uncertain, it is well advised to take advantage of the opportunity to prepare our character for whatever is to come!!!
Great set of “Leadership guidelines” to follow under pressure, when adversity and uncertainty are in the wind.
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Wonderful post! Thank you.
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I’ve always been fascinated by Shackleton’s story. I enjoyed considering it from your perspective of ‘pressure’ and leadership this morning. Thanks!
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