Shackleton; The Epitome of a Leader

   The story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew is one that can resonate with readers on many different levels - a story of man's desire to live, a story of survival, a story of excitement and adventure - but one level of the story struck me profoundly; the story of unyielding leadership and the desire to achieve life goals, mainly portrayed through Shackleton himself.

   Reading through the encounters of these 28 men, there is no question to as how Shackleton obtained the tribute that can be read in Chapter 1: "For scientific leadership, give me Scott, for swift and efficient travel, Amundsen. But when you are in a hopeless situation, when you are seeing no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton." This is a powerful tribute and rings true to Shackleton's steadfast loyalty to both his men and his motivation to the achievement of his goal. Time and time again, he proved himself to be a phenomenal leader in his planning and execution - even going as far to being able to read his crew's personalities and divide the camp up as to reduce friction from within to maintain a sense of calm and positivity. Men like Ernest Shackleton go down in history as figurative Gods, with their names echoing through history as examples of leadership - prototypes to base future leaders off of.

  One final sidebar that should be noted in regards to the achievement of goals, a quote from the beginning of chapter 3 that speaks to Shackleton's determination to the adventure he so desperately wanted - and can also speak to any individual facing adversity on the road to achieving life goals:

   "The simple act of sailing had carried him beyond the world of reversals, frustrations, and inanities. And in the space of a few short hours, life had been reduced from a highly complex existence, with a thousand petty problems, to one of the barest simplicity in which only one real task remained—the achievement of the goal".