Mon., 1/23/12: Ernest Shackleton: Role Model for Today's Leaders?

Ernest Shackleton: A Role Model for Today's Leaders? 
We’re talking about leadership, with a look at what today’s CEO's, politicians, and military officials can learn from explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. In 1914, Shackleton and his crew set out on an Antarctic crossing that faced one disaster after the next. First, their ship was trapped in pack ice and buckled under pressure. Then, the 28 men on board were stranded on an ice floe, which broke in two. Alone in the world's most unforgiving environment, they faced snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and starvation. But, two years after setting sail, Shackleton saved his entire crew. A century later, we find ourselves in a situation where disaster strikes again and again. In a world where turbulence is the norm, can our leaders learn something from Shackleton’s ability to contain chaos and manage fear?

GUESTS:
  Nancy Koehn, historian at the Harvard Business School. Read her recent piece on Shackleton here.
  Stephanie Barczewski, professor of history at Clemson University, author of Antarctic Destinies: Scott, Shackleton and the Changing Face of Heroism