SHACKLETON'S WAY is an extraordinary tale of leadership, courage, and adventure. The leadership skills of this Antarctic explorer are as relevant today as they were nearly 100 years ago. This book is an insightful narrative of the challenges, tragedies and victories of a small group of resourceful men and a very special leader.

Sir Ernest Shackleton had participated in two explorations of the uncharted, barren continent known as Antarctica. He knew the dangers. Nonetheless in 1914, at the outset of WWI, he and a hand-picked band of courageous shipmates set out to conquer the unknown, chart the unexplored, and to meet the greatest test of their lifetimes. This small group of seamen, scientists, and officers would encounter the most extreme, deadly perils the cold wasteland could summon. They were pressed out of measure and in danger of their lives - for months!

The most inspiring aspect of this legendary tale lies in the singular leadership qualities and strength of character of their leader, Sir Ernest Shackleton. His thoughts, processes, and innate abilities are laid bare for the reader to examine and to profit from. There are lessons for business and in personal character development that bear study and meditation. "Shackleton failed only at the improbable; he succeeded at the unimaginable." Unimaginable, indeed. Few of us have overcome such odds at such peril.

At the time, much of the glorious recount of this miraculous expedition was overshadowed by World War I. Resurrected for us today, this book shines a light brightly on the timeless lessons of this remarkable leader.

I found this to be an impossible read. The story telling is horrible IMHO. I know this is a remarkable story but the authors butchered it. And the attempt to weave in leadership lessons further ruined the story telling. The authors hit you over the head with obvious leadership lessons rather than focusing on telling a good story. I'm amazed at the positive reviews here. I almost never stop reading a book without finishing it, but this was one exception. My time was too valuable to waste on this.

I was assigned this book as part of my Master's class in business, but as a military officer found it a great source of leadership principles on leading a small unit in remote, harsh environments when the tasks ahead seem impossible. Each chapter focuses on a different part of building and leading a team with 2-3 page vignettes followed at the end of each chapter with a business tie-in.

I must admit that I did not know of Shakleton before reading this book. Since reading it, I have already bought it again as a gift for a fellow officer headed to Iraq. A must read! The book is very easy to pick up and read for just 5 minutes or for hours.

I enjoyed this book. It's a short read but certainly with some substance. Ernest Shackleton is, of course, a famous traveler and explorer and there is little new information in the book on the actual subject of his travels. However, the author, who I believe is Shackleton's relative of sorts, does a decent job of putting his experiences in the context of today's management practices. The author analyzes specific actions by the explorer (selection of prospective employees, using public relations to advance his cause and fundraise, etc.) and summarizes take-aways in a simple and straightforward fashion. More than anything, the book made me want to go out and find our more about the man!

I've read a lot of books on Antarctic exploration, but this is the first one that's intended as a text for leadership skills: apparently the intended audience is MBA students and other budding executives. This is an interesting slant on the story, and the authors do seem to have a lot of insight into what made Shackleton a model for leadership. One oddity is that they don't say a word about his controversial decision to site the Nimrod expedition's home base at McMurdo, giving rise to much bitterness in his relations with Scott and the British Antarctic "establishment"; I'd have been interested in the authors' judgment on this.

Does a book like this really give useful guidance to executives? Beats me! The aphorisms they provide seem oversimplified, but I can't claim any expertise here. It was, however, most interesting to contrast Shackleton's leadership principles with those of the current occupant of the White House!

For those familiar with the story of Shackleton and the Endurance, this is a great book. Actually anyone not familiar with the story can learn it with a lesson in leadership and teamwork. Shackleton took his men and kept them alive thru 9 months trapped on a ship in the ice then 6 months living on the ice after the ship broke up and finally depositing them on Elephant island and leaving on an 800 hundred mile open boat trip to South Georgia island. After nearly 3 years of survival in the Antarctic, Shackleton brought all 27 men home. None died. That is an amazing feat.
Shackleton's Way by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell, breaks this amazing odyssey down into chapters with short notes on leadership method's and then adds in a view or perspective of a business or leader in today's world who applies some of Shackleton's methods. The story starts Sir Ernest Shackleton's method of selecting his men for the voyage. Then the initial voyage and how he made sure each man could do the others job and everyone understood they were a team united. This allowed the survival of all. Shackleton knew men and how to keep them organized, hopeful and strong. This is a great book to add to your bookshelf of leadership, teamwork and people management in crisis.

For those familiar with the story of Shackleton and the Endurance, this is a great book. Actually anyone not familiar with the story can learn it with a lesson in leadership and teamwork. Shackleton took his men and kept them alive thru 9 months trapped on a ship in the ice then 6 months living on the ice after the ship broke up and finally depositing them on Elephant island and leaving on an 800 hundred mile open boat trip to South Georgia island. After nearly 3 years of survival in the Antarctic, Shackleton brought all 27 men home. None died. That is an amazing feat.
Shackleton's Way by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell, breaks this amazing odyssey down into chapters with short notes on leadership method's and then adds in a view or perspective of a business or leader in today's world who applies some of Shackleton's methods. The story starts Sir Ernest Shackleton's method of selecting his men for the voyage. Then the initial voyage and how he made sure each man could do the others job and everyone understood they were a team united. This allowed the survival of all. Shackleton knew men and how to keep them organized, hopeful and strong. This is a great book to add to your bookshelf of leadership, teamwork and people management in crisis.

I have heard it said many times that management is common knowledge and this book reaffirms those sentiments. But common knowledge is often forgotten when adversity happens or when things become too busy. This book takes the effort of reaffirming all those things that are important to leadership in adverse times. It covers many of the things Sir Ernest Shackleton faced in many of his polar expeditions and how he learned from past mistakes. It talks of his planning, expenditures, morale focus, and other things he felt were to make for a successful trip. It also talks about how one can set what success is, where sometimes reaching the South Pole is not the best idea when you focus on bringing everyone through to the end with you.

I recommend this book just for an inspirational aspect. It is well written if occasionally hokey when they pull out leadership bullet points, but still a good read.

I have heard it said many times that management is common knowledge and this book reaffirms those sentiments. But common knowledge is often forgotten when adversity happens or when things become too busy. This book takes the effort of reaffirming all those things that are important to leadership in adverse times. It covers many of the things Sir Ernest Shackleton faced in many of his polar expeditions and how he learned from past mistakes. It talks of his planning, expenditures, morale focus, and other things he felt were to make for a successful trip. It also talks about how one can set what success is, where sometimes reaching the South Pole is not the best idea when you focus on bringing everyone through to the end with you.

I recommend this book just for an inspirational aspect. It is well written if occasionally hokey when they pull out leadership bullet points, but still a good read.

This is just an excellent book. Anyone in a leadership position would be well served to read this book. How great leadership can overcome trials of life and death proportions with applications to most leadership circumstances.

This compelling volume accomplishes the unlikely feat of being both a useful management guide and a suspense-filled page-turner. That's because the book enjoys an unusually rich source of material: a near-deadly Antarctic voyage that everyone survived by dint of the leader's formidable management skills. Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparrell present a strong case that Sir Ernest Shackleton was indeed a great leader. They mine the journey for the telling details of Shackleton's management style, and include short accounts from modern business leaders who look to Shackleton as an inspiration. We recommend this guide to leaders and would-be leaders who love adventure tales and seek an inspiring take on management from a true master.

This compelling volume accomplishes the unlikely feat of being both a useful management guide and a suspense-filled page-turner. That's because the book enjoys an unusually rich source of material: a near-deadly Antarctic voyage that everyone survived by dint of the leader's formidable management skills. Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparrell present a strong case that Sir Ernest Shackleton was indeed a great leader. They mine the journey for the telling details of Shackleton's management style, and include short accounts from modern business leaders who look to Shackleton as an inspiration. We recommend this guide to leaders and would-be leaders who love adventure tales and seek an inspiring take on management from a true master.

Inspiring book that I couldn't put down once I started. Under the Endurance Crew picture in Shakleton's Way (page 1), it says "Successful failure". I think Shakleton proved that leadership isn't only achieving great scientific and exploratory results (which the Endurance failed at). I agree with this Leadership definition, and Shakleton lived it " Leadership is about getting results through others, managing change, and having a clear vision from which you develop strategies".

These are just a few subjects on which to gain insight in this wonderful book. No matter your vocation, there are "take aways" that the reader will be able to employ tomorrow. Read it and use it. Worth reading every few years.

Building a united and loyal crew was the foundation of Shackleton's leadership. Teamwork was the ingredient of success. "Adventure is the soul of existence because it brings out true harmony among men", Shackleton told Hussey. Shackleton made him self available to his crew, at dinner men talked to him openly and shared ideas. This familiarity did not diminish discipline, Shackleton believed life was a game and the game had rules, these rules were to be followed, but he was not to be excessive in enforcing harsh discipline. Instead, Shackleton encouraged his men to debate, the men talked openly about a wide range of issues, and sponsored democratic forum where creative members were reward for the initiative, ingenuity, and bravery. Shackleton broke down the traditional hierarchies by having the scientist share in the ship chores and having seaman taking scientific readings with the effect being the creation of a group of generalist skilled in all aspects of the ships operations. Everyone had to take his turn sailing and steering the ship and doing night watch, which entailed noting ice conditions, maintaining the fires in the furnace, and taking meteorological readings. In addition all hands scrubbed the common spaces, trimmed the coal by leveling of the pile, packing and unpacking provisions, and caring for the dogs. Shackleton attempted to by fair in punishment and not excessive. Shackleton led by example. If anyone was ill or injured, Shackleton would help with the lifting and cleaning. Shackleton believed in working hard, eating good food, and finding time to relax and recreate. Shackleton used these work exchanges to show how things were to be done, understand the effort involved in the task, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the men. Shackletons willingness to get involve gave each job a certain dignity on the ship and enhanced his standing with his crew. Shackleton often used luxury food to boost morale or help recover from a traumatic crew experience. Shackleton gathered his crew weekly to listen to the gramophone, play games, perform skits, watch slide shows, sing, and play instruments. Hussey was particular good on the Banjo and in the future help the men keep their sanity in the most remote of circumstances. Shackleton had regular gatherings to build spirit de corps, dinner was just a gathering, and alcoholic drinks to wives and loved ones. "He led mentally and physically and gave a sense to the individual that he, the individual, was a most important part of the whole show" wrote G. Vibert Douglas.

Shackleton believed in the importance of comforts in maintaining morale. Shackleton insisted on healthy diet, exercise, and reasonably safety measures. The play soccer and hockey, raced the dogs, and took long walks. Orde-Lees rode his cherish bicycle and one venture went too far and got lost, after that Shackelton forbad his to ride the bicycle. In order to prevent men from getting lost in the dark, Shackleton order ice mounts be placed around the ship. Frank Hurley place lights 20 feet talk near the ship to light the floes. Shackleton matched personality types with work assignments. This knowledge became especially help when assignments were given to route crew to specific lifeboats in the crossing to Elephant Island. Each team functioned because of the talents and strengths of its crew members. Shackleton brought these talents together in an effective manner. Shackelton wanted to place each man in a long term job that he enjoyed. Shackleton viewed each member of the crew as a human being and form personal relationships with them and because of this relationship he knew how to ask questions, get encouragement, and provide reminders and insights. Shackleton liked to chat with his men in the early morning hours when there was a particularly relaxed atmosphere. Shackleton was tolerant of people quirks and foibles. Shackleton showed remarkable kindness to his men and never expected his men to do more than they were capable. Shackleton encouraged crew members to focus on their strengths and not to overdo their expectations. Shackleton occasionally pampered his men in reducing high-stress situations.

During the crisis to Elephant Island, the organization hierarchy went flat with Shackleton addressing his men leaving no doubt he was in complete charge and would led them through the crisis into safety if they stuck together and trusted him. The men swore their loyalty. Offering food for comfort was Shackleton's way of letting the men talk and relax and let the Bosses words sink in. Shackleton made contingency plans in detail but remained flexible. Shackleton left nothing to chance when it came to the men's lives and Shackleton's flexible save lives on a number of occasions. Shackleton made sure the men had a realistic understanding of their plight. Shackleton wanted his men to be happy and confident of their survival. At the same time he wanted them to take serious their situation and assume some responsibility for their fates in their own hands.

Patience Island presented some fascinating lessons. Shackleton streamed-line supplies and operations and could do nothing. Shackleton had to wait for the opportunity to reach ocean for a chance at three land possibilities. Shackleton let go of the past. He never wasted time or energy regretting past mistakes or fretting over what could not be changed. Shackleton used humor to diffuse high tensions and help his men see the absurdity of their arguments. Shackleton gave his men reality checks to help them on their course. Shackleton knew that everyone must be involved and do some work in a crisis, even if the work was less involved. Shackleton realized he needed plenty of time for the staff to get use to an unpopular decision.

The men rowed for their lives to avoid being crushed by two converging ice formations. Shackleton trusted his team leaders but kept an eye on the individuals. Shackleton chose the workhorses for the toughest assignments, one being Frank Wild. The decision to got to Elephant Island demonstrates Shackleton was not afraid to change his mind as the situation dictated. "It was the fourth time in the four days since taking the boats that he changed his plans: from heading toward Elephant Island to the east, to aiming for King George Island to the west, to trying for Hope Bay to the southwest, and back to Elephant Island. Shackleton was self sacrificing and gave comfort to his men were possible, such was the case, when Orde-Les was sick and Shackleton sleep on a chair getting three hours of sleep while Order-Les slept in a bed with the temperature raised to 70 degrees. As Shackleton left for South Georgia to gain resources for a rescue attempt, he showed great confidence in the men he left in charge. Frank Wild performed magnificently in the stead of Shackleton and single handledly prevented death, discouragement, and insanity from driving the men wild. Wild followed Shackleton's model to the T.

Shackleton decided to take extreme risks when his options were limited. The extreme risk was to travel 800 miles to South Georgia's whaling community where they started and get help. Shackleton could not wait because ice cap was forming around Elephant Island and the food rations were rapidly running out. Shackleton, Worsley, Crean, McNeish, McCarthy, and Vincent accomplish the amazing journey. Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean cross the South Georgia mountain into Stromness May 20, 1916, "Our beards were long and our hair was matted. We were unwashed and the garments we had worn for a year without change were tattered and stained." Later at dinner, the Norwegian whalers with no common language each walked silently up tem and shook their hands, each wanting to congratulate the men who had made the magnificent boat journey. Shackleton's men were sustained by faith and trust in their leader.

Knowing of my interest in leadership, a friend recommended that I read Shackleton's Way. When I first viewed the picture on the cover of the book and glanced at the subtitle, I thought, "What on earth would this book have to do with leadership?" The answer is an unqualified, "Absolutely plenty!" The cover picture shows several men who appear to be playing some type of a game on snow and ice. The complete subtitle is "Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer." The authors of Shackleton's Way, Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell, skillfully combine a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat story with legendary lessons on leadership.

Very briefly, Shackleton's Way is the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the 27 men stranded with him in the Antarctic for almost two years in the early days of the 1900's. Everyone survived, but probably only because of Shackleton's outstanding leadership abilities and practices. Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell, skillfully weave lessons on leadership throughout the pages of the adventure-filled book.

The thorough research from various diaries, letters, books and other documents is evident on every page of the book. The authors certainly did their homework! Each chapter tells of a portion of the trip, while illustrating the leadership lessons Sir Ernest utilized in maintaining hope, working with diverse folks in an often-adverse environment, working as a team, creativity in problem solving and many other traits a good leader uses. Near the end of each chapter, bullet points clearly and succinctly illustrate pertinent points in that chapter. Finally, each chapter ends with a section called "Working It In," in which contemporary leaders demonstrate how Sir Ernest Shackleton's leadership lessons were of value to them.

Not only will you find the lessons in Shackleton's Way useful with co-workers and employees, but you'll also find them helpful with your family. Even though these principles and lessons about leadership were illustrated nearly a century ago, they are timeless; if anything, they are more valuable now than at that time. Sir Ernest Shackleton was a servant leader; we would all do well to learn leadership lessons from Shackleton's Way.

The newspaper advertisement read, "Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey, Small Wages, Bitter Cold, Long Months of Complete Darkness, Constant Danger, Safe Return Doubtful. Honor and Recognition in Case of Success."

Thus begins this journey, and an inside look at leadership exhibited under some of the worst conditions imaginable.

This book takes an inside look at how the leadership of the captain lead his crew to safety while on a mission to explore the South Pole in 1914. While other books are more in depth on the story itself, this one focuses primarily on the leadership styles used at various parts of journey.

What is good about this book is that it puts to rest the idea that leadership cannot be delivered with different styles under adverse conditions. Shackleton uses teamwork, reverse psychology, motivation, direction, listening and a host of other leadership traits to get his crew to safety. He demonstrates "servant leadership" when it matters most.

A great story which will keep you captivated, and some wonderful leadership lessons for use in all conditions. Highly recommended. Also, look for other books on the story and some great movies on DVD as well.

By now, most are familiar with the trials and adventures of the Irish, Antarctic explorer's failed attempt at reaching the South Pole. But what authors Morrell and Capparell focus on is Shakelton's leadership traits and skills in crisis management. Strength, endurance, flexibility, caring, fairness, patience, self-sacrifice, loyalty, duty, determination -- all take on an indelible meaning in the context of the unimaginable obstacles Shakelton and his crew faced ...and survived!

Each chapter not only reads like a part of a reveting adventure story but is summarized with a list of leadership skills followed by a contemporary story of an individual who was inspired and demonstrated those meaningful traits of character.

"Shakelton's Way" should be required reading for anyone with the responsibility of a handful of individuals much less a corporation-full. One wonders how different the outcome might have been had Shakelton been at the helm of Enron, WorldCom or Arthur Andersen.

If you want an in depth analysis of Shackleton or any other leader, go take a course, read the volumes of books on the subject, invest the effort elsewhere. Don't expect to have an in-depth analysis effectively accomplished in 200 pages.

If you want a light, entertaining, interesting read of an incredible story, touching on various leadership points, then you will find this book worthwhile.

If you are looking for a bit of spark to investigate Shackleton a bit more, then you will find this book worthwhile.

Shackleton was a very capable leader of expeditions... not a Saint. If you are looking for a look into his personal life and any shortcomings in it, you won't find it in this book... but then again, I don't think it's called Shackleton's Family Way: A Critical Account of His Family Life.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's well-documented story of his ill-fated attempt to cross the Antarctic Continent and his heroic efforts to save his crew of 27 after the crushing and sinking of his ship Endurance is indeed the material for a major network mini-series. However, Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antartic Explorer, is an unglamorous and non-preachy lesson in leadership with authority, integrity, humor, and compassion.

I do have a slight criticism, an important lesson in leadership was skipped - balance. Shackleton's ability to coach and encourage, listen and build a sense of community, and focus on meeting the needs of others while developing and bringing out the best in them did not extend to his family. The authors Morrell and Capparell do mention his neglected family. However it was glazed over and they failed to offer insight on how we the reader might learn from this shortcoming. Clearly he was a self-directed and other-focused man, but he lacked balance. He devoted his life to his work and crew while his family settled for scraps of time and attention. It is important that we learn from success and failure, not just the stuff that makes for great TV and/or big screen movies.

While Shackleton's Way was admittedly a bit dry at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the mixture of history and practical applications of servant leadership in today's business world. The book provides a glimmer of hope in light of the recent corporate ethics scandals. I am impressed by Shackleton's pioneer sprit in exploration and leadership. He certainly did not have Covey, Greenleaf, Hunter or Autry to reference. How lucky we are to have Sir Ernest.

Whether you are searching for a historical biography, travel journal, adventure story or a desktop guide to servant leadership you just might find something more than you bargained for in Shackleton's Way.

Luckily I didn't buy this book; I only had the misfortune of reading through it at a bookstore. What a joke...did you know that Frank Worsley (the "skipper") remarked that Shackleton was "just never good at ordinary things." That includes business. Shackleton was constantly frustrated by his failure to be proficient in business, a fact which probably enticed him to take his fateful yet fitting final journey. Do I need to further explain the irony? I think not.
I'm not taking anything away from Sir Ernest. What he accomplished was far greater than any laughable "managerial success." Like all of the great ones, he is rightfully remembered for courage, leadership and staring down the seemingly hopeless and impossible, not for his ability to turn a profit. I would prefer if these management "gurus" stick to the Tom Peters, Stephen Coveys, Tony Robbins and other charlatans of that ilk and leave great men like Ernest Shackleton out of the sordid mix. This opportunistic garbage deserves ZERO stars.

Heard the taped version of SHACKLETON'S WAY:
LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE GREAT ANTARCTIC
EXPLORER by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell . . . this
was the perfect companion to the recent documentary I
saw on the same subject, THE ENDURANCE . . . it enabled
me to better appreciate how Ernest Shackleton and his men
survived the wreck of their ship with no means of communication
and no hope for rescue . . . the amazing thing was that not
only did every man survive--but did so in both good health
and spirits.

Shackleton was clearly ahead of his time . . . he led his men
from 1914 to 1916 using some techniques that are now
accepted by all, but I imagine were revolutionary at the
time . . . for example, the book's authors noted that
he believed in the following:

A good boss will make a burden of work seem lighter.

One person can change an entire work environment.

It was better to replace a failed goal with a more ambitious one.

Chip-in sometimes with the work you are having others do.

In trouble, danger and despair, never give up hope. The worse
can always be got over.

On one of the last pages of "Shackleton's Way," the authors state, "This book attempts to provide what Shackleton wished to explain about his experiences and achievements." This refers to Shackleton's fascination with "the mental side" of leadership. This self-congratulatory pat on their collective backs ignores the simple fact that they failed badly in their attempt. Shackleton was by all accounts a great adventurer. He successfully assembled a group of kindred spirits and had a great adventure. He may well have been an equally great leader who practiced the art of leadership brilliantly. Unfortunately, you won't read about it in this book. A more appropriate title for this book might be, "Leadership Lite" or "The Hardy Boys Go to Antarctica."

The authors crammed about 25 pages of story into 238 painfully puffed out pages, including pictures; appendices; introductory remarks by the subject's granddaughter; bibliography, with a glaring omission of any literature on the subject of leadership in any form; three pages of acknowledgements; and, an exhaustive index which is probably the best written part of the entire book. They also include lengthy asides describing how various others have used the Shackleton story to help them in their efforts to lead others. Finally, as if their writing might overwhelm the reader with its "subtlety" they provide a laundry list of homilies summarizing each chapter. That these nuggets of leadership lore might well be included in a remedial course in management clearly escapes the authors as they present them in a manner suggestive of Moses' tablets of stone.

Finally, they mention in passing that Shackleton was a philandering womanizer who couldn't seem to get and hold a real job so he decided to go on a grand adventure. This suggests an obvious candidate for their next book, a recent resident of Washington DC and one of their new neighbors in New York.

On one of the last pages of "Shackleton's Way," the authors state, "This book attempts to provide what Shackleton wished to explain about his experiences and achievements." This refers to Shackleton's fascination with "the mental side" of leadership. This self-congratulatory pat on their collective backs ignores the simple fact that they failed badly in their attempt. Shackleton was by all accounts a great adventurer. He successfully assembled a group of kindred spirits and had a great adventure. He may well have been an equally great leader who practiced the art of leadership brilliantly. Unfortunately, you won't read about it in this book. A more appropriate title for this book might be, "Leadership Lite" or "The Hardy Boys Go to Antarctica."

The authors crammed about 25 pages of story into 238 painfully puffed out pages, including pictures; appendices; introductory remarks by the subject's granddaughter; bibliography, with a glaring omission of any literature on the subject of leadership in any form; three pages of acknowledgements; and, an exhaustive index which is probably the best written part of the entire book. They also include lengthy asides describing how various others have used the Shackleton story to help them in their efforts to lead others. Finally, as if their writing might overwhelm the reader with its "subtlety" they provide a laundry list of homilies summarizing each chapter. That these nuggets of leadership lore might well be included in a remedial course in management clearly escapes the authors as they present them in a manner suggestive of Moses' tablets of stone.

Finally, they mention in passing that Shackleton was a philandering womanizer who couldn't seem to get and hold a real job so he decided to go on a grand adventure. This suggests an obvious candidate for their next book, a recent resident of Washington DC and one of their new neighbors in New York.

This book is a masterpiece in its own right. You are given an introduction and understanding as to the accomplishments of Ernest Shackleton, a remarkable and honored explorer and leader. While being transformed into the mind of Shackelton and his crew during the most difficult of times, the book illustrates the Endurance expedition and the leadership styles required for each situation. At the end of each chapter, Shackleton's accomplishments and lessons are applied to an array of present day situations for applicable to everyone.

While this book may not be the typical book on leadership, it is still a highly informative book. This book is extremely easy to read and constantly maintains the reader's interest. While so many typical leadership books are dull to the average reader, this book stands out as an exception. I would recommend this book to the average person who does not enjoy reading a leadership book, but still has the need to do so.

Leadership is all about character, determination, consideration, vision, and fidelity. Under horrible circumstances, leaders usually become much better or worse. Even the harsh Captain Bligh found himself fulfilling a hero's role as a leader after the mutiny. Sir Ernest Shackleton was a fine man who became even finer under pressure.

If you don't know the story, let me outline a few details. During World War I, Sir Ernest led a small expedition to Antarctica from England in an attempt to cross that continent through the South Pole. The pole itself had already been reached by Amundsen and Scott. En route to land, the expedition's ship, Endurance, became locked in the pack ice. The crew drifted with the ice for over 10 months before the ship was crushed by the ice. Pulling lifeboats over the ice, the men reached open sea more than five months later. They reached a small island, Elephant Island, where most of the men remained while Sir Ernest and a few men made an 800 mile three week sea voyage to their starting point, South Georgia Island. Arriving there, they faced a horrible trek over almost impassable terrain to get to the settlement. Sir Ernest immediately left to rescue the men left behind on Elephant Island. All those on board the Endurance survived.

Throughout this rescue, Sir Ernest proved himself to be resourceful, flexible, considerate, and indomitable.

Shackleton's Way recounts Sir Ernest's life, and summarizes key points about his leadership style. Each chapter ends with a commentary by someone who learned from Sir Ernest's experiences to be a better leader.

As a leadership book, Shackleton's Way has a number of weaknesses. First, leadership and management are not separated. The bulk of the points made in the book relate more to management than to leadership. I think the book would have worked better if it had narrowed down to leadership, rather than including management. Sir Ernest seemed to be a fairly ordinary manager, while being an outstanding leader. With the two messages combined, the lessons are diluted.

Second, Sir Ernest is treated with kid gloves in the book. That may no be warranted in all cases. For example, if he had abandoned the expedition before the Endurance became stuck in the pack ice, all of the suffering would have been avoided. Clearly, he may well have made some errors in judgment that led to the crisis.

Third, most people can tell you what they would like leaders to do. The same people find it very difficult to do those things, even under good conditions. Under horrible conditions (as occurred here), the average person becomes a below-average leader. What were the things that Shackleton did in his mind to maintain the self-discipline to be a good leader? The book provides little insight into that critical point.

Fourth, the key lessons are not elaborated on nearly enough. Flexibility is critical, for example, because leaders often misperceive the real situation, or find that their forecasts are wrong. An effective leader then must be looking for improved information, and be thinking about what actions could be taken should circumstances shift or be shown to be different than perceived. A whole book could be written about the significance of this point. Very little more attention is paid to this critical element than is to the idea of being optimistic, as a way to keep the mind and spirit resourceful.

Fifth, the end of chapter examples of others being inspired by Sir Ernest are often pretty trivial and disconnected. This was particularly true about the Jim Cramer, Eric Miller, and Mike Dale. If all of these sections had been left out, the book would have been stronger. Or alternatively, leadership experts could have spoken about examples that they thought supported Sir Ernest's principles.

As a result, Shackleton's Way ends up being too simple to be a good adventure saga or a good leadership book. To me, it seemed like a book that was aimed at young teenagers rather than at adults. If you want to read about Sir Ernest as an explorer, you will probably prefer Sir Ernest's own books. As to leadership books, there are many fine ones. You could read any of the best leadership books (such as Managing Change), and then draw your own lessons from what Sir Ernest wrote.

What qualities of leadership would you like to see in those who lead you? In this time of national trial in the United States, what lessons from Sir Ernest should be applied by political leaders?

The authors have taken a potential exemplar of effective leadership and obscured the lessons to be learned with a farrago of trite and banal exhortations. Add this book to the swelling number of leadership publications that offer no deep insight into leaders and the leadership phenomenon.

Ernest Shackleton accomplished arguably superhuman things. He was good at selecting, cajoling and inspiring men. How he brought his crew back alive from such a frozen, forbidding world, is one of the amazing miracles of the past two hundred years.
Yet a close, hard look suggests that the leadership lessons to be learned are limited for most readers. The authors try too hard to take each Shackleton episode or act as a lesson tobe learned and applied yet these lessons are not as clear as the authors might want to suggest nor are the lessons necessarily generalizeable to modern life or commerce. After reading the entire book, little remains to explain Shackleton's theory or practice of leadership, just a lot of anecdotes and incidents. Shackleton and his leadership remain inscrutable.
An amazing story, yes. An amazing leadership book, I think not.

Morrel et al give an excellent study of the leadership style of the late Sir Ernest Shackelton. They focus primarily on his personnel selections and why he made his decisions. The book deals primarily with the unsuccessful 1914 attempt by Sir Ernest to cross Antarctica from coast to coast. It is an absorbing story.

I found this book to be extremely informative and insightful with the description of why Sir Ernest decided whom to take on his expedition and later when the crunch came, why he chose certain people for certain missions. The value comes because it gives a point of reference to judge ones own decisions.

... This might be a better book for small business and start up organizations as the margin for mistakes in personnel selection is much finer and has much more immediate impact. Son on this level, I think the book would like up to it's billing.

In all, I found this book thought provoking and informative. I have read Huntford's biography of Shackelton and I found Morrel's book a good compliment to Huntford in that it focuses on a specific aspect of Shackelton which Huntford, due to his extensive biographical work is not able to do as thoroughly. Morrel's book should be in every library of people with an interst in leadership and polar exploration.

A strongly recommended book for people seeking to find a model of great "leader" and a case study on "crisis management".

The ability of Shackleton and the clear principles that he believed in management and how to treat staff/ team members are definitely unmatched in our moderm world.

Obviously, the modern world CEOs are mostly lacked the Shackleton's unselfish and self-sacrificing in their benefit/package, developing individual talent for the staff,and never point out the weaknessess of individuals in front of others, etc.

A great explorer who can save the life of whole crew in the 1914-17 without the modern equipment in Antarcitc.

The writing of this book will NOT make you feel excited at all, actually, it's 90% in a documentary form. It quoted all the time the diaries of the crew, however these provided a direct support of Shackleton's way of leadership and management.

The writers were lucky in finding such a colourful Shackleton to write, who indeed has a lot of legacies to be shared with us, otherwise it's a very boring book!

PBS did a series some years ago based on Roland Huntford's stupendous The Last Place on Earth--the Race for the South Pole. Not only was it an exhaustive study of why Scott failed and Amundsen prevailed, but it also dealt with Shackelton's achievements in polar exploration. He never lost a man.

Now Margot Morrell takes the theme of leadership lessons from these explorations and gives us Shackleton as an example of how a leader can literally mean the difference between life and death.

The object of polar exploration is to achieve the goal (reach a certain latitude, reach the Pole first) while making it there and back--alive. These two goals are intertwined in a life-and-death game of high stakes. Shackleton showed his leadership prowess in pulling back when it meant that people would die, and also by pulling them together when the situation was grim.

Finally someone has pulled the true lesson from the heroics of the Polar explorations. This is a welcome book.

If you get bitten by the Antarctic saga, you should read Huntford's book as a study in management along with Morrell's book on Shackleton. (Scott was apolitical animal who played favorites and made decisions based on personal feelings; Amundsen lead his team with authority and squelched rebellion when he had to, yet each team member had autonomy over their own area of expertise. Both explorers held Shackleton in the highest regard; the Pole should have been his, but for Shackleton, the price was too high. A truly great man.

As a person who just started my own company and a huge history buff, I found this book a perfect blend of my two interests. Shackleton is a hero and one of the best leaders of all time. I loved reading about his expedition and I thought his tips on how to manage a group were fantastic and easy to apply to my own professional responsibilties. A great book for anyone interested in becoming a leader!

The excerpt is a virtual duplication of the early life of this intrepid explorer. Beyond that, it is an incredible story of a man who, as did so many before and after him, explored the unknown; such as the Mountain Men of the 1700s and the Astronaughts of the 1960/70s. The realization that a man walked on the moon and returned to earth in the 1970s exemplifies the immense speed with which knowledge, once gained, can accelerate the speed with which more knowledge becomes known. Shackleton's exploit has all the spirit and confidence of the crew of the Apollo VII, but on a much more approachable scale. The rescue of his entire crew that relied upon his success in sailing a small boat across dangerous seas to a distant ilse, then crossing its mountains to get to the whaling station and help, has all the suspense of Apollo VII. It is enough to have readers shouting HURRAHS by the end. Yet, it is no more than another of so many experiences where man has taken it upon himself to open their world to others, even at the expense of their own lives. Fascinating! HIGHLY REDCOMMENDED. (Shackleton and the Antarctic, by Margery and James Fisher, THE RIVERSIDE PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, 1958 (c) 1957).

As a busineses executive for over thirty years, I have seldom read any business book which tells a story and helps to make the lessons so simple to understand and apply. If I were still running a large organization, this would be the book I would buy for the entire organization to inspire and teach useful lessons for those responsible for leading people through good times and bad in 2001 and beyond. While the Shackleton story has been told elsewhere, the applicability of his beliefs and behavior has never been so clearly described for all to understand and apply.

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton and 27 others started on a journey to be the first people to cross the Antarctic Continent. Their ship was caught in the ice, eventually crushed, and the story of how they all survived has become a classic. In this book, the story is retold with new insights and information. The authors focus on Shackleton as leader. The conclusions are very well drawn, and the connections and insights regarding "leadership" are true, valid, and extremely worthwhile. They make sense, they are useful, and they work! I've been to South Georgia and Elephant Island, and thus have some appreciation of the difficulties Shackleton and his men faced. His leadership skills came through for his team then, and the lessons learned are more than appropriate for leaders of today.

I guess you can derive as much pleasure from reading this book as you would from The Joy of Cooking. I am sure there is a great deal to be learned about leadership skills from Shackleton's expeditions, as is evidenced by the italicized and boldfaced summary statements throughout the book. These are great ingredients of leadership success, but somehow Shackleton the leader fails to leap out of the pages of the book as a living hero. I have never read a book about a great leader written in such dry prose. Maybe the project was doomed by the authors' objective of culling some neat points from various accounts of the great explorer's adventures for today's self-improvement book market. Has anyone been inspired to be a great culinary artist by reading The Joy of Cooking?

A wonderful book with a great deal to say. This book, Barry Maher's "Filling the Glass: The Skeptic's Guide to Positive Thinking in Business" and Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" are the three books I'm currently recommending to everyone I know.

This book gives a beautifully pared-down account of an extraordinary story and provides remarkably appropriate analogies in our present day. It should inspire many to read more on the subject of Shackleton and the Endurance expedition,particularly Endurance by Alfred Lansing.Whether you are a leader or among the led in any facet of your life there are lessons to be learned and remembered here. They are laid out in a clear and concise format and illustrated by the ongoing saga of Shackleton and the amazing group of men he brought through an unbelievably harrowing adventure. The book reminds us of the power of good, of compassion, perseverance, and honesty. It is well worthwhile reading for anyone interested in a marvelous story and how it relates to all of us in the here and now.