Shackleton, second row, fifth from left.
Orde-Lees Journal, December 15, 1914
"To serve such a leader is one of the greatest pleasures of the whole trip; he expects his orders to be literally and promptly obeyed but he knows ones limitations better than one does oneself and he invariably allows for them, he never expects one to do more than one is capable of, he trusts one implicitly and he always appears to be pleased with what one had done, this being though one may be overly aware that one had not done all or as well as he could have wished. Thus he gets the very best results out of all his staff. His adaptability to each of our views on our own particular subject and his tactful way of reconciling our views with his whilst giving us the impression that he is modifying his schemes to suit ours are amongst his most salient characteristics."
Let's figure out what Orde-Lees is telling us in this passage about Shackleton's leadership style:
Team members enjoyed working for Shackleton.
Shackleton took the time to get to know staff members and to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Shackleton gave orders clearly. His staff understood the results he wanted.
Once Shackleton gave someone a task, he trusted them to execute on it.
Shackleton communicated effectively with staff members.
Shackleton appreciated his staff's efforts and, apparently, thanked people.
Shackleton's one-on-one connections with the staff made his team members feel valued.
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