Kathryn, age 16

“There she goes!” someone called out. The men stood and stared as their ship sank into the icy sea. For a brief moment there was a hole where it had been but soon the ice filled the gap and the ship was gone. Now the men who had been in the ship were alone on the ice of the Arctic sea! Did they give up in despair? No! There was someone with them who inspired them to greatness: to move forward, keep going, and survive. His name was Sir Ernest Shackleton and he was the leader of this dangerous expedition called the Imperial Trans-Arctic Expedition.

 In 1914 the expedition set out to make history. Their goal was to be the first group to cross Antarctica on foot. Things did not go well though. Their boat, the Endurance, became trapped in ice that slowly crushed it until it sank. The ship was evacuated but for a while it was still there in the ice, a reminder of home. When it sank the men’s hope could have sunk too but that didn’t happen. Why? Because Shackleton inspired greatness in them. He did this by setting a good example, trying to remain optimistic around the men, and never giving up. As leaders, you can do this, too! I have done some research on Shackleton and this Arctic Expedition and I would like to share what I learned with you. Hopefully, you will even get some ideas of how you can inspire greatness in others like Shackleton! 

Now that the Endurance was gone, the expedition’s means of travel were: three small boats, which they currently could not use because of all the ice; several dog sled teams; and their own two feet. As the men prepared to set off across the ice in search of rescue, Shackleton gathered them round and told them they would need to pack very light for their trip. Each man would only be allowed to take two pounds of personal items with him. This would take sacrifice and Shackleton knew it. With all the men gathered round he took a few golden trinkets out of his pockets and placed them on the snowy ice. He then took his Bible, tore out a few pages to keep, left the rest on the ice, turned, and walked away. The men followed his example and when they set out on their journey the ice was strewn with belongings that were being left behind (Lansing, 1959). Shackleton led by example in this story. He was not just telling these men to sacrifice so that they could all survive. He showed them that he would sacrifice so that they could survive.

 As the leaders of today you can do this too! Whether you are a manager, a parent, a leader in the church you attend, or something else you will be asking people to do things. Some of these things are hard. People may be more willing to do hard things you ask them to do if they see you doing hard things. Think of this example: a young man sees lots of people at school vaping. He knows his parents have told him not to vape but he feels like he is getting pressure from every side to, “Just do it.” Then he remembers that in a tough situation at work his dad chose to tell the truth instead of telling a lie. It was hard because his team might get in trouble but he still did it and things worked out. Remembering that his dad had done hard things gave this young man courage to not give into the peer pressure to vape. This young man’s dad was a leader in his life. His dad’s good example motivated the young man to do the right thing in a hard situation. Your example can do this, too!

Even before the Endurance sank, Shackleton was worried. The ship was locked in ice and the cold, dark, Arctic winter was coming! Shackleton tried to be optimistic around the men though. He knew the men needed to remain optimistic to survive, and they did! When the Endurance sank and the men were living on the ice one man even wrote, “I read somewhere [that] all a man needs to be happy is a full stomach and warmth and I begin to think that is nearly true” (Lansing, 1959). They did have plenty of food when the seals and penguins were available to be killed and eaten, and they had their sleeping bags and tents so they had some warmth. They were grateful they had that! They were inspired to the greatness of gratitude by optimism! However, there was something Shackleton knew could destroy optimism: division. Shackleton tried to keep a sharp lookout for men in the group who would divide them. He knew in a time of crisis division could be the difference between life and death. Luckily for all of them throughout their journey there was not enough division to cause them to die. In fact, they had enough optimism for all to survive!

In our lives we all go through hard times, too. In the last couple years we have all faced the hardships that came from the COVID 19 pandemic. As we went through this we had a choice, we could give up and give in to despair or we could remain optimistic. We did not have to pretend that nothing was wrong, but we could keep our hopes up and find things that bring us joy. One way my parents helped us remain optimistic was by buying some fun games we could play as a family during this time we had together during quarantine . Their example of remaining optimistic inspired me to remain optimistic, too! Like Shackleton and my parents you can inspire others to remain optimistic even in challenging times!

So many times throughout the Expedition, Shackleton could have decided to just give up, but he didn’t. The group eventually found land but their journey was not over. After finding land Shackleton and five others set out on a daring voyage from the island they were on, Elephant Island, to the island of South Georgia to find people who could help rescue the rest of their group. They managed to get to South Georgia but then they realized the help they were looking for was on the other side of the island! What could they do now? Between the spot where they landed and help were great mountains that had never been charted. Shackleton had come so far; he was not going to give up now! He took two of the five men that were with him and set off across the uncharted mountains. It was hard but they did not give up. They got to the other side and were able to find people who could help rescue the other three members of their small group. Getting the rest of the group proved even more difficult, though. The ice was determined not to let a ship through to Elephant Island. Shackleton was not going to leave his men there to die though. He kept trying and on his fourth try he finally reached the men on Elephant Island. They were, of course, overjoyed to be rescued! 

You can choose to never give up in your life, too! At times, it may seem like there is no hope. You might think the pandemic will never end, your teenage child will never stop arguing with you, or your work will never stop being overwhelming, but that is not true. You can make it through all of these trials and more with God’s help. As you trust that God will help you, you can find peace even in troubled times. After all, Jesus Christ told his disciples they could find peace in John 16:33. As modern day followers of Jesus Christ this scripture applies to us, too! John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (King James Version, 2013). Your example of relying on and trusting God will inspire those who come after you to do the same. The leaders of tomorrow notice what you do. They can see who’s counsel you follow and whether or not you give up when times get tough. Do you follow social media or do you follow God? Leaders of tomorrow may choose to follow the people you follow. Your choice to follow God and never give up can inspire them to do the same. 

Through his example, helping those around him remain optimistic, and never giving in, Shackleton inspired the men around him to greatness. When the men needed to sacrifice things they had for their journey Shackleton led the way in leaving some of his belongings behind. Throughout the trip Shackleton tried to keep the men on the expedition optimistic. Despair was not going to help them survive. Time and time again the group ran into hard situations – their ship sinking, crossing uncharted mountains, and going back to rescue the rest of their group – but Shackleton did not give up. You, too, can inspire greatness in people all around you as you set a good example, try to remain optimistic even when life is hard, and never give up. People do notice when you do these things. Some of the people who notice are the ones who will be the leaders of tomorrow. They are looking to you for inspiration. Will you inspire them to greatness? I hope so, because as Lolly Daskal said, “Great leaders inspire greatness in others,” (Daskal, 2017). We, the leaders of tomorrow, have great things to do and you, the great leaders of today can inspire us to greatness. 

Bibliography 

Lansing, A. (1959). Endurance. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Publishing.

The Bible: King James Version. (2013). Salt Lake City,, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Daskal, L. (2017). The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness. New York, NY: Portfolio/Penguin.