Every leader desires success. They naturally seek positive results from the projects, assignments or goals they are working toward and they are disappointed when the outcome isn’t a hundred percent success. But to many, success is an elusive creature. Something that slips through our fingers like a handful of Jello.

I have often wondered what the ratio of success to failure is in leadership. In baseball, we see that ratio through a player’s batting average. The greatest players are those who achieve a hit, a success, one out of every three at bats. They are heralded as superstars and given huge lucrative salaries because of their ability to have success once out of every three attempts.

By most standards those aren’t great odds. If a doctor gave you those odds, you wouldn’t be very thrilled and probably a bit scared. So what’s your leadership success ratio? Do you bat 500?…300?…100? Many great leaders will tell you they fail often, but some how still manage to achieve a victory. Think about that a moment. Have you been around someone who no matter what the situation may be or how far they have missed the mark, still come out with a win? How do they do that? I think Ernest Shackleton has a few answers.

Sir Ernest Shackelton was by no means a great explorer. His first expedition ended in a disaster on the ice and half way through his second he died of a heart attack. So by explorer standards…he was a failure…0 for 2. However, by many, Shackleton is heralded as an incredibly successful leader. He earned that reputation on his first trip to the South Pole.

In 1914 Shackleton set out from London to be the first to traverse Antarctica on foot. A tall order, but surely not impossible. Unfortunately, Shackleton never even reached his destination. Less than a day away from his landing point the Endurance, his aptly named ship, was frozen into the ice pack. For ten months the men waited on board the ship for the ice to melt or move, but in the end it crushed the ship. Shackleton immediately found him and his team on a new mission…survival.

For another six months the men of the Endurance camped on the ice waiting for their moment to escape. As soon as the ice gave away, a small band of sailors including Shackelton launched their remaining life boats into the South Atlantic and paddled for safety. Within the next few weeks his entire crew was rounded up and taken home. All 28 of the men survived. Shackleton was a world-wide hero. He was praised from country to country. Why? Because he hit one out of the park.

His formula for success was simple. It played out for him in a life and death scenario at the bottom of the world. Fortunately for us, the stakes aren’t usually that high. Thank goodness. The next time you are placed in the leadership cross hairs and must perform remember these three keys to success from Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Success is fluid. By nature it can change depending on the moment and environment. Shackleton’s amazing ability to quickly define a new goal overshadowed his failure to accomplish his primary goal. The way he redefined and re-engineered his goals, even downward if necessary, was what set him apart from other leaders. Too many leaders stick to their guns (goals) no matter what is changing in the world around them. Success is fluid.

You must know your team and manage them well. Obviously Shackleton had a leg up on most leaders…he lived with his team for over a year. But Shackleton, unlike many of his predecessors, did not isolate himself from his team. He was always accessible. He was working shoulder to shoulder with his men and did a masterful job at assigning duties to each man that would keep his spirits high and his desire for accomplishment burning. Shackleton also knew that fun had to part of the regiment. He often led games and races on the ice. Placing the right people in the right places at the right time is a terribly difficult task, but one that every leader must obsess over if they desire success.

The last quality is probably the simplest to imitate. Shackleton had an unflagging optimism that was contagious to his entire team. His optimism was perfectly placed in this moment. Do I believe by solely being optimistic you will be a success? Do I believe that is what kept 28 men alive for more than eighteen months? By no means. Only a fool would base his success, career or life on wishful thinking. However, a leader must believe in himself and his goal more passionately than anyone else. That passion and belief in a positive outcome will readily translate to everyone around you…even your most pessimistic lieutenants.

Shackleton’s results on this expedition speak for themselves. He redefined goals, managed his team and all along believed that each man would make it out alive. Even though he never met his original goal, Sir Ernest Shackleton is still hailed a success. The next time you are handed a project, a role or have a goal, put yourself on the Endurance and think about success the Shackleton way.

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