Good morning, Team!  It’s Friday!

…the last Friday of the month and the second in my new series at a different cadence.

What is a leader?  What names do we assign and how does it make us feel when we hear it? When it’s directed at us or someone else?

The label I chose for this month is Captain.  Who wouldn’t think of a ship, at the helm, traditional wooden steering wheel or the seat with a large window/screen where James T Kirk sat?

The figure I want to focus on today is Ernest Shackleton.  He was a famous explorer who participated in three expeditions but led his last one to Antarctica.  His ship froze in the sea of ice and could have resulted in tragedy.  Instead, Shackleton, like any great leader, focused on the people.  In the face of adversity, anxiety, horrific weather and the fear of impending death, he kept his calm, brought with him and kept close the most caustic personalities to keep them in check and returned to his stranded men to return all safely home.

I don’t know whether he controlled the rudder of his ship at all times, but I know he was the Captain of that expedition.

How do you see yourself as a leader?  Are you focused on the competition or the competitors within your organization?  Is your responsibility to influence your people and develop other leaders eclipsed by your personal desire to win at all costs?

Shackleton wasn’t always heralded for his achievements.  On the surface he looked like a failure.  Fortunately, leadership scholars took a closer look at what he did accomplish.  Today, in an evolved way of thinking, we no longer tolerate the aspirations of a few to drive behavior at any cost.  We expect leadership to prioritize safety first, people second, the mission of the organization and serving clients next and to generate a market-leading profit margin as well.

These are all achievable.  Its easy to get the order mixed up if you allow it.  Stay focused.

Have a blessed month!

Keep your eyes on the horizon.