Dennis Perkins [1] spoke recently about leadership lessons from the 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition of Ernest Shackleton, a triumph of survival in which not a single man was lost in spite of incredible perils. As a sucker for lists I have to preserve here the 10 "Strategies for Success" that Perkins derived:

• Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives.
• Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors.
• Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.
• Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt.
• Reinforce the team message constantly: "We are one—we live or die together".
• Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.
• Master conflict—deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles.
• Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.
• Be willing to take the Big Risk.
• Never give up—there's always another move.

Good suggestions, and quite relevant to ultrarunning as well as other parts of life!

(cf. Fifth Disciplinarians (2000-09-10), Fearless Leaders (2003-08-27), Cult of Leadership (2005-01-28), ... ) - ^z - 2008-08-29

(correlates: SelfReliance, FecklessPerson, CoherentInterference, ...)