Leading at The Edge: Chapters 8 and 9

The chapters for this week talks about less obvious but equally important aspects of leadership. Chapter 8 shows how lifting the mood in an organisation can help bring the team together and chapter 9 discusses how sometimes leaders need to refrain from taking risks but how at other times it is necessary to take chances.

Lightening up might not be an easy thing to do in grim situations but it does seem to work in that it keeps everyone motivated. The author mentions humour and entertainment as significant factors that made Shackleton's crew stay focused even in the most awful condition. Facing reality is important but when the reality is not as good as you want it to be, it could actually discourage you from achieving your goals. A cheery atmosphere will let you forget about the problems you have and so you gain more energy and will power to continue on with your pursuit. The quote "If you can't fix it, feature it" defines this concept of changing something unpleasant into something pleasant so that motivation can be re-established. I thought the message of this chapter was very similar to that of the chapter on optimism, but being optimistic seems more educated than lightening up. From how I understood the text, optimism is instilled and it is done consciously with long-term effects in mind while lightening up is more a natural act. Both are indispensable but sometimes just those nonchalant moves are all we need to encourage our hearts.

Risk taking is also a big topic when it comes to leadership and making the right decisions. The idea is that being reckless is not the same as being a risk taker so you should avoid taking unnecessary risks but when the risk is calculated to an extent and can be justified, you should not hesitate. It is difficult to say when a risk should be taken or not but Shackleton seemed to know what he was doing. Even though there was pressure to launch the boats after they had been drifting on ice for five months and a seemingly good opportunity came, Shackleton saw that the boats could be crushed by the moving ice and told the crew that it was not the right time. The expectations of those around him did not influence his judgement and I really respect him for that. There are many decisions that leaders have to make but deciding whether to take a risk or not is one that comes with huge responsibility and it should be well thought out.

Once again, Shackleton demonstrated his brilliant skills as a leader and while I think lightening up is a team job, Shackleton supported it which is something to remember because without his approval there would be no liveliness to encourage motivation. As I have already stated, he also knew when to take a risk and when to wait which saved his crew and lead to the rescue of all members. This sort of leadership is what we should aim for and I hope to be able to motivate others through cheeriness and make the right risk taking decisions.