Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts

3/17/2012

South with Endurance: Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917 Review

South with Endurance: Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917
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If you are a fan of Antarctic exploration then this wonderful book should be in your library. Many know the incredible story of the Endurance and the trials those 28 men endured when the ship was locked in the ice and eventually crushed. The beauty of this book is that it documents the story with the remarkable photos of the expedition photographer, Australian Frank Hurley. When you consider the time period of this story (1914-1916) you can only marvel that Hurley produced such amazing images with the equipment that was available at that time. Additionally, the initial introduction to this photo collection is excellent. It presents a good recap of the Endurance expedition with many quotes from crewmembers that have not appeared in previous books.If you are a professional photographer, or even an amateur, the information on Hurley's equipment and the story of his early training will be of special interest. The over 500 photos will hold your interest for hours! I've read almost every book on Endurance and this will rank as one of my favorites.

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THE DEFINITIVE AND SPELLBINDING RECORD OF SHACKLETON'S LEGENDARY ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, IMMORTALIZED ON FILM BY PIONEERING PHOTOGRAPHER FRANK HURLEY Sir Ernest Shackleton's trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914-1917 was one of the great feats of human endurance -- one vividly captured in the powerful and dramatic pictures taken by Frank Hurley, the expedition's official photographer. These images, appearing together here for the first time in print, constitute an amazing body of photojournalism created under the most adverse circumstances imaginable. As this book reveals, however, they are far more than visual reportage; they also are images of great artistry that capture the life-and-death drama that was played out against an arctic landscape of magnificent and terrible beauty. The story told here through Frank Hurley's lens began in the summer of 1914, when Shackleton and his crew set sail from England with the intention of being the first to cross Antarctica from one coast to the other, passing through the South Pole on the way. After five months they reached the freezing Weddell Sea and were within sight of land when the Endurance became trapped in the ice pack. Nine months later, the ship was finally crushed, leaving the crew stranded on drifting ice floes at the end of the earth. What followed is one of the most remarkable survival stories in the history of human exploration. Shackleton's men camped on the ice floes for five months before they escaped in their lifeboats and, after a harrowing five-day voyage, reached Elephant Island, a barren outcrop too remote for any hope of rescue. From there, Shackleton and five other volunteers set out for South Georgia Island and miraculously reached their destination after traversing 850 miles of the fiercest seas on the face of the planet in an open lifeboat. There they raised help, and three months later, after three failed attempts, Shackleton made it back to Elephant Island with a rescue ship. Incredibly, every single one of his men survived. Almost as incredible is the fact that so much of this drama was captured on film by Frank Hurley, and that so many of these pictures survived. South with Endurance is the first book to reproduce a total of nearly 500 extant photographs, including many remarkable color images that have never been published before. It is also the first to reproduce the photos to a standard and size that display Hurley's work as the art that it is. Drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society in London, the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, and the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, the photographs are complemented by excerpts from Hurley's diary, a chapter about the expedition itself, a biographical essay, and commentary about Hurley's photographic techniques.

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2/18/2012

South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage Review

South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage
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It's tough to criticize a book written by the man himself and say that other books are somehow better, despite the fact that these writers did not participate in the journey. But unfortunately, that is the case. If you're a real Shackleton fan, you'll want to read this book only as background after taking on works by Caroline Alexander or Alfred Lansing.
In comparison, 'South' has the following shortcomings:
1. The writing style is impenetrable & stilted. It has not aged well in the 80+ years since it was put down on paper.
2. The misuse of Frank Hurley's photographs is annoying - they're out-of-focus, oddly chosen and misplaced in sequence in the book. See Alexander's book for a revelation of the power and majesty of Hurley's work.
3. You only get Shackleton's point of view here. Lansing and Alexander pull together the journals of many particpants and you get a real flavor of the men that comprise the crew. Here, you get only Sir Ernest, dispensing some kind words about each member, last name only, no background info. The other books tell you quite a bit about flawed characters like McNish and Lees.

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12/19/2011

Leading at the Edge : Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition Review

Leading at the Edge : Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition
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This is one of the most exciting books I have read in recent years. In collaboration with others, Perkins briefly reviews the key details of the "Shackleton Saga" before shifting his attention (in Part One) to ten leadership strategies which, he correctly suggests, have direct, indeed compelling relevance to the contemporary business world. They are:
1. Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives.
2. Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behavior.
3. Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.
4. Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt.
5. Reinforce the team message constantly: "We are one -- we live or die together."
6. Minimize staff differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.
7. Master conflict -- deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles.
8. Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.
9. Be willing to take the Big Risk.
10. Never give up -- there's always another move.
Examine any of today's great organizations and you will encounter an abundance of evidence of these ten lessons' effectiveness.
In Part Two, Perkins provides four case studies based on Business Communication Systems (AT&T/Lucent Technologies), Rice Health Systems, Weyerhaeuser Company, and Malden Mills. The material in Part Three suggests how to "lead at the edge" and then, in an Epilogue, Perkins provides his "perspective" on success and failure. Part Four consists of various resources: Critical Leadership Skills Survey, Your Leadership Expedition: A Personal Development Plan, Your Leadership Expedition Map, Further Readings from The Edge, and a wealth of notes on the text.
From the time that Ernest Shackleton set sail (December 5, 1914) on the Endurance with his crew of 26 seamen and scientists until he and his crew finally reached South Georgia (May 10.1916), he steadfastly followed each of these ten strategies. The challenges encountered along the way ("at the edge") are almost beyond comprehension. All of these challenges are discussed in chilling detail in Caroline Alexander's brilliant study, The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Anarctic Expedition (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999). If you have a taste for great adventure and/or an interest in great leadership, I urge you to read Perkins'book, preferably in combination with Alexander's.

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11/08/2011

Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer Review

Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer
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This book gives a beautifully pared-down account of an extraordinary story and provides remarkably appropriate analogies in our present day. It should inspire many to read more on the subject of Shackleton and the Endurance expedition,particularly Endurance by Alfred Lansing.Whether you are a leader or among the led in any facet of your life there are lessons to be learned and remembered here. They are laid out in a clear and concise format and illustrated by the ongoing saga of Shackleton and the amazing group of men he brought through an unbelievably harrowing adventure. The book reminds us of the power of good, of compassion, perseverance, and honesty. It is well worthwhile reading for anyone interested in a marvelous story and how it relates to all of us in the here and now.

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9/22/2011

Smart Is Not Enough: The South Pole Strategy and Other Powerful Talent Management Secrets Review

Smart Is Not Enough: The South Pole Strategy and Other Powerful Talent Management Secrets
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This book is especially helpful to executives or those helping executives and those in a supervisory capacity. The six basic concepts in the book are explained using real life situations with real solutions. Any manager can use this book the first day after they read it. Very well done.

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The Information Age is OVER -- In business today, it is all about TALENT!
"Smart Is Not Enough" explains the core issue of 21st century business. Forget technology - Forget outsourcing TALENT is the #1 challenge in your organization. Whether you're a CEO or an entry level college grad; whether you manage a staff or not, this book is for you. It can help in career planning, in developing your management strategy, or just help you understand the playing field in business today. Author Alan Guarino explains the full gamut of cutting-edge talent management, from how to find it, develop it, deploy it and lead it, to his South Pole Theory of "hidden talent" talent as a solution for the shortage of critical talent in the business world of the 21st Century.
The South Pole Theory explains that traditionally, corporations biased their talent searches towards those who performed at the top of their academic classes. Yet, some of the most successful executives and business leaders weren't good students themselves. Grades aren't the only predictor of success in the real business world. This book shares techniques for finding those determined, dedicated go-getters who fall through the cracks when we judge them solely on academics. To compete in business today, top companies need to cultivate every available source of talent. This book shows business leaders how to find and capitalize on this special pool of talent-- the future versions of people like Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinkos, Wayne Huizenga of Blockbuster Video, and many others.
Alan Guarino (Marlboro, NY) is CEO and co-founder of the executive search firm Cornell International. His firm is now owned by Adecco, the largest recruiting company in the world.

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