Essay Example on Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen are two very distinct types of Leaders

Although both explorers were standout leaders of exceptional quality I believe Shackleton was a more effective leader because his style empowered the men and unified them in a way that Amundsen s style could not Shackleton led by relating to his men He was an inspiring leader because he never gave up and his confidence never wavered Shackleton understood that the men he was recruiting for his team were not there just to reach the South Pole but also they were there for life changing experiences full of thrills and challenges When Shackleton's boat the Endurance was trapped by pack ice he made sure the men were kept busy to avoid boredom and frustration For example Shackleton would have the men hunting for food or conducting scientific research When the ship sank Shackleton s new goal was survival His plan was to leave with five of his men and then come back to Elephant Island and rescue the rest of the crew This team of six went through great challenges such as a hurricane and trudging through the mountains but with Shackleton's leadership they managed to make it back to Elephant Island and rescue the men Shackleton’s greatest quality of leadership is that his commitment never wavered He told his crew he would be back to rescue them and months later he finally did and saved all 28 members of his crew When the pack ice sunk the Endurance the men were forced to walk on the ice and the men had to get rid of anything that was not a necessity Shackleton took his bible and tore a few pages out and then left the bible in the snow Shackleton demonstrated leadership in this moment by showing that he will even leave God behind because it is not worth it to have unnecessary weight Shackleton could have had summit fever but he always kept a level head and kept his crew safe 

A famous quote from Amundsen which represents his leadership is when he said I may say that this is the greatest factor the way in which the expedition is equipped the way in which every difficulty is foreseen and precautions taken for meeting or avoiding it He believed in structure details and planning the elements needed to achieve each goal These objectives are what he used to lead his men Both Shackleton and Amundsen demonstrated great leadership qualities and made sure their crew came first Shackleton was charismatic treated his crew as equals and always took on work with his crew to help tasks get done quicker Aumdnsen was always clear about his goals and made sure that his men knew what steps they had to take to achieve their ultimate objective Although Amundsen made it to the North and South Pole I believe Shackleton is a better and more effective leader Amundsen may be the better explorer but Shackleton is the ultimate leader Shackleton put his crew first and managed to bring all 28 men home and inspire them through the process Shackleton s bravery never wavered and he was determined to get his crew home His style allowed him to lead and inspire his men in ways that Amundsen did not