Issue No. 540 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features eight leadership case studies from an 1879 expedition to the unmapped North Pole. True survival story! Oh, my. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), click here for over 500 book reviews, and click here for the table of contents to Mastering 100 Must-Read Books (a perfect Christmas gift for a leader/reader).
The foremost cartographers in the 1880s believed that the unmapped North Pole featured warm currents that “sustained a verdant island at the top of the world.” So in 1879, a crew of 33 men sailed from San Francisco to claim the area for the U.S.A. Read more about “The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette.”
“This Is a Glorious Country to Learn Patience In”
YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT:
• Recruit: a crew of 32 outstanding men—and set sail from San Francisco on the newly commissioned USS Jeannette.
• Explore: the North Pole—one of the few unmapped areas on the globe.
• Verify: if Germany’s August Petermann, the world’s savviest mapmaker, is correct. True or false? There really are warm waters that feed into a vast Open Polar Sea at the top of the world.
• Rescue: Oh, and along the way, look for other “Artic Fever” explorers and sailors who are still missing (or long gone) in the land of snow blindness, polar bears, ferocious storms, and frigid temperatures (Brrr!).
Did we mention…your sailing date is July 8, 1879? (No iPhones or GPS available!) Oh, my. Do you still need a Christmas gift for the leaders and readers in your family or on your team? Here it is!
The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette,
by Hampton Sides
Listen on Libro.fm (17 hours, 28 minutes)
This phenomenal true story reads like a page-turning novel. The writing—superb. The suspense—breathtaking. The visionary hopes—stunning. The suffering—unimaginable. The leadership lessons—remarkable. If I were teaching a graduate school course on leadership, I’d use these case studies from In the Kingdom of Ice.
CASE STUDY #1. Recruit Your Team. Lt. Commander George Washington De Long, a young officer and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, had led a successful rescue operation off the coast of Greenland—and was captivated by the beauty and adventure of the Artic. Now as the USS Jeannette’s captain, he needed 32 men (the best of the best) for a harrowing journey to the North Pole in 1879.
• You’re the captain. Describe the process you would use to recruit the best talent (sailors, navigators, chefs, naturalists, a journalist, a doctor, and more).
• List 10 friends and colleagues that you might invite to join you—and how you’ll persuade them to be away from families for up to two years perhaps.
CASE STUDY #2. Be Prepared! Captain De Long, of course, had not heard of Eisenhower’s belief that “plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” Intuitively, De Long assembled an unbelievable inventory of provisions, scientific equipment, and more.
“He ordered 54,000 pounds of pemmican (a jerky-like mixture of dried meat, berries, and fat) and assorted canned goods.” He wanted the crew to “lack nothing in the way of comfort and equipment. The ship would have a well-stocked library, a first-class infirmary, an arsenal of modern rifles and revolvers, a choice collection of games and entertainments, even a small organ for musical concerts.” De Long’s wife noted, “His watchfulness was comprehensive and minute; no detail escaped him.” (This reminded me of the WW2 book and the movie, Operation Mincemeat.)
• Make a list of everything you will need for your two-year voyage to the Artic. (Reminder: you may get stuck in ice for prolonged periods.)
• Note: Leave room for 40 dogs and their two handlers, plus three dog sleds (to be purchased in Alaska). What will the dogs eat?
CASE STUDY #3. Funding. Amazingly, the over-the-top owner and editor-in-chief of the New York Herald, James Gordon Bennett, promised De Long and the U.S. Navy an almost unlimited budget. He bought the ship, paid for the substantial reinforcements of the ship (for the Artic ice), the crew’s wages, and all the supplies. His quid pro quo: his newspaper would get the breaking news on this heroic and dangerous voyage. (Bennett was the third richest man in America—and a character.)
• Describe how you will communicate regularly with your benefactor (no email in 1879). When challenges overwhelm you—will you share the unvarnished truth or sugar coat the news to your one and only major donor?
• Oh, did we mention…that a reporter for the NY Herald is one of your crew members? What's your policy on fake news?
CASE STUDY #4. Elevator Speech! Doubleday, the publisher of In the Kingdom of Ice, summarized De Long’s entire expedition in 60 seconds. Click here to view the one-minute video.
View the 60-second “elevator speech” from the publisher of In the Kingdom of Ice.
• It’s 1879 and you’re the guest speaker at The Explorers Club in NYC (not yet founded!). What’s your one-minute elevator speech? (Or as Duct Tape Marketing calls it, your “Talking Logo.")
CASE STUDY #5. Crunch! Yikes! On Sept. 7, 1879, the USS Jeannette was entrapped by polar ice—“cocked at a queer angle, so that the men could not stand straight, or sit normally, or lie in their bunks without fear of rolling out.” The ice “was turning into cement,” according to the detailed journals kept by the captain and others.
Stuck! Marooned! Incapacitated! Yet… “Delong appeared to accept that he was locked in for the winter. He seemed, indeed, to embrace adversity—and to hunt for its possible meanings. ‘This is a glorious country to learn patience in,’” he wrote in his journal. “My disappointment is great, how great no one else will probably know. There seemed nothing left but making a virtue of necessity and staying where we were.” Imagine! For 21 months, the ship—stuck in ice—just drifted.
• Good luck, Captain! What will you do, day after dark day, night after night, to keep morale high and every crew member healthy?
• What’s your leadership style? A) Plan for this eventuality, or B) Be nimble and adapt to the every-changing and horrific circumstances?
CASE STUDY #6. Love Letters. De Long wrote frequently to his wife, Emma, and their young daughter back in the States. And Emma wrote frequently and patiently to her husband. Yet, most of the letters were never delivered. Years later, the letters were found and the author includes a selection of these poignant messages in his book.
• You’re Captain De Long. What do you write to your wife, week after week?
• You’re Emma De Long. Are you an encourager or a complainer?
CASE STUDY #7. Abandon Ship! Oops! The USS Jeannette sinks, but no problem. The crew was prepared with emergency knapsacks, three small boats, and minimal provisions—just 1,000 miles north of Siberia. Click here to view “Hampton Sides Talks at Google” (52 minutes) and ponder the life-and-death decisions that Captain De Long was required to make. Oh, my. 
View the author’s fascinating color commentary on In the Kingdom of Ice, “Hampton Sides Talks at Google” (52 minutes).
• You announce “Abandon ship!” You have just an hour or two. Your ship is laden with journals, maps, and scientific botanical finds, and food. What do you take with you?
• It’s 2022 and you need to immediately evacuate your home due to a natural disaster. Read what The Wall Street Journal noted about what others are packing in a crisis. What's on your short list?
CASE STUDY #8. Top Down or Decentralized? When the crew abandoned their sinking ship, Captain De Long made an excruciating decision. Plan A: Keep all three boats under his command (about 11 crew members and 10+ dogs in each boat). Plan B: Delegate the survival responsibilities to one officer per boat. (Let’s try to stay together—but you’re the captain of your own ship.)
• Mutiny had raised its ugly head on previous polar expeditions—so maybe you should keep everyone close to keep morale high? What are the pros and cons of Plan A?
• You’re the Captain: Top-down leadership or delegate survival to three capable officers? (Note: Read why one officer selected this slogan for his small boat: Nil desperandum—"Never despair.")
Caution! Don’t read this book when you’re hungry or cold!
To order from Amazon, click on the title for In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette, by Hampton Sides. Listen on Libro.fm (17 hours, 28 minutes). And thanks to Jim West for recommending this stunning book!
P.S. If you prefer the South Pole to the North Pole, perhaps someone on your team should read and report on the 10th Anniversary edition of the bestseller/business fable, Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber. Listen on Libro.fm (2 hours, 9 minutes). It’s a classic by the Harvard Business School author of Leading Change. And thanks to Dick Bahruth for reminding me of this “iceberg” fable on change management.
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
1) Character and courage are not formed in the Crisis Bucket, but they are revealed. For another case study in leadership-under-fire, view the classic 1949 film, Twelve O’clock High. Gregory Peck plays an Air Force general tasked with rejuvenating an exhausted and demoralized bomber group in World War II. Click here to read my review of this and seven other leadership flicks. Recommend another film or book in the Crisis Bucket genre. What did you learn?
2) If page-turning 400-page historical adventures are not your thing right now—but you need another case study in teamwork—read The Boats in the Boat (Book #61 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books). What’s your leadership style when you’re in stress mode? What have you learned about yourself during tough times?
Mastering 100 Must-Read Books - Part 2: Books-of-the-Year
Book #11 of 100:
The ONE Thing
For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by spotlighting Book #11 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.
The ONE Thing:
The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan
Books #6 through #21 feature 16 books that I named the Book-of-the-Year from 2006 to 2020. Gary Keller’s big idea (perhaps practiced by the crew of the USS Jeannette): "What's the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?"
• Read my review.
• Order from Amazon: The ONE Thing
• Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson)
LOL! In my review, I promised to deliver 10 tweetable quotations. (Yet…it’s somewhat ironic that I included 20 quotations in a book review about The ONE Thing.) Some of my favorites:
• "If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one." (Russian proverb)
• "...it turns out that high multitaskers are suckers for irrelevancy."
• "A 'balanced life' is a myth—a misleading concept most accept as a worthy and attainable goal without ever stopping to truly consider it."
• "'Don't put all your eggs in one basket is all wrong.' I tell you ‘put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.'" (Dale Carnegie)
• "When Arthur Guinness set up his first brewery, he signed a 9,000-year lease."
• “Someone once told me that one ‘yes’ must be defended over time by 1,000 no’s.”
• In the two years after Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, “he took the company from 350 products to ten. That’s 340 no’s, not counting anything else proposed during that period.”
• "Build a bunker. Turn off your phone, shut down your email, and exit your Internet browser. Your most important work deserves 100 percent of your attention."
• "To experience extraordinary results, be a maker in the morning and a manager in the afternoon. Your goal is 'ONE and done.’ But if you don't block each day to do your ONE Thing, your ONE Thing won't become a done thing."
GIVE BOOKS THIS CHRISTMAS! Give niche books to the team members and family members you’re mentoring. They’ll learn contrarian insights like this from Harold Geneen, “In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.” Visit the Pails in Comparison blog for a short list of books John is reviewing in 2023.
PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. This Christmas, are you inspiring your team to creatively THANK the key marketing and communications people who help you tell your story? Here’s a creative idea: check out the Saints and Sneakers website and custom order a pair of sneakers for your favorite vendors or team members. Pearpod created the website to add fun and significance to gift-giving. Visit Saints and Sneakers. Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social).
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