Extreme Workplace : Leading on the Edge : Extraordinary Stories and Leadership Insights from the World's Most Extreme Workplace

**Lessons on authentic leadership from the 58th annual Antarctic expedition**In __Leading on the Edge__, successful business speaker and consultant Rachael Robertson shares the lessons she learned as leader of a year-long expedition to the wilds of Antarctica. Leading eighteen strangers around the clock for a full year—through months of darkness and with no escape from the frigid cold, howling winds, and each other—Robertson learned powerful lessons about what real, authentic leadership is. Here, she offers a deeply honest and humorous account of what it takes to survive and lead in the harshest environment on Earth. What emerges from her graphic account is a series of powerful and practical lessons for business leaders and managers everywhere. * Features practical leadership lessons that are particularly helpful for any leader who must get the best out of the team they've got * Features solutions to many challenges common to all workplaces * Includes real excerpts from Robertson's personal journals through twelve months of leading in the most challenging environment in the world * Written by a popular speaker and business leader who has appeared at more than 350 national and international conferences and events for a wide range of industries __Leading on the Edge__ explains what it's like to take charge when you've no place to hide and how truly harsh environments can serve as a leadership laboratory that results in truly effective, authentic leadership. Contents 7 A note from the author 9 Acknowledgements 11 Preface 13 Part I: How I got there 17 Chapter 1: Leadership can be learned, and taught, early 19 Leader without a title 19 A code to live by 21 Chapter 2: Very few decisions in life are irreversible, so make some! 27 Convinced by an act of grace 27 Me . . . a park ranger? 29 Chapter 3: Always look for ways to extend yourself 35 Acting up 35 The power of influence 37 Chapter 4: Get out of your depth — it’s a great way to learn to swim 41 Headed for Chief Ranger 41 Knocked back, but a new opportunity emerges 42 A glimmer of hope 44 Chapter 5: Don’t expect leadership to be an easy ride 47 Into the cauldron 48 And then it got nasty 50 Part II: Antarctica beckons 53 Chapter 6: Sometimes the right thing happens for the wrong reason! 55 How do you recruit for values? 55 The selection process 56 The phone interview 57 Shortlisted! 58 The screening process 59 Transparency and honesty 61 Chapter 7: People notice when you try to be someone you’re not 63 Tough competition 63 Playing games 65 Not playing games 67 Chapter 8: You know people by what they do, not what they say they do 71 The penny drops 71 Interview on a double bed 72 Leaving boot camp on a high 74 Breaking the news 75 Chapter 9: First prepare yourself, then leave your comfort zone 79 The appointment 79 Media frenzy 81 Leaving Parks Victoria 83 The first crisis of confidence 84 Part III: Preparing to leave 87 Chapter 10: Seeing what’s wrong is easy — the hard part is the fix 89 Expedition leader school 89 How Antarctic expeditions work 92 Meeting my fellow expeditioners 93 Not ‘ one of the boys’ 94 When a culture is broken 95 Mutual respect — the foundation of our desired culture 98 Chapter 11: Understand the game, and play your hand carefully 101 Cooperation through shared understanding 101 Sharing leadership around 103 Information is power 105 Chapter 12: Ask ‘ why?’, then keep asking why 111 Fire training 111 Falling apart at the seams 114 Why we acted the way we did 116 Chapter 13: Adventure is not without risk 121 Boat training and a near-death experience 121 The expedition nears 123 Chapter 14: Try to stay positive: even the stormiest seas eventually subside 127 At the dock 127 We set sail 128 The Southern Ocean 129 Into Antarctic waters 130 Chapter 15: A handpicked support team can be essential 135 Going off half-cocked 135 Alcohol and culture 136 Davis resupply 137 Part IV: Summer in Antarctica 143 Chapter 16: Make the right decision the right way 145 Allocation of scarce resources 145 Leadership style — you scratch my back ... 147 A Chinese welcome 149 Chapter 17: Step up onto the balcony — but you’ll need time and support 153 Loyal deputies 153 Food and other supplies 155 Chapter 18: Ambiguity and leadership go hand in hand 161 Shades of grey ... well, blue really 162 Strike while the iron’s hot 164 White Christmas 166 Chapter 19: Feeling stressed and overworked? It could be your boundaries 169 Sex on the ice 169 A blooming relationship 170 Sleepout and New Year’s Eve 172 It’s boundaries, not time management 174 Chapter 20: Good leaders know when to show emotion 179 The planes arrive and the pace picks up 179 How not to prepare for a sleepout in Antarctica 182 Unauthorised cricket and a taste of things to come 184 Chapter 21: Think ahead and know what you will do in an emergency 187 The plane crash 187 Crisis assessment 189 Saved by a blizzard 190 Crisis leadership 191 Chapter 22: When you’re spending all your time managing, don’t forget to lead 195 Driving under the influence 195 The end of science 196 The end of summer 198 The problem with Texas 200 Goodbye summerers 201 Prime Aussie beef and potato gems for the Russians 202 Part V: Antarctic winter 205 Chapter 23: It’s important to know your people, not just the work they do 207 Some myths dispelled 207 Time on our hands 208 Daytime jollies 209 Super Tuesday 213 Chapter 24: As a leader you are being watched, always 217 Perpetual scrutiny 217 Never off duty 219 Chapter 25: Find a reason, any reason, to celebrate 223 Families and friends missed 223 If in doubt, make something up 224 Time for a holiday 226 Caring for our physical selves 228 Chapter 26: Check in on your people: ask R U OK? 235 I get toasted 235 Midwinter 236 Midwinter swim 240 Chapter 27: Take care of the little things 243 The bacon war 243 But the bacon war wasn’t about bacon 245 Bacon wars are symptoms of deeper issues, usually about respect 247 Mr Scrapey 248 Chapter 28: Judgement comes with experience 251 Who cut your hair? 251 Footy killed the radio star 252 Match the person to the task 255 Chapter 29: ‘ No triangles’ takes effort and persistence 257 Different strokes for different folks 257 No triangles, and difficult conversations 259 Return of the sun 261 Chapter 30: Watch out for three-quarter time — keep your energy up 265 Where to next? 265 Three-quarter time syndrome 268 Part VI: The return 275 Chapter 31: Go the distance 277 For goodness’ sake, go outside! 277 Preparing the station 278 New faces and the newspaper 281 120 new souls arrive 283 Letting go of the reins 285 Goodbye Antarctica, it’s been real 285 The journey home 286 Reflections 288 What it takes to be an inspirational leader 291 Build teamwork with ‘ no triangles’ 297 Appendix A: What it takes to be an inspirational leader 291 Appendix B: Build teamwork with ‘no triangles’ 297 Index 303 Color Insert 310 Lessons on authentic leadership from the 58th annual Antarctic expedition In Leading on the Edge , successful business speaker and consultant Rachael Robertson shares the lessons she learned as leader of a year-long expedition to the wilds of Antarctica. Leading eighteen strangers around the clock for a full year—through months of darkness and with no escape from the frigid cold, howling winds, and each other—Robertson learned powerful lessons about what real, authentic leadership is. Here, she offers a deeply honest and humorous account of what it takes to survive and lead in the harshest environment on Earth. What emerges from her graphic account is a series of powerful and practical lessons for business leaders and managers everywhere. Features practical leadership lessons that are particularly helpful for any leader who must get the best out of the team they've got Features solutions to many challenges common to all workplaces Includes real excerpts from Robertson's personal journals through twelve months of leading in the most challenging environment in the world Written by a popular speaker and business leader who has appeared at more than 350 national and international conferences and events for a wide range of industries Leading on the Edge explains what it's like to take charge when you've no place to hide and how truly harsh environments can serve as a leadership laboratory that results in truly effective, authentic leadership. Annotation Lessons on authentic leadership from the 58th annual Antarctic expeditionIn Leading on the Edge, successful business speaker and consultant Rachael Robertson shares the lessons she learned as leader of a year-long expedition to the wilds of Antarctica. Leading eighteen strangers around the clock for a full year--through months of darkness and with no escape from the frigid cold, howling winds, and each other--Robertson learned powerful lessons about what real, authentic leadership is. Here, she offers a deeply honest and humorous account of what it takes to survive and lead in the harshest environment on Earth. What emerges from her graphic account is a series of powerful and practical lessons for business leaders and managers everywhere. Features practical leadership lessons that are particularly helpful for any leader who must get the best out of the team they've gotFeatures solutions to many challenges common to all workplacesIncludes real excerpts from Robertson's personal journals through twelve months of leading in the most challenging environment in the worldWritten by a popular speaker and business leader who has appeared at more than 350 national and international conferences and events for a wide range of industriesLeading on the Edge explains what it's like to take charge when you've no place to hide and how truly harsh environments can serve as a leadership laboratory that results in truly effective, authentic leadership "In Leading on the Edge, successful business speaker and consultant Rachael Robertson shares the lessons she learned as leader of a year-long expedition to the wilds of Antarctica. Leading eighteen strangers around the clock for a full year, through months of darkness and with no escape from the frigid cold, howling winds, and each other, Robertson learned powerful lessons about what real, authentic leadership is. Here, she offers a deeply honest and humorous account of what it takes to survive and lead in the harshest environment on Earth. What emerges from her graphic account is a series of powerful and practical lessons for business leaders and managers everywhere"--Publisher's website