Practice Tip of the Week | Crisis Leadership: What Nurses Can Learn from a 1914 Polar Expedition

By Laura Kincheloe, Ed.D., MSN, RN, NE-BC Almost 110 years have passed since freezing water began to overtake a large ship carrying twenty-seven men under the leadership of Ernest Shackleton. This Antarctic adventure relates to nursing in a number of unexpected ways.  I recently attended a leadership seminar hosted by local community members. At first, I didn’t pay much attention to the event since it was shared through social media, but the algorithm continued to bring it to my attention. The event was focused on bringing community members and leaders together to learn about crisis leadership. Crisis leadership, not to be confused with crisis management, is summarized as a process a leader or leaders use when their organization is threatened, or operational business is abruptly interrupted (Center for Management and Organizational Effectiveness, 2025). Nurses may be more familiar with crisis management, where they are often experts in avoiding or addressing a crisis in patient care. From a leadership perspective, Shackleton’s exploration is eerily similar to nursing.  Ernest Shackelton was a young leader, cited to be in his early thirties when he led an expedition to Antarctica in an attempt to become the first to reach the south pole. Ultimately between a series of misfortunes and nature’s cold and wet Antarctic conditions, this leader rose to the challenge, bringing his men along with him. While his expedition was not the success he anticipated, there were many lessons learned surrounding the importance of a strong leader and the right team in times of crisis.  As I reflect on this story, I consider how reflective a polar expedition in 1914 is to survival leadership within the nursing profession. Here are four key takeaways from this leadership seminar and how nurses can apply them to today’s challenges. 1) Cultivate Respect.  Cultivating respect is an important leadership strategy for all leaders to incorporate in their practice. By doing this, a leader can be intentional with developing, earning, and maintaining consideration for those they may serve. Respect is not only earned but is relational and ongoing with one’s direct reports, professional colleagues, and others. It isn’t a one and done checklist for a leader. Leaders must be able to give and receive feedback, have crucial conversations, and facilitate a high regard within the team so they can function with respect at the forefront of their relationships with colleagues. 2) Surround yourself with the right team Hiring right is something many nurse leaders learn over time or through orientation. Leaders often have the opportunity to build their team but aren’t often as aware of what they need on the team. While some teams strive for great skill mix or schedule flexibility, it is more important to build a team of positivity, mind over matter, and a team who will band together in crisis.  Anecdotal comments from nurses in passing concluded that sometimes, positions “are filled with a warm body.” Yet, we hear from other nurses that “the job market is bad” and no one can find a nursing job. Surrounding yourself with people who lift you up is essential. Shackelton went through terrible times in frigid temperatures, contemplating their next meal, and even questioning the next step of the journey. Nurses often feel unsure and question their next step in their professional journey. Leaders play a key role in ensuring the right team is hired congruent with their culture, shared values, and mission.  3) Be flexible Isn’t flexibility an inherent trait of nurses? What does this mean as a leader? It doesn’t mean changing the plan mid execution, necessarily. Rather, it means being open to the first idea or iteration being unsuccessful and being willing to adapt in the next iteration. There is a reason the Plan, Do, Study, Act model is representative of a nursing change model many are familiar with.  Flexibility in nursing isn’t specific to the patient challenges that require us to pivot. Rather, it includes the relational challenges we may encounter. For example, being flexible also includes creating a self-managing team. Now that you have built the team, allow them to thrive and try not to criticize too intensely that it stifles self-directedness. Flexibility also means asking for help and requesting input from the team.  4) Lead by example Model the way for your team by being willing to address conflict, listen to your team, and strive for excellence. Shackleton could have turned back and gone home several times throughout his journey. He could have verbalized his feelings or frustration with the journey or even given up completely. When leaders give up, the team falls apart. Strong leadership builds a strong team. Finally, make sure to celebrate when the team wins. Every day in the freezing Antarctic, the team could have died. They were literally in survival mode, yet Shackelton didn’t focus solely on the mission of making it to the south pole. He focused on saving all his men, first. While Shackleton didn’t reach the south pole first, he left with us many great leadership lessons about how to overcome adversity in an expedition. Nurses are left with similar challenges, overcoming difficult times and competing priorities.  As you reflect on these leadership lessons consider this quote from Shackleton: “To be brave cheerily, to be patient with a glad heart, to stand the agonies of thirst with laughter and song, to walk beside death for months and never be sad – that’s the spirit that makes courage worth having.” Be courageous.  

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