Being positive is equal to being a leader

Enerst Shackleton had a trouble childhood, he was a non-conformist. When everyone went this way little Ernest wanted to go a different way. His parents had to make him go to school, an idea that he never liked-not because he couldn't do the schoolwork or not intelligent, infact he proved he could do the work, he just couldn't understand why he had to do the work and no one couldn't explain to him the significant of going to school. 

At age 16, his father decided to send him to sea. He went to  a couple of sea-going adventure, he arrived and he came back. He had petty jobs as you would imagine a teenage boy at sea. At sea, he was bitten by the bug of exploration and he decided to set us a goal to be the first man that will lead a group of people to where the South Pole was. Before he even left port, a word came back that someone had beaten him there. Since he wanted to be a history maker not a history reviewer he then decided to be the first person to lead a group of people who would walk across the continent of Antarctica from sea to sea.

He had a dream, now he needed a team.

This is the advert Sir Ernest Shackleton placed in publications around London, looking for people to join him and be part of the journey.

Five thousand people responded to this ad, but he only needed 26 people to get on board. Historian recorded that Shackleton had a unique way of interviewing for his crew. For his navigator, he asked "can you cook?"If you cannot cook  I wont hire you. For his cook, he asked "can you play a musical instrument?", the cook said yes, Shackleton said: you are hired. He needed a team that can  perform other/unique special tasks. 

Well he found the team that journeyed with him to Antarctica, this was between 1912 and 1914 with no latest technology or sophisticated machines that we have now.

He named the ship ENDURANCE, because endurance was his family model that said "only through endurance we can succeed".

He set off with Endurance and his special team. Before reaching the continent of Antarctica, Endurance was enclosed by ice and now they were flowing with the gigantic ice. Navigation was no longer possible, because they were now drifting in the direction of the gigantic ice flow.  One day Shackleton realized that there is no way the Endurance can leave the gigantic. He told everyone to abandon the ship and get into small boats. Right after they abandoned the ship, it was crushed by the gigantic ice and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.

May the 1st 1912,  the Sun set, because it was that part of the world, they never saw the sun for four months. Just imagine if you are in this situation:

YOU ARE NOW THOUSAND MILES FROM HOME

YOU DO NOT HAVE A SHIP

YOU ARE COLD

YOU ARE LOST

YOU ARE IN THE DARK (24 HOURS A DAY)

AND YOU ARE OUT OF CONTROL

Shackleton did not allow these setbacks to gain on him, instead he offered the leadership that voyagers called extraordinary because during the darkest hours of the voyage Shackleton was so positive to an extend that he told every man on board that he will return them to their family safe and sound. They managed however to get to Antarctic.  Immediately, Shackleton started putting dreams in their minds that one day he will get them to home to their family and to keep them off their predicaments he organised soccer games, hockey games,  daily duties and responsibilities so that when the men wake up they have jobs to do. They celebrated holidays and they daily sang patriotic songs. Every night they had gathering and every night a different man would get up tell a story about they home and his family.

Shackleton managed to get another ship. He left his crew for the nearest island to get help and before he left he assured each men that he will  return each men to their family. 

Because of his optimism and extraordinary leadership style people trusted him, people believed him even when the advert said "safe return doubtful".