Entrepreneurship

"Entrepreneurship is the relentless pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled." Thus, Sir, Ernest Shackleton is a Singular and spectacular example of leadership and Entrepreneurship. He became an Entrepreneur of survival rather than Exploration. His dream of traversing Antarctica could not come true yet he is revered as a hero because It is always the journey that matters and not the destination. Similarly, for Entrepreneurs it is always the implementation and not the outcome. Entrepreneurs have to be able to manage in stable, prosperous times and also in very uncertain, dangerous times. And sometimes they have to be able to lead when the stakes are much, much greater than they expected them to be.

As  World War I started to set in, it was under less than ideal circumstances that Shackleton had to marshal resources: men, money, a ship, dogs. He had to pursue opportunity. He had no money. His reputation suffered some when the South Pole was discovered in 1911 and Scott was lionized. He sourced a substantial amount of funding and created a right team for the venture. He had put his life on the line twice before the Endurance Expedition. Beyond audacity and doggedness, he also represents basic human decency and fellowship, qualities just as important for entrepreneurs.

He didn’t let emotions affect his decisions, he kept improving the plan, even pivoting. This is an important attribute missing in some new ‘entrepreneurs’. They fall in love with their idea. It’s important to ‘listen’ (not hear) to the others input, importantly if they have gone through the phase. It’s cheaper and time saving to learn from other’s mistakes than to make your own. A leader must pull the team from front rather than push them from back, and this is how Ernest worked. He was the most hardworking one in the team, and this kept the moral of team high.