Tending Sir Ernest´s Legacy: An Interview with Alexandra Shackleton

Now, those are very practical qualities, and yet Ernest Shackleton was a very
romantic man who wrote poetry. This was an era in which fine words abounded,
and I might have thought he would have chosen qualities such as
self-sacrifice or going for glory. After all, the search for the pole was
likened to the search for the Holy Grail. But his practical qualities did not
war against his romantic aspects. They made a harmonious whole, which I think
was one of his strengths.


NOVA: What qualities do you think he possessed that made him such a
compelling leader and instill such loyalty in his crew?


Shackleton: I think that the fact that his men were so important. Leadership
was a two-way thing for him. It wasn´t a case of men following him just
because he was the leader; he was devoted to them. It was a reciprocal, very
close relationship. That´s why any discord and disobedience he took
personally. He was the ultimate leader because his men were his priority at
all times. It took four attempts to rescue his men from Elephant Island and
he visibly aged, particularly after the third one did not succeed. But when
he got to Elephant Island, counted the heads frantically, and found all safe
all well, well, the years rolled away.


NOVA: It´s been said that your grandfather had an almost feminine concern for
his men.


Shackleton: Yes, he was almost fussy at times in his care for them. Watching
to see if anyone was succumbing to frostbite, making hot drinks for everyone
whenever he saw that any one man was in need of one, and so on. He actually
described this side of himself in a letter to his wife. Perhaps because he
was part of a large family, this kind of concern came with the territory.


NOVA: The expedition had people from all ranks in society. How did your
grandfather handle this range of people, and did he have any favorites?


Shackleton: No, he never had favorites. He handled them by knowing all
members of the expedition very well, their strengths and their weaknesses.
There was no discord in his expedition. He also was not very keen on
distinctions of rank. He could and often did do any job on an expedition,
however menial, and his men knew that. It was a relationship of such mutual
trust that it worked out very smoothly even though at the time it was quite
unusual for an officer to talk on equal terms with his men.


NOVA: How did he ensure that everyone was the same, regardless of their
background?


Shackleton: Well, scientists had to scrub floors, and sailors could help with
meteorological observations. They were almost a family.


NOVA: So everyone did everything?