Page 56 - leadership-experience-2008

CikguOnline
CikguOnline

Traits, Behaviors, and Relationships

Imagine slogging through near-freezing water up to your waist, or walking for
miles and then discovering you’re only 100 yards closer to your destination.
That’s what happened when Robert Swan led a team to the North Pole and
the ice cap melted beneath their feet. Swan’s carefully planned expedition,
made up of eight people from seven countries, became a nightmare when the
ice cap began to melt in April—four months earlier than usual.
The group survived—barely—because of teamwork and Swan’s extra-
ordinary leadership. Swan’s honesty, as well as his ability to maintain his

poise, self-confidence, and sense of purpose amid life-threatening and con-
stantly changing conditions, helped to nourish the spirit and motivation of
the team. With the completion of the journey, Swan became the fi rst person
ever to walk to both the North and the South Poles. Today, he recounts his
adventures to groups around the world, including businesspeople hungry to
learn what it means to be a leader in a dangerous and hostile environment.
Swan had dreamed of walking to the South Pole, tracing the route taken
by Robert Falcon Scott in 1912, since he was a child. As a young adult, he
spent seven years working as a taxi driver, a tree cutter, a gardener, and a
hotel dishwasher to earn money, all the while selling the dream to others

to help raise funds. His first expedition to Antarctica in 1986 changed his
life completely. Motivated by fi rsthand observation of the destruction of
the ozone layer and the waste and pollution he encountered, Swan be-
came deeply committed to environmental issues. He took on the diffi cult
challenge of raising money for his second expedition, to the North Pole,
inspired primarily by a vision of helping to save the polar regions from
human destruction.
From an organizational viewpoint, Swan’s stories of courage, adventure,
determination, and risk taking are good metaphors for what many leaders feel
in today’s complex and challenging world. 1
Robert Swan is a world-renowned explorer who is infl uencing young
people, world leaders, businesspeople, and organizations around the globe.
He works tirelessly for what he believes in and has inspired others to be-
come more actively involved. Those who participate in his expeditions take
what they learn back to their organizations, further extending Swan’s infl u-
ence. Several personal attributes contribute to Swan’s leadership. He had
the courage, self-confi dence, and determination to try something that ev-
eryone told him couldn’t be done. He had the drive and the commitment
to work for years in menial jobs to make his dream a reality, and he con-
tinues to raise money for the causes he believes in. His poise and ability to
maintain a positive attitude have helped team members survive harrowing
conditions.
In considering Swan’s infl uence, it seems evident that characteristics
such as courage, self-confi dence, drive, determination, and a willingness
to take risks are part of the personality that make him a good leader.
Indeed, personal traits are what captured the imagination of the earliest
leadership researchers. Many leaders possess traits that researchers be-
lieve affect their leadership impact. For example, four-star Army General
John Abizaid, who leads U.S. forces in the Middle East, is known for his
2
intelligence, honesty, and ease in coping with uncertainty and chaos. An
example from the business world is Julia Stewart, whose fi rst job was
serving food at an International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in San Diego.

37