In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton led 27 men, for almost two years, through a harrowing fight for their lives after the wreck of their Antarctic vessel, "Endurance", left them stranded on an ice flow 1200 miles from civilization. But every man survived. Every man ascribed it to Shackleton's superb leadership. Nearly a century later, this once-overlooked explorer is riding a wave of "Shackleton mania". Yet nowhere have the secrets of Shackleton's leadership success been fully analyzed. This book draws on anecdotes, crew diaries, contemporary material, and interviews with some of today's leaders to illustrate Shackleton's tactics. The text provides information on how to manage crises with limited personnel and resources, how to create order out of chaos, how to hire good workers, how to support and inspire employees to do their best, and how to lead by personal example - with optimism, egalitarianism, humour, strength, ingenuity, intelligence, and compassion.