Sir Earnest Shackleton has been called the "greatest leader that ever came on God's earth, bar none." Shackleton's Way, by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell is a look into the leadership style of Shackleton from accounts in his biography, personal journals and journals of his fellow explorers.
Initially, I found the style of the book to be somewhat awkward and slow going. The story is told in a chronological order with chapters made up of multiple sections, each section labeled with a Shackleton's leadership lesson. It seemed odd to have section headers as lessons in a chronological book, but eventually it worked.
Once I got in the flow, this book was hard to put down. I even found myself referencing concepts of the book to colleagues at my office throughout the days that I was reading this book and beyond.
I personally relate to Shackleton as he was a self-driven introvert. How can an introvert become one the the greatest leaders "that ever came on God's earth"?
Introverts re-energize alone. On boats that Shackleton sailed, his cabins were bifurcated; one half was set up for writing the other half for reading; and he kept quite a library. He had time for deep, extended thinking. The things he learned in his quiet time, kept his crew from (literally) going insane on their excursion.
Some introverts also have such a deep desire for something, they are forced to act like extroverts for periods of time. Shackleton was so determined to reach the South Pole that he did very "un-introvert" actions.
Combine the deep thought and deep desire and you have an amazing leader. For a wonderful read on the beauty of being an introvert, I highly recommend (Quite, by Susan Cain).
Overall, this book was inspirational to me. As a driven introvert, I found the book to be a kind of mentorship. Getting into the mind of someone who has taken the recipe that God gave him (and me --driven introvert) and who took it to an extreme level without faltering, provides lessons that I will use for years to come.