Boring Managers Get All the Luck

On the 5th January 1922 at the age of 47, legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton died of a heart attack.

He died during his fourth, and for obvious reasons, final expedition.

In the hours before his death the expedition's doctor, Alexander Macklin had advised him to calm down and "lead a more regular life”, to which Shackleton answered, "You are always wanting me to give up things, what is it I ought to give up?" and Macklin replied, "Chiefly alcohol, Boss."

Shackleton’s death marked the end of the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration - a time where adventurers from all round the world raced to the explore the key features of the arctic regions.

He died heavily in debt after numerous failed business ventures and leading four much heralded, but spectacularly unsuccessful expeditions.

Despite being objectively a bad at exploring he has somehow become synonymous with great leadership. There are 26 books celebrating Ernest Shakleton's leadership qualities.

Five years later, Roald Amundsen died aged 55 in a plane crash while trying to save someone else’s failed polar expedition.

Amundsen was the first person to lead successful expeditions to three of the major polar exploration goals; the North Pole, the South Pole and the Northwest passage.

Every expedition he lead was a resounding success.

There are only 4 books about Roald Amundsen’s leadership qualities.

Clever / Wise

“A clever man gets out of situations that a wise man would never get into.” - Jerome Halprin

Shackleton’s expeditions failed due to combinations of poor planning, bad recruitment, ignoring essential advice and not setting clear objectives.

As a result of his management failures his expeditions almost inevitably ended in extreme misfortune

But dramatic situations in dangerous places did lead to incredible opportunities for heroics and awesome stories, and that is the part Shackleton is remembered for.

Admundsen was equally brave, but he also got the preparation right.

He dedicated his life understanding the polar environment, he planned carefully, led effectively and reduced the problems he would encounter so that they were surmountable.

His journey to the South Pole and back took 99 days - just 1 day longer than his plans.

But what he did not come back with was exciting stories.

He made the incredible look easy.

By getting the preparation spot on and avoiding mistakes Amundsen made the whole process drama fee.

Amundsen’s effectiveness somehow managed to make the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration boring.

Flashy Management

Exciting stories trick us into celebrating the wrong leaders.

Martin Gutmann, management historian, calls this “‘The Action Fallacy’: the mistaken belief that leadership is characterised by energy and movement in the face of harrowing odds.”

So it’s often the Shackleton’s of this world who are promoted to leadership because of a smorgasbord of psychological quirks including:

• The Babble Effect - the people who talk the most get promoted the most.

  
  

• The Busyness Effect - Research led by the Columbia marketing professor Silvia Bellezza shows that people perceive others who are busy and who use products indicating they’re busy (like a Bluetooth headset for multitasking), to be important and impressive.

  
  

• The Narcissist Effect - Narcissists tend to find ways to take control of groups. "Not only did narcissists rate themselves as leaders, which you would expect, but other group members also saw them as the people who really run the group," - Amy Brunell, professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

“It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.” - Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

It’s how we end up with flashy orange-faced lunatics in positions of power.

Boring Management

“History’s most effective leaders did not need to generate a lot of noise and activity because they often reduced dramatic circumstances to a minimum.” - Martin Gutmann

In research, the results of companies based on whether they implemented basic management practices, found that a one-point increment in a five-point management score was associated with 23% greater productivity.

“The evidence is clear that boring management matters and it is a source of competitive advantage for the companies that take it seriously” says Raffaella Sadun of Harvard Business School.

Keep an eye out for the boring managers, the Amundsen’s of the world.

To find real success, look for where the drama is not happening.

“Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for [he] who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.” - Roald Amundsen