Oversell The Expectations

In September of 1914, explorer Ernest Shackleton set out on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition with the goal of being the first man to traverse the Antarctic continent. Shackleton knew this expedition would be one of immense danger, thus he needed men who believed in his cause. In fact, when Shackleton bought an ad in the local newspaper looking for crew members it read…

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.”

Aboard his ship, the Endurance, he and 27 men set sail for the South Pole. But along the way, the ship became trapped in ice, setting off a series of events that would lead them away from the original goal and test their ability to survive. For nearly 2 years Shackleton and his crew faced the worst conditions and obstacles imaginable while simply trying to make it back to civilization. Though he did not complete the transcontinental journey he had hoped for, he brought back all 27 of his men alive, a feat of magnificent leadership without parallel. The setbacks and life-threatening events that occurred during their journey would not have been survived without a strong conviction to keep going. Ernest Shackleton’s blunt ad may have been the most important step that ensured the endurance it took to survive the trip for only men of adventure and strength would have responded to such an opportunity. 

When you are building a team, it is vital that you draw the right people. If you attract only those who are curious, you will miss those who are committed. Too many leaders try to play it safe when it comes to expectations. They undersell what it will take to be a part of the team. But this only backfires in the long run. You don’t want people just working for you, you want them working with you. This means they need to be aligned with the mission of your cause. You want to develop a team that has the same conviction for your cause.

Great leaders believe in their cause. They are convicted by the belief that what they are doing truly matters. A leader without conviction will never make it to the end of their mission. There are too many obstacles that will derail them. However, when a leader has conviction they are able to stir others with that same conviction. When conviction for a cause is present a team will accomplish the goal!

Conviction drives action. Professional Soccer player Mia Hamm said, “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” Leaders get others to buy into the vision of their cause. An aid group in South Africa sent a message to missionary and explorer David Livingston. It said, “Have you found a good road to where you are?” To this, Livingston replied, “If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come even if there is no road at all.”

When someone has conviction about their cause they will make things happen. Conviction causes people to do more than is asked of them. They will work with more than their hands, they will work with their hearts. American Journalist Vance Packard said, “Leadership is getting others to want to do something that you are convinced should be done.” If a team believes in their cause with a deep conviction, nothing will be too lofty for them to achieve. People respond with enthusiasm to a leader that truly believes in their cause and the people who can accomplish it. When the people believe in their leader it is a great thing, but when the leader believes in his people it is even greater! Leaders have a motto that says, “If it’s to be…it’s up to me!” They are convinced that the time is now, and that they are the ones to help others move forward. Because of a leader’s strong convictions toward a cause, others begin to see beyond the practical tasks and into the heart of their mission. Benjamin Disraeli said, “I have brought myself, by long meditation, to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment.”

Be a leader that oversells the expectations so that you draw the right people who are committed to the cause.