Kroll's Inspire Antarctic Expedition 2008

The key to this voyage is not going to visit the penguins and seals or to see whales coming almost completely out of the water, although all of those are unforgettable. Nor is it the scenery, which is truly fantastic, or the opportunity to spend a night camping on the Antarctic continent, out on the ice with the wind blowing and with the snow falling, in tents that we had to get up the side of the mountain and get set up before dark.

The key element is the educational program developed by Robert Swan and the 2041 team called “Leadership on the Edge.” The program, which we came to know as “LOTE” was conducted in one, or more frequently two sessions per day. After we picked up Robert and his team from the eBase at Bellingshausen Station on King George Island, he told his story of walking to the North and South Poles and of the programs he has run in the 20-something years since his first “Walk in the Footsteps of Scott”. The other parts of the program were designed to show how inspirational lessons can be extracted from Robert’s incredible experiences to teach the leaders of the future.

The program challenged each of us to apply the lessons of Robert´s experience to the challenges facing us in our companies and our private lives. Developing a vision for needed action, getting buy-in, and taking the actions needed to achieve success are not easy subjects, and resulted in a lot of discussions both for the company teams that are here, and between company teams as well. Each of us will try to apply the lessons learned for ourselves and our organizations. But we are also challenged to pass along the story of what Robert has done, and what we have done on this voyage and learned during this expedition, because Robert’s story has become our story, and as we pass along the knowledge, it becomes the story of our listeners as well. We have been inspired by what we have experienced and learned. Our challenge is to inspire others to excel. Leadership must be sustainable, and should challenge us, but it must also inspire the best in each of us.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that two of the LOTE sessions were conducted ashore, on Antarctic hilltops overlooking glaciers, amazing bays, and even penguin colonies. I challenge you to find a more incredible venue for a course.

I would be even more remiss if I did not take a moment to acknowledge my family, who understood how important it was for me personally to spend this time with my friend Robert and his team. I travel a lot for my work, and this time away was in addition to that travel. The support of my wife Linda, and my daughter Rachel was invaluable. And so too was the support from my colleagues at Kroll Ontrack, from our President, Kris Nimsger, to my close colleague and good friend Jason Paroff. Saying thank you seems insufficient, but each of you know what this time and this voyage meant to me, and I most humbly and sincerely thank you for your inspiration and your wholehearted support.

Antarctica is a continent that cannot adequately be described in words or in pictures. It is as much an emotion as anything physical, and is experienced in all five senses. From the pungent smell of penguin rookeries to the feel of freezing salt water hitting your face as the zodiac boats run from the ship to the land, to the recognition, as our ship’s captain Jorge put it, that white is not just a color, but is a spectrum, Antarctica is an incredible experience.

Put aside your preconceptions of this place. You may think of it as endless plains of ice. Yes, they exist, but so do mountains climbing a thousand meters high right next to the narrow channel through which our ship sails. You may think of it as devoid of life, but there are penguins, flying birds, seals and a surprising variety of plant life which has adapted itself to the inhospitable environment of the ice. There are people, too, but few in summer and fewer in winter who staff the scientific stations. But to stand on deck (heavily bundled up against the freezing cold and the wind and the snow or rain that sometimes accompanies our voyage) and look out at this incredible continent is incredible, just incredible.

I don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to come here again, but in a real sense, I will never leave it. I understand now why my friend Robert Swan has devoted most of his life to a very simple proposition – that it is vitally important to preserve Antarctica forever as a place where nature is in charge, and where we can come to study and learn from this last frontier of our planet.

I’m proud that my colleagues at Kroll are a part of this, and am truly grateful to them for this opportunity to learn, to help where I can, and to bring back the message that preserving this global heritage is worth our time and our concern and our participation.

The last two days have been absolutely amazing. Wednesday was a sunny and beautiful day (a change from the blizzard like weather on Tuesday) which made for a smooth ride on the zodiac and a ´dry landing´ (i.e. we did not have to walk through water to get to shore). It was such a great feeling as I took my first steps on the continent of Antarctica – something only about 150,000 people have ever experienced.

We were greeted by the locals, penguins and lion seals, and I was able to spend time exploring the magnificent landscape. It was a surreal vision to see glaciers, mountains, and the ocean within meters (yep, learning the metric system) from each other. I climbed the mountains and played with the penguins – Flat Stanley had an amazing time.

Today, Thursday, our wake up call ´Team Inspire, Team Inspire, Team Inspire´ was at 7:30 am with a departure for a new landing on Antarctica at 10:30 am. We climbed a hill that was about 300 meters and had a Leadership on the Edge training. During the middle of a discussion on Trust – we heard a loud ´crack´ and a glacier started breaking apart - one piece at a time until only a 1/3 of the glacier remained.

Tomorrow is camping in -10 degrees Celsius…layers, layers, layers!

Flat Stanley and I loved visiting the Glacier Martial in Ushuaia and got some last minute shopping in. The Drake Passage was ‘perfect sailing’ according to our Captain; although others got sick, I made it through just fine. The food and the crew have been wonderful; as well as my first roommate, Marianne, from the Netherlands and my second roommate, Sue, from Atlanta. Today, Monday 3-17, I saw my first iceberg which was amazing. It was so beautiful especially with the birds flying around it. Did you all know that some of the birds here fly for 7 hours without ever landing? We passed a pod of whales early this morning too!! Woo hoo! Shout out to everyone: Steve – I love you, miss you and wish you were here! Mom and Dad – thank you for everything – you would love it! Jim, Trish, Ryan, and Zack – thanks for letting me borrow your camera – I hope to return it in one piece. My Kroll Family – thank you for this opportunity – it has been absolutely amazing.