B.N. Dastur Year 1911. Two expeditions attempted to be the first to reach the South Pole. One was led by Roald Amundsen of Norway and the other by Robert Scott of Britain. Amundson did the necessary homework before embarking on the journey. Extensive discussions with experienced Arctic travelers and Eskimos. A strategy has been prepared after studying the customs that have been going on for centuries. Decided to rely on dog sleds to carry the essentials. Chose members for his team who were masters of snow skiing and very experienced Doug Handvers. Amundson's strategy was straightforward and simple. Six hours of travel per day, a trip of 15 to 20 miles. Necessary baggage should be pulled by the dogs and adequate rest should be provided to the team members and the dogs. Other materials, delivered in advance over designated routes, freed members and dogs from the labor of hauling all the baggage along. The planning was such that all the members remained healthy throughout the trip except for a toothache. Robert Scott chose ponies over dogs—stronger than dogs. Opted for motorized sleds instead of traditional sleds. Did not do homework in choosing clothes. As a result, on the fifth day of the trip, the motors of the motorized sled stopped working. The ponies ran out of air coming down the transatlantic ridge and had to be killed. Members suffered from frostbite and snowblindness. The sled had to be pulled down. The supply depots on the road did not have enough supplies including food and drink. Scott's team arrived a month early when they reached the South Pole on January 17, 2012, after a grueling 800-mile journey of ten weeks. The Norwegian flag of the Norwegian team was flying there. Scott and all members of his team lost their lives on the way back. Scott had great courage. There was passion, but in the absence of a 'law of navigation' the whole team dissolved. Among the numerous rules of management, one rule grew – the 'Law of Navigation.' Where, in how much time, how, how to reach the situation is decided very carefully, gathering the necessary resources, learning the process of using each resource and making a strategy, if we do not make a strategy, we will end up like Scott Sahib. A book that every entrepreneur who wants to survive and thrive in today's scary environment should read. The name is 'Be A Leader You Want To Be.' It is written in the book: 'That which no one else sees, is seen by true leaders, seen far away and seen better than others.' Air travel today has an overabundance of technology. Yet every pilot, before every flight, very carefully makes a plan to navigate his way. Read Amundson and Scott again. (Sequentially:)
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
The ABCD of Management: Adventure-Trip Planning
