Leading on the Edge: Extraordinary Stories and Leadership Insights from The World's Most Extreme Workplace

Chapter 6      

Sometimes the right thing happens for the wrong reason!

It was a truly excellent breakfast that started my journey to Antarctica. The sort of breakfast that you don't want to finish. The coffee was sensational. Fresh, locally roasted beans, ground just right, brewed in a gleamingly clean espresso machine, matched with perfectly heated milk in a smooth-as-silk foam, served in a glass by cute boys in black t-shirts and little beards. The toast, local sourdough from the Italian bakers in Gertrude Street, freshly churned butter and perfect jam with just the right amount of whole fruit. All that passed too quickly, and I didn't want to leave just yet. So I settled in and turned to the unread bits of the newspaper. The car section? Not interesting at the moment — I had a nice government car to get me around. The finance section? Not really. While I have a good handle on business, reading advertisements for the latest derivatives trading platforms (this was 2003 and they were still the ‘hot thing’!) didn't appeal to me. With only mild interest I turned to the careers section. It might have an engaging piece on a troubled kid who went back to school and landed a good job, or an inspiring article by a business leader. So why not?

How do you recruit for values?

I wasn't looking for a job. And if anyone from my workplace happened to see me I might have had some explaining to ...