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

Chapter 10      

Seeing what's wrong is easy — the hard part is the fix

The AAD is based in a beautiful little suburb of Hobart called Kingston. It's far enough out of town to have the luxury of being able to spread itself out, but it's close to the docks and waterside. The AAD facility would be my new ‘office’ for the next three months. I would commute daily on a minibus from our serviced apartments in Hobart. I was looking forward to the prospect of driving along the beautiful Derwent River, watching the yachts and keeping an eye out for the icebreaker that would eventually take us on our adventure.

Expedition leader school

The night before the first day of training we all arrived at our apartments and were milling about in the outdoor barbecue area. Not everyone was required for the full three months and the only people so far in Hobart were the other Station Leaders and their deputies.

It was an eye-opening dinner. Here was I, a girl from Dandenong, sitting down to a meal with seasoned Antarctic leaders. We were joined by Ross, who was to be one of my Deputy Station Leaders over summer. He had returned from Antarctica earlier this year so I felt comfortable that my deputy would be well versed in the Antarctic ways.

I had to share my suite with another woman, Eve, the doctor headed to Casey Station. I hadn't shared a home for over 10 years, but it wasn't the last time I would ...