Shackleton

Hello!

Whether placing an ad on a job board, or reaching out to your general network - we’ve all found ourselves in a position where we’ve needed to add members to our “tribe”.

But how detailed are you with sharing what that experience will be like for the person once they sign on?

A 2019 study by HR Drive concluded that 48% of workers left a job because it didn’t meet their expectations…

They concluded that: “workers expect more transparency from employers - that remains true during the interview process.“

It’s true, sugarcoating certain, less favorable aspects of a job - only for the new team member to find out for themselves once they are invested doesn’t do either of you much good.

If only there were an example of a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is job listing that would surely reveal those members that would ACTUALLY be representative of who you’re looking for… 🤔

Enter: Ernest Shackleton

Wikipedia describes Ernest Shackleton as: “one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.”

And not only were these explorations conducted, but they were done so while documenting them with the best film equipment the time could offer!

Because of these, seemingly taxing to most, requirements - Shackleton couldn’t build his crews with those who had any chance of saying “This wasn’t what I had expected.”

Instead, he needed to go macro in the opposite direction - being completely transparent about what lay ahead for anyone signing up for his expeditions.

Here is what he wrote in his newspaper ad:

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”

The Point?

Not everyone is up to being a part of your “tribe” AND, that’s ok! When you’re upfront about what to expect, the right people will still step forward and stay with you for years to come.

Here’s to channeling our inner Shackleton the next time adventure calls.

Kind Regards,

Jim @ Captivation Agency

PS: There’s a real person on the other side of these messages, so feel free to comment back and say hello - I’d love to start a dialogue :-)

PPS: If you enjoyed this message, please consider sharing it with a few friends who might find it useful. Thank you!