I have been reflecting on the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton. He led the entire crew of his ship, Endurance, to safety after being marooned on an ice floe for 15 months. Forced to abandon his original plan to cross the Antarctic, Shackleton’s story holds strong lessons for leaders facing uncontrollable change.

Here are a few of his actions that you can put in place today that helped his people — and will help yours — keep the faith during periods of upheaval:

Redefine achievable goals.
People need clear goals to keep their spirits and productivity up. Shackleton told his crew they would live on the ice pack until it broke up and use the ship’s lifeboats to sail safely.

Assign routine tasks. 
Fifteen months on an ice floe would drive anyone crazy. Shackelton assigned daily tasks that supported the long-term goal of eventual freedom.

Demonstrate unity. 
Shackleton, the ship’s captain, and other expedition leaders lived and worked alongside everyone. They were a team and exemplified the mantra of “We’re in this together.”

While I can’t imagine any of you are reading this from an ice floe (if so, thank you for your commitment to reading my blog!), However, Shackelton’s lessons show us that even when we feel defeated as leaders, there is always a way to persevere and engage our team that will lead us to prosperity.