10. David Knoff

This week we have David Knoff, Author of the fantastic book 537 days of Winter. David had embarked on the adventure of a lifetime as station leader of Davis Research Station in Antarctica when the Covid 19 pandemic hit. After their ride home was canceled indefinitely, what was supposed to be a routine mission became a high pressure cauldron of uncertainty and anxiety that pushed David’s team to their mental limits. David’s story has a lot of similarities to those of all great leaders when they are faced with an extreme challenge. David had spent years in training, preparation, exposing himself to incredible challenges by the time the 537 days challenge presented itself. David was a Lieutenant in the Australian Army for 2 years and then a diplomat with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the Australian Government. Most people when offered opportunities in DFAT, seek out the London, New York or Paris posting but not David. He went to Pakistan when the Iraq war was on, and worked for three years with all the partners in NATO who were there. David has some great anecdotes throughout the interview, one of the best is it’s ok to fail, as long as you are trying and improving, take the feedback, use your own systems and continually improve. You are still in the fight until someone says you are not or you are dead. You will be enlightened with how David forms his team around him for the 537 days challenge and how they work together. Its ok to ask for help if you don’t know, a leader cannot know everything but the cohesiveness of the team around them can fill that gap. David’s final message to other leaders, take your ego out of it, take the feedback when you need to, and be like the man in the arena, never sit on the sidelines be part of the team that has a go, win or lose. If you would like a signed copy of David's Book 537 Days of Winter you can order this direct at DAVIDKNOFF.COM and it can also be found on Amazon. The book is published by Affirm Press