We first spoke to David way back in Season 3, when he was kind enough to dial in from Antarctica and talk about his experiences as an Australian Antarctic Division Station Leader. At the time of that episode, David’s team’s trip had already been extended due to COVID, however at that point, he didn’t realise just how long he would be on the ice for, nor what sorts of challenges his trip would present him with. Turns out, the total deployment time was 537 Days, which ended up being the name of his outstanding new book.
In this episode, we catch up with David to talk about how the remainder of his time on the ice panned out and what leadership challenges he faced while deployed – including right up until the very last minute! In the process, we’ll ask him about the specific leadership challenges he faced, how to deal with an extreme medical emergency in such austere conditions and the significance of the midwinter celebration for expeditioners. Along the way, we'll also explore how he found the writing process and find out what was the first thing he did when he got back to Australia.
5:00 Picking up where we left off (from our last chat with David, Season 3 Episode 3)
6:02 On the writing process – what was it like collating his experiences into his book
10:10 How did David break the news to his team that they wouldn’t be going home when they expected to?
17:50 How do you galvanise the team after such disappointing news?
24:00 The importance of affiliative leadership in the AAD environment – plus the other leadership styles David found himself using
26:30 How can you achieve work-life boundaries when you are living at work?
28:30 The medical capability that David’s team had – and how they used this during an emergency
31:00 The very real threat of a COVID outbreak on station
34:06 After 537 days on the ice, surely nothing else could go wrong?! Incorrect – Dave talks about the fire on the vessel during his return journey
43:05 The significance of midwinter for expeditioners
46:30 What makes a good Antarctic expeditioner?
48:00 What are David’s most memorable ‘#Antarctica’ moments?
50:40 What was the first thing David did when he got back to Australia?
56:50 What’s next for David?
www.unforgiving60.com
Email us at debrief@unforgiving60.com
Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60
External Links
David’s website
Signed copies of David’s book
Media and reviews on David’s book at these links: here, here and here.
Hear David’s story at your next corporate function – click here for speaking engagements
Music
The Externals – available on Spotify
Ben Frichot - available on Spotify
S2E21a- Wayne Jones: ex SAS Sky God and Rockstar turned ASX CEO
S2E20- Understanding Meditation with the Expert- Gary Gorrow
@RV19- On Beth Eggleston, Dr Linda Monshizadeh, Kim Martens & More on the SAS Selection Course
S2E19- David Olney: More Blind Insights on Collaboration & Battlefield Innovation
S2E18 – Turning Troubled Boys into Good Men with Rick Pedley-Smith
S2E17 – On Parenting with Steve Biddulph, AM
S2E16 – Understanding Complexity with Dave Snowden (Comfort in Chaos and Uncertainty)
S2E15- Phil M Jones: Using Words for Influence and Impact (ie = ‘Sales’ (is not a dirty word))
S2E14- Kim Martens: Surviving High Risk Environments from KFC to Karrada!
S2E13 – The Beauty from Within - Dr Linda Monshizadeh, Plastic Surgeon
S2E12- Beth Eggleston- The HAG! The Humanitarian Edition.
@RV18- David Olney, Dr Kate Baecher, Tempus Fugit Double Episode and Life on the Line Special
S2E11- Against Life’s Odds: ‘Fugit Inreparabile Tempus': (It Escapes, Irretrievable Time) - Matt Williams, OAM is 'Willy Beating Cancer'
Special Episode- SAS Leadership Volume II: with Ben Pronk, DSC and Tim Curtis (via Life on the Line Podcast)
S2E10- Against Life’s Odds: ‘Tempus Fugit’ ('Time Flees') - Tim Reynolds
S2E9- Dr Kate Baecher: Clinical Psychologist. Developing High Performance Mindsets
S2E8- David Olney: Blind Insights on Violence and Complexity
@RV17- Voices about the Veterans from Voices of Veterans- ANZAC Day 2020
Special Episode- Voices of Veterans on ANZAC Day 2020
@RV16- On Mark Wales, Alec Torelli, Mitchell Martin, Dianna Nguyen ... & Embracing the Virus (Another Isolation Edition!)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
HCI Leadership Revolution
Human Capital Leadership
The Power of Music Thinking
BusinessWISE
Business Wars