As mountains are the most obvious visual and verbal cues used for any person stacked against all odds, what happens when the mountains literally are the challenge you must overcome to survive?
Denis Shackel, current head of Management Communication at the Richard Ivey School of Business, knows very well the struggle, and shares his personal experience and expertise in his new book, Five Seconds At A Time: How Leaders Can Make the Impossible, Possible.
Shackel – who could have written a book solely on his experience of climbing Mount Ruapehu, in New Zealand, with his brother-in-law, Bruce MacGregor and his sister, Kathleen – eloquently shares his moving story, sharing how he survived, by planning ahead five seconds at a time and how this technique, and breaking down insurmountable objectives into smaller, more manageable tasks fosters a more rewarding and efficient path to success.
Respectfully, Shakel shares his story just enough to tug at the emotions of readers to help visualize a demanding challenge, without overtaking his main goal of this book – to help leaders become better leaders, one step or task at a time.
By sharing his experience through his latest book, this case truly helps readers to envision their path to success – one of the aspects outlined in the “Five Seconds At A Time Technique”: Breathe and pause to reflect, proritize, break down and acknowledge.
The technique breaks down significant challenges into smaller tasks, and strongly emphasizes self-reflection and rewarding yourself.
With so much expected from the business leaders of today, Shakel encourages a more visionary approach, sprinkled in with some time to pause, reflect and show appreciation and gratitude to those important to you (whether personally or professionally) to become more of an intuitive and authentic leader.
While this approach heavily emphasizes a more spiritual approach to leadership, the in-depth examples in the book and with frequent checklists – which are good reminders to keep you on the right path – enables readers to establish a solid foundation to begin the path to a more humanistic approach to leadership, which is not only refreshing, but can be possible.
Five Seconds At A Time: How Leaders Can Make the Impossible Possible by Denis Shackel with Tara Bradacs (HarperCollins Canada) is available in all major bookstores and online retailers in Canada, $19.99. Hardcover
- Michael Chu
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After reading Five Seconds At A Time , the past three years ,of my 64 years , fell in place with ease,direction and confindence. By reading this book and pulling out what would worked for me, I was able to give to my mother the care, time and love in her last few months of life.
Thankyou
Helen