Calibration

We were walking through the Christchurch Botanic Gardens before a flight when we came across a small wooden hut — unassuming, easy to overlook. But it marks the exact spot where Shackleton and Scott calibrated their compasses before heading into Antarctica.

It doesn’t look important. But it was.

This Magnetic Observatory offered one of the southernmost places on earth to align navigational instruments before entering the extremes. Back then — with no GPS, no Google Maps — even a few degrees off could be the difference between reaching land, or being lost at sea.

That quiet moment of calibration — in that small hut — made every accurate decision after it possible. Without it, survival would’ve been far less likely.

They weren’t just checking equipment. They were aligning direction, tools, and intent before the hardship began.

Standing there with my kids, it made me wonder how often we rush into complexity without doing the same.

In sport, I’ve seen campaigns with clear goals and talented people, but no true alignment at the start. Everyone pulling hard, but slightly off in different directions. Over time, those small margins become gaps. The campaign drifts. Not because of poor effort, but because we never really stopped to align.

A great coach once told me:

I’d rather run out of time at the beginning than at the end.” 

That stayed with me.

Shackleton knew this too. When the Endurance was crushed by Antarctic ice, he reframed the mission — from crossing the continent to getting everyone home alive. They camped on drifting ice. Rowed to Elephant Island. Then he and five others crossed 800 miles of open water to South Georgia, and then crossed the mountains — on foot, without a map — to reach help.

Every man was saved.

Not through perfect planning, but through constant recalibration. Through strategic lightening — not deleting, but letting go of what no longer served. Through alignment, not just agreement, but shared clarity in motion.

Shackleton and his team didn’t tolerate misalignment or drift. They trimmed what didn’t help. They shared leadership. They moved with clarity.

A few useful checks:

• What are we carrying that’s no longer helping?

• What is your version of the small calibration hut at the start?

• How do you check bearings before the pressure begins?

  
  

Performance isn’t lost in one dramatic moment. It’s lifted or worn down by the clarity and connection we calibrate at the beginning.

So before the next push, pause. Check your bearings. For teams to deliver under pressure, how well you start is key to how well you finish.

Go well and go clear

Richard