1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:07,000 [music playing] 2 00:00:17,033 --> 00:00:21,000 - So welcome to the 2015 NASA Ames Summer Series. 3 00:00:22,766 --> 00:00:26,200 Having a great vision but lacking leadership 4 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,066 and teamwork does not accomplish anything. 5 00:00:30,066 --> 00:00:34,033 Having great leadership without a vision and a team 6 00:00:34,033 --> 00:00:36,766 does not accomplish anything. 7 00:00:36,766 --> 00:00:39,900 Having a great team with no leadership and no vision 8 00:00:39,900 --> 00:00:42,400 also accomplishes nothing. 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,566 You need the combination of all three. 10 00:00:46,100 --> 00:00:50,566 That is important when you're faced with extreme situations. 11 00:00:50,566 --> 00:00:51,800 It is very important 12 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,466 when the life is in jeopardy at that point. 13 00:00:55,466 --> 00:01:00,133 Extreme situations teach us about ourselves, 14 00:01:00,133 --> 00:01:02,700 teach us how to survive, 15 00:01:02,700 --> 00:01:04,133 and most importantly, 16 00:01:04,133 --> 00:01:08,733 teach us the importance of home, and, in this case, our Earth. 17 00:01:09,966 --> 00:01:13,433 Today's talk, entitled Leadership on the Edge, 18 00:01:13,433 --> 00:01:15,866 will be given by Sir Robert Swan. 19 00:01:17,833 --> 00:01:21,066 Robert received a BA in Ancient History 20 00:01:21,066 --> 00:01:24,266 from St. Chad's College at Durham University. 21 00:01:24,266 --> 00:01:26,333 It is important to know your history 22 00:01:26,333 --> 00:01:27,400 to know your future. 23 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,466 He is the first person in the world to walk, 24 00:01:33,466 --> 00:01:35,433 not to drive, not to fly, 25 00:01:35,433 --> 00:01:39,000 to walk to both the North and the South Poles. 26 00:01:41,066 --> 00:01:47,433 He is the founder of 2041 and a polar explorer. 27 00:01:47,433 --> 00:01:51,666 He has served as a special envoy to UNESCO Director-General 28 00:01:51,666 --> 00:01:55,166 and as a UN Goodwill Ambassador for youth. 29 00:01:55,166 --> 00:01:57,200 The youth is the future. 30 00:01:59,266 --> 00:02:01,466 In recognition of his work, 31 00:02:01,466 --> 00:02:05,200 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second awarded him 32 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,766 the Polar Medal in 1998 and the distinction of Officer 33 00:02:09,766 --> 00:02:10,933 of the Order of the British 34 00:02:10,933 --> 00:02:13,000 Empire in 1995. 35 00:02:14,266 --> 00:02:17,600 Please join me in welcoming Sir Robert Swan. 36 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,600 [applause] 37 00:02:25,333 --> 00:02:27,566 - Well, thank you very much, Jacob, and one word 38 00:02:27,566 --> 00:02:29,933 Jacob didn't say, 39 00:02:29,933 --> 00:02:32,566 and let's get this straight right from the beginning 40 00:02:32,566 --> 00:02:35,066 that actually I am the first person 41 00:02:35,066 --> 00:02:39,966 in history stupid enough to have walked to both Poles. 42 00:02:39,966 --> 00:02:42,600 900 nautical miles to the South, 43 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,966 700 nautical miles to the North, 44 00:02:45,966 --> 00:02:47,333 and if you are that person, 45 00:02:47,333 --> 00:02:52,533 and I am, I guarantee you that Rob Swan standing here 46 00:02:52,533 --> 00:02:57,433 is only sure of four things forever. 47 00:02:57,433 --> 00:03:00,600 First and foremost, I'm sure I hate bloody walking. 48 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:02,600 I've done enough, definitely. 49 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,500 Secondly, translated into American for you, 50 00:03:06,500 --> 00:03:07,733 the coldest day 51 00:03:07,733 --> 00:03:13,033 I ever will be in is minus 78 degrees Fahrenheit. 52 00:03:13,033 --> 00:03:15,600 It's a bit chilly, and at that temperature 53 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,533 sweat turns to ice inside your clothing, 54 00:03:19,533 --> 00:03:22,800 so the second thing I'm sure of is I do not enjoy 55 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:24,466 having ice in my underpants. 56 00:03:24,466 --> 00:03:25,966 It's yet to thrill. 57 00:03:25,966 --> 00:03:30,566 Thirdly, next week I celebrate my 59th birthday, 58 00:03:30,566 --> 00:03:35,200 and after 59 fairly tough years so far on the planet, 59 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:39,066 I've yet to find an insurance company 60 00:03:39,066 --> 00:03:42,733 that's got the courage to give me life cover. 61 00:03:42,733 --> 00:03:43,966 No one will cover me. 62 00:03:43,966 --> 00:03:45,366 You're gonna find out why. 63 00:03:45,366 --> 00:03:47,766 And lastly, 64 00:03:47,766 --> 00:03:51,933 which I think is really important for all of us, 65 00:03:51,933 --> 00:03:53,733 you are the future explorers. 66 00:03:53,733 --> 00:03:55,866 You are the young people here, 67 00:03:55,866 --> 00:03:58,433 and it's fabulous, joined by, I know, 68 00:03:58,433 --> 00:04:01,300 some more senior people here as well, 69 00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:03,533 but I think it's really important 70 00:04:03,533 --> 00:04:06,566 to understand from my point of view. 71 00:04:06,566 --> 00:04:09,400 Before we undertake a mission, do you know 72 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:10,600 what people say to me? 73 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:12,366 "You're gonna fail, Rob. 74 00:04:12,366 --> 00:04:14,633 You're gonna die." Now, I won't say, 75 00:04:14,633 --> 00:04:18,333 'cause I'm on record, what I really think about these people. 76 00:04:18,333 --> 00:04:19,833 It's not much, 77 00:04:19,833 --> 00:04:23,833 but the point is, open any newspaper this morning, 78 00:04:23,833 --> 00:04:26,833 watch any TV program today, 79 00:04:26,833 --> 00:04:29,400 most of is negative. 80 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:34,100 Why? Because it's easy to be negative. 81 00:04:34,100 --> 00:04:38,100 It's harder to be positive, so I'd like to start today 82 00:04:38,100 --> 00:04:41,933 by saying the most important part of leadership 83 00:04:41,933 --> 00:04:46,033 is to be the positive person around the table. 84 00:04:46,033 --> 00:04:48,800 No one is inspired by negative. 85 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,500 Now, imagine 86 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:54,666 you're connected with fairly wide open places, 87 00:04:54,666 --> 00:04:58,266 but imagine walking across a continent 88 00:04:58,266 --> 00:05:00,633 twice the size of Australia. 89 00:05:00,633 --> 00:05:04,333 Your destination is one building the size of this room, 90 00:05:04,333 --> 00:05:07,433 the South Pole Scientific Station. 91 00:05:07,433 --> 00:05:10,966 A map of where you're going looks like the screen. 92 00:05:10,966 --> 00:05:13,166 That's the map, 93 00:05:13,166 --> 00:05:17,100 and eventually your team of three people 94 00:05:17,100 --> 00:05:18,733 arrive at the South Pole. 95 00:05:18,733 --> 00:05:20,200 It was hard work. 96 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,000 I lost 69 pounds in 70 days, 97 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:25,666 but we did it. 98 00:05:25,666 --> 00:05:26,900 By some aeroplanes 99 00:05:26,900 --> 00:05:30,200 you find yourself standing at Heathrow Airport 100 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,000 a little bit thin. 101 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,800 You haven't had a proper bath or shower for a year. 102 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,366 That's even extreme for an Englishman. 103 00:05:38,366 --> 00:05:40,566 You haven't seen your girlfriend for a year. 104 00:05:40,566 --> 00:05:42,466 There's lots of excitement, 105 00:05:42,466 --> 00:05:46,333 but the first thing you're told standing there 106 00:05:46,333 --> 00:05:49,600 is you've got to go on a TV chat show 107 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,466 with 20 million people laughing at you, 108 00:05:52,466 --> 00:05:57,200 and the first question they ask is, "Was it cold, Bob?" 109 00:05:59,933 --> 00:06:02,766 But eventually they do get around 110 00:06:02,766 --> 00:06:05,533 to asking one good question, 111 00:06:05,533 --> 00:06:08,066 and it's very relevant to where we are. 112 00:06:08,066 --> 00:06:10,766 "Why, Rob, did you do this?" 113 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,966 This is a photograph of me in 1969. 114 00:06:15,966 --> 00:06:18,233 Check out that haircut. 115 00:06:18,233 --> 00:06:21,000 And I was woken in the middle of the night to come down 116 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,600 and watch the black-and-white TV 117 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,166 to see that moment 118 00:06:27,166 --> 00:06:30,233 where we landed on the Moon. 119 00:06:30,233 --> 00:06:32,533 I remember looking at it, going, 120 00:06:32,533 --> 00:06:37,200 "Wow, I'm doing this, definitely." 121 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:41,033 But even then I realized my limitations. 122 00:06:41,033 --> 00:06:42,466 I was interested in history. 123 00:06:42,466 --> 00:06:44,566 I wasn't a scientist. 124 00:06:44,566 --> 00:06:50,500 So I began to think, could I find outer space on Earth? 125 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:51,966 It didn't take long. 126 00:06:51,966 --> 00:06:54,033 I found the Antarctic, 127 00:06:54,033 --> 00:06:57,466 and the Antarctic would be the place 128 00:06:57,466 --> 00:07:01,166 where I would try to make the dream come true. 129 00:07:01,166 --> 00:07:05,566 Could I feel like I was in space somewhere on Earth? 130 00:07:05,566 --> 00:07:08,633 And Antarctica is an extraordinary place, 131 00:07:08,633 --> 00:07:11,566 the only place in the world 132 00:07:11,566 --> 00:07:14,700 that all of us own. 133 00:07:14,700 --> 00:07:16,433 No one owns Antarctica. 134 00:07:16,433 --> 00:07:19,566 It's the last true great wilderness, 135 00:07:19,566 --> 00:07:23,066 and the early explorers, the real people, Scott, 136 00:07:23,066 --> 00:07:26,466 Shackleton, Amundsen, Peary, 137 00:07:26,466 --> 00:07:30,233 Byrd, the real explorers-- 'cause I'm not an explorer. 138 00:07:30,233 --> 00:07:32,000 I'm simply a traveler. 139 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,533 The real explorers, 140 00:07:33,533 --> 00:07:38,633 75 years before us, they used ponies, dogs. 141 00:07:38,633 --> 00:07:43,466 They had teams of 20 people laying out supplies 142 00:07:43,466 --> 00:07:45,200 in front of a main team, 143 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,833 and the team would pick up those supplies on their return. 144 00:07:48,833 --> 00:07:51,600 I didn't want to repeat history. 145 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:56,200 I wanted to find something where we could push the edge, 146 00:07:56,200 --> 00:08:00,266 and we chose the longest unassisted march 147 00:08:00,266 --> 00:08:03,766 ever made anywhere on Earth in history. 148 00:08:03,766 --> 00:08:07,500 We would start with no radio communications, 149 00:08:07,500 --> 00:08:10,800 no satellite devices to press a button and it-- 150 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:12,933 where it tells you where you are on Earth. 151 00:08:12,933 --> 00:08:16,533 We would navigate using the Sun, a sextant, 152 00:08:16,533 --> 00:08:18,033 and a watch, 153 00:08:18,033 --> 00:08:23,000 and we would attempt a one-way trip 900 nautical miles, 154 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,633 and to put it into the context of space, 155 00:08:26,633 --> 00:08:28,900 it would be like landing on a planet 156 00:08:28,900 --> 00:08:33,333 where all you had was air and ice, 157 00:08:33,333 --> 00:08:38,200 and you would have to survive for 70 days on that planet 158 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:43,133 and travel 900 miles on foot completely unassisted. 159 00:08:43,133 --> 00:08:44,500 That would be the plan. 160 00:08:44,500 --> 00:08:48,566 To turn any dream into a reality needs commitment. 161 00:08:48,566 --> 00:08:52,033 You know, in a world over-dominated, I might say, 162 00:08:52,033 --> 00:08:55,066 by instant communication, 163 00:08:55,066 --> 00:08:58,200 don't think that you will inspire people 164 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,733 by sending them a text or a WhatsApp. 165 00:09:01,733 --> 00:09:06,733 You will inspire people by showing leadership, 166 00:09:06,733 --> 00:09:08,533 walking the talk, 167 00:09:08,533 --> 00:09:11,233 believing in what you're doing, 168 00:09:11,233 --> 00:09:12,600 what you're saying. 169 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:16,766 It took me seven years at the age of 20 170 00:09:16,766 --> 00:09:19,933 to raise $5 million U.S. 171 00:09:19,933 --> 00:09:21,533 Most of those years, 172 00:09:21,533 --> 00:09:25,666 I had to really understand the word "no." 173 00:09:25,666 --> 00:09:27,700 People would not support me, 174 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:30,733 but if you have a dream, hang on to that dream. 175 00:09:30,733 --> 00:09:32,866 Believe in it. It can come true. 176 00:09:32,866 --> 00:09:38,466 We buy a ship, and 25 of us sail south past Australia, 177 00:09:38,466 --> 00:09:40,166 south from New Zealand, 178 00:09:40,166 --> 00:09:43,366 and then we head into the mighty Southern Ocean. 179 00:09:43,366 --> 00:09:48,733 We land in Antarctica 3,000 miles from civilization 180 00:09:48,733 --> 00:09:51,566 and unload our energy. 181 00:09:51,566 --> 00:09:55,300 Without energy in Antarctica you're dead, 182 00:09:55,300 --> 00:10:00,133 and 27 years ago it was good old British coal 183 00:10:00,133 --> 00:10:05,300 and jet aviation fuel would be our energy, 184 00:10:05,300 --> 00:10:09,100 the most reliable energy at the time. 185 00:10:09,100 --> 00:10:11,966 Five of us would live inside 186 00:10:11,966 --> 00:10:15,233 a tiny box for nine months, 187 00:10:15,233 --> 00:10:16,900 no communications. 188 00:10:16,900 --> 00:10:21,133 We wouldn't be connected for one year. 189 00:10:21,133 --> 00:10:25,800 No postal service, just five of us living in Antarctica, 190 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,766 and to be blunt, very different people. 191 00:10:29,766 --> 00:10:34,066 I didn't choose my best friends to go on this expedition. 192 00:10:34,066 --> 00:10:36,366 Diversity is strength. 193 00:10:36,366 --> 00:10:39,233 Have the courage, always, 194 00:10:39,233 --> 00:10:43,566 to choose the right people for a mission, for a job. 195 00:10:43,566 --> 00:10:47,200 Don't choose your best friends just because they say yes. 196 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,100 Choose people who challenge you, push you, 197 00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:51,966 because that is strong. 198 00:10:51,966 --> 00:10:55,600 Nine months inside a tiny, little hut, 199 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:59,666 five months of total darkness in the Antarctic, 200 00:10:59,666 --> 00:11:00,933 and we came through. 201 00:11:00,933 --> 00:11:03,700 We hated each other from day one, 202 00:11:03,700 --> 00:11:08,600 but we came through with a simple two ways 203 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,200 of communicating. 204 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,666 One was to tell each other the truth, 205 00:11:13,666 --> 00:11:15,933 and secondly, to listen 206 00:11:15,933 --> 00:11:19,000 to what people were really saying. 207 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:20,833 Not hear what you want to hear, 208 00:11:20,833 --> 00:11:23,800 but listen to what people are really saying. 209 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,900 And during that time we would unpack, repack. 210 00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:33,133 Our technology was to try and reduce the weight with which 211 00:11:33,133 --> 00:11:34,466 we would have to pull. 212 00:11:34,466 --> 00:11:41,600 We knew that we could only pull 360 pounds on a sled. 213 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,566 More than that, the sled would dig in, 214 00:11:44,566 --> 00:11:45,866 and we were dead, 215 00:11:45,866 --> 00:11:51,833 so we had to remove every single possible extra ounce. 216 00:11:51,833 --> 00:11:55,233 We even cut the handles off our toothbrushes 217 00:11:55,233 --> 00:11:57,533 because that was extra weight, 218 00:11:57,533 --> 00:12:00,733 and gradually we pulled the weight down 219 00:12:00,733 --> 00:12:03,766 ounce by ounce, gram by gram, 220 00:12:03,766 --> 00:12:09,366 to each of us pulling 360 pounds per person. 221 00:12:09,366 --> 00:12:11,866 80 days of food and fuel, 222 00:12:11,866 --> 00:12:14,266 79 pounds 223 00:12:14,266 --> 00:12:17,866 total weight of jet A1 224 00:12:17,866 --> 00:12:20,966 which we would use inside our tent 225 00:12:20,966 --> 00:12:24,333 to melt the ice to cook, 226 00:12:24,333 --> 00:12:27,900 and we used, simply, between three of us, 227 00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:29,466 unbelievably, 228 00:12:29,466 --> 00:12:32,200 only one pint 229 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:36,666 of jet fuel per day to stay alive, 230 00:12:36,666 --> 00:12:40,600 and we had a marvelous little stove called an MSR. 231 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,733 Walking to the South Pole is extremely hard, 232 00:12:44,733 --> 00:12:46,166 nine hours a day, 233 00:12:46,166 --> 00:12:49,433 seven days a week, 70 days in a row. 234 00:12:49,433 --> 00:12:54,833 you must cross on your journey through 6,000 crevasses, 235 00:12:54,833 --> 00:12:56,966 and if you fall into a crevasse, 236 00:12:56,966 --> 00:12:58,866 you hope you die... 237 00:12:58,866 --> 00:13:00,833 [laughter] 238 00:13:00,833 --> 00:13:04,433 Because if you die, it's fine, 239 00:13:04,433 --> 00:13:06,500 but if you stay alive 240 00:13:06,500 --> 00:13:09,300 and you're 100 foot down a crevasse, 241 00:13:09,300 --> 00:13:11,400 we carried no ropes, 242 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:12,633 no ladders, 243 00:13:12,633 --> 00:13:14,466 no rescue equipment. 244 00:13:14,466 --> 00:13:17,666 We have no radio equipment, so if you go down, 245 00:13:17,666 --> 00:13:19,466 you stay down, 246 00:13:19,466 --> 00:13:22,500 so you hoped you died for the simple reason 247 00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:25,433 it would have been a bit grim to wave good-bye 248 00:13:25,433 --> 00:13:27,700 to your friends 100 foot above. 249 00:13:28,866 --> 00:13:32,500 6,000 crevasses, how did we come through those? 250 00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:36,000 We truly trusted each other. 251 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,066 Without trust you're nothing, 252 00:13:39,066 --> 00:13:42,633 and in order to trust people you have to fully trust people, 253 00:13:42,633 --> 00:13:44,266 not half-trust them, 254 00:13:44,266 --> 00:13:47,500 so whoever's leading through the crevasse fields 255 00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:49,533 would choose the route, 256 00:13:49,533 --> 00:13:53,533 and the others would follow that route unconditionally 257 00:13:53,533 --> 00:13:54,933 and without debate. 258 00:13:54,933 --> 00:13:58,466 Why? 'Cause if we'd stopped 6,000 times 259 00:13:58,466 --> 00:14:00,533 for a feedback session, 260 00:14:00,533 --> 00:14:04,100 "Oh, I don't like this one, mate. Looks a bit tricky. 261 00:14:04,100 --> 00:14:08,133 Let's stop, have tea, talk it through. 262 00:14:08,133 --> 00:14:12,100 Perhaps send each other a couple of texts to work out 263 00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:15,866 when our next meeting's gonna be about crossing the crevasse. 264 00:14:15,866 --> 00:14:20,900 Perhaps even, you know, share our feelings, hold hands." 265 00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:25,066 Now, had we done that 6,000 times I wouldn't be here 266 00:14:25,066 --> 00:14:27,766 because we had to average 267 00:14:27,766 --> 00:14:32,866 12 nautical miles every day. 268 00:14:32,866 --> 00:14:34,833 Fall below 12, 269 00:14:34,833 --> 00:14:36,866 we run out of food and fuel, 270 00:14:36,866 --> 00:14:41,066 and in Antarctica you're dead in five days. 271 00:14:41,066 --> 00:14:45,033 So, efficiency for you, 272 00:14:45,033 --> 00:14:49,466 efficiency for us is a matter of life or death. 273 00:14:49,466 --> 00:14:52,400 We reach halfway to the pole, 274 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,533 and in a space term, you know, 275 00:14:54,533 --> 00:14:59,233 we reach the point of no return now because once past halfway, 276 00:14:59,233 --> 00:15:01,666 we can't turn back 277 00:15:01,666 --> 00:15:04,300 because we'll run out of food and fuel. 278 00:15:04,300 --> 00:15:07,700 So now we commit to reach one building, 279 00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:12,800 the South Pole Scientific Station 500 miles on. 280 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,433 We reach it or we don't come home. 281 00:15:15,433 --> 00:15:16,633 Now we commit. 282 00:15:16,633 --> 00:15:19,133 We are now standing in an area 283 00:15:19,133 --> 00:15:23,100 the size of the United States of America, 284 00:15:23,100 --> 00:15:26,566 and we are the only people there. 285 00:15:26,566 --> 00:15:28,266 Bit lonely. 286 00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:33,866 And beneath our feet 16,000 feet of solid ice, 287 00:15:33,866 --> 00:15:37,700 70% of all the world's fresh water, 288 00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:40,733 90% of all the world's ice, 289 00:15:40,733 --> 00:15:43,100 we're standing on it. 290 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:46,466 Now, I have to be very, very honest in saying 291 00:15:46,466 --> 00:15:50,133 I did this because it went down well with girls at parties. 292 00:15:50,133 --> 00:15:52,933 You know, I didn't do this for any scientific, 293 00:15:52,933 --> 00:15:54,733 save-the-planet reason. 294 00:15:54,733 --> 00:15:57,433 I just wanted to do this, 295 00:15:57,433 --> 00:16:00,500 and I'd never thought about our world. 296 00:16:00,500 --> 00:16:04,566 I thought somebody else would look after our world, not me, 297 00:16:04,566 --> 00:16:06,200 but walking across this ice 298 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:10,233 I began to think how powerful 299 00:16:10,233 --> 00:16:13,066 this place really was, 300 00:16:13,066 --> 00:16:16,566 and I ask you to listen to these words carefully. 301 00:16:16,566 --> 00:16:22,033 If, if, if we continue to melt this, 302 00:16:22,033 --> 00:16:26,700 we have a major problem of our survival here on Earth. 303 00:16:26,700 --> 00:16:29,933 As we close in on the South Geographic Pole 304 00:16:29,933 --> 00:16:31,500 according to our plans, 305 00:16:31,500 --> 00:16:33,266 our ship, Southern Quest, 306 00:16:33,266 --> 00:16:35,233 should be at base. 307 00:16:35,233 --> 00:16:38,900 They should be unloading an aeroplane. 308 00:16:38,900 --> 00:16:43,033 It--the aeroplane is then taken off from an iceberg, 309 00:16:43,033 --> 00:16:45,166 one chance. 310 00:16:45,166 --> 00:16:47,633 The plane flies to the pole, looks for us. 311 00:16:47,633 --> 00:16:48,900 If they find us, 312 00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:52,200 we jump on the plane, go back to the base camp, 313 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:56,233 and do something that we promised to do. 314 00:16:56,233 --> 00:17:00,933 To raise $5 million U.S. when you're 22 years old 315 00:17:00,933 --> 00:17:03,200 needed some help, 316 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,300 and I hope some of you might remember the name 317 00:17:05,300 --> 00:17:07,500 Jacques Cousteau. 318 00:17:07,500 --> 00:17:08,866 Well, Jacques Cousteau was-- 319 00:17:08,866 --> 00:17:13,366 I was honored for him to be a friend and our patron. 320 00:17:13,366 --> 00:17:15,966 He got on the phone and helped raise the money, 321 00:17:15,966 --> 00:17:17,866 but being Jacques, he said, 322 00:17:17,866 --> 00:17:20,066 "Rob... 323 00:17:20,066 --> 00:17:21,666 I will help you, 324 00:17:21,666 --> 00:17:24,100 but you've got to do something for me. 325 00:17:24,100 --> 00:17:26,033 At the end of your expedition, 326 00:17:26,033 --> 00:17:29,233 clear away all your garbage, all your rubbish. 327 00:17:29,233 --> 00:17:31,433 Leave just your footsteps 328 00:17:31,433 --> 00:17:34,200 in the snow of the Antarctic and I'll help you. 329 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:38,166 Show respect to the last great wilderness on Earth." 330 00:17:38,166 --> 00:17:39,633 I said, "Jacques, get on the phone. 331 00:17:39,633 --> 00:17:41,966 Of course we'll do this." 332 00:17:41,966 --> 00:17:45,466 So our plan was we reach the pole, back to the base, 333 00:17:45,466 --> 00:17:47,333 load everything up, head north. 334 00:17:47,333 --> 00:17:51,633 That's the plan, and after 70 fairly tough days 335 00:17:51,633 --> 00:17:56,166 three of us arrived at the bottom of the world, 336 00:17:56,166 --> 00:17:59,666 the South Geographic Pole Scientific Station. 337 00:17:59,666 --> 00:18:02,000 It was a bit of a shock for the scientists there 338 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,466 when three people walked by the window, 339 00:18:04,466 --> 00:18:06,433 like, "What?" 340 00:18:06,433 --> 00:18:07,700 and we had five minutes 341 00:18:07,700 --> 00:18:12,633 to stand there and celebrate what was possible. 342 00:18:13,866 --> 00:18:15,600 That's why you're here. 343 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,900 You're all about what's possible, 344 00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:20,300 but the world seems to be rather addicted 345 00:18:20,300 --> 00:18:22,766 to what's not possible. 346 00:18:22,766 --> 00:18:24,166 And we were proud, 347 00:18:24,166 --> 00:18:27,333 and then the base commander from the South Pole Station 348 00:18:27,333 --> 00:18:29,933 came out looking a bit gloomy, 349 00:18:29,933 --> 00:18:31,600 and I thought, "No." 350 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:32,966 And he said, "Sorry, Rob, 351 00:18:32,966 --> 00:18:34,966 your ship just sank." 352 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,900 So right at the moment 353 00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:41,533 of our pointless success everything goes terribly wrong. 354 00:18:41,533 --> 00:18:44,200 Now, most important thing 355 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:47,066 for all of us is safety. 356 00:18:47,066 --> 00:18:49,266 Everybody's safe, 357 00:18:49,266 --> 00:18:52,933 but, of course, you can't insure a ship this far south. 358 00:18:52,933 --> 00:18:54,766 I'd promised my bank manager 359 00:18:54,766 --> 00:18:57,633 I'd pay off my debts by selling the ship. 360 00:18:57,633 --> 00:18:58,666 I have no ship. 361 00:18:58,666 --> 00:18:59,900 I have no insurance. 362 00:18:59,900 --> 00:19:01,233 I go bankrupt. 363 00:19:01,233 --> 00:19:02,233 I lose my home. 364 00:19:02,233 --> 00:19:04,200 Everybody's laughing at me, 365 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,633 and also I had promised Jacques Cousteau 366 00:19:07,633 --> 00:19:09,966 that we would clear away our base camp. 367 00:19:09,966 --> 00:19:11,433 I don't have a ship. 368 00:19:11,433 --> 00:19:14,200 I'm bankrupt. 369 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:19,066 It's 3,000 miles back to New Zealand, 370 00:19:19,066 --> 00:19:22,666 and we'd made a promise. 371 00:19:22,666 --> 00:19:27,300 You can buy a lot of books on teamwork and leadership, 372 00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:30,266 but I'll save you the money. 373 00:19:30,266 --> 00:19:32,800 The most important thing, in my humble opinion, 374 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:34,300 about leadership 375 00:19:34,300 --> 00:19:37,133 is you should think carefully 376 00:19:37,133 --> 00:19:41,133 before you make a commitment. 377 00:19:41,133 --> 00:19:44,600 And once you make a commitment, deliver on it. 378 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:46,800 Do it, because if you don't, 379 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,033 people won't take you seriously ever again, 380 00:19:49,033 --> 00:19:51,200 and I'd promised Jacques Cousteau 381 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:56,600 that we would leave Antarctica tidy, 382 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:57,800 and we would do that. 383 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,966 Three volunteers, no one's ever paid, 384 00:20:00,966 --> 00:20:04,133 spent another year at our base camp. 385 00:20:04,133 --> 00:20:07,100 I borrowed, yes, an aeroplane 386 00:20:07,100 --> 00:20:10,433 from the United States government, God bless America, 387 00:20:10,433 --> 00:20:14,400 got the aeroplane and my team back to New Zealand 388 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,433 and promised those three brave souls 389 00:20:17,433 --> 00:20:22,300 that I would return a year later with another ship, pick them up, 390 00:20:22,300 --> 00:20:24,900 and deliver on our promise, 391 00:20:24,900 --> 00:20:28,600 and I'm very proud to say that we did that. 392 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,366 Do you know what leadership is also about? 393 00:20:31,366 --> 00:20:35,133 Building track records 394 00:20:35,133 --> 00:20:39,866 so people take you seriously when you have a plan. 395 00:20:39,866 --> 00:20:41,600 So, we delivered, 396 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:44,966 and that cost me, at the age of 28, 397 00:20:44,966 --> 00:20:49,966 a personal debt to the bank of $1.2 million, 398 00:20:49,966 --> 00:20:53,100 and I'd never had a job. 399 00:20:53,100 --> 00:20:56,333 Took ten years to repay it, 400 00:20:56,333 --> 00:20:57,733 but we were on it. 401 00:20:57,733 --> 00:21:02,333 Now, something happened to me walking to the South Pole 402 00:21:02,333 --> 00:21:04,333 that actually brought me here today, 403 00:21:04,333 --> 00:21:05,666 and it hurt. 404 00:21:07,133 --> 00:21:12,266 My eyes changed color through damage in 70 days. 405 00:21:12,266 --> 00:21:14,566 Our faces blistered out, 406 00:21:14,566 --> 00:21:16,900 and the skin ripped away. 407 00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:20,733 We hadn't read about this in the diaries of Scott, 408 00:21:20,733 --> 00:21:22,900 Shackleton, Peary, 409 00:21:22,900 --> 00:21:24,166 Amundsen, you know, 410 00:21:24,166 --> 00:21:26,200 "Faces fell of yesterday. 411 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,466 Entire team blind. 412 00:21:28,466 --> 00:21:30,966 Rather tricky position." 413 00:21:30,966 --> 00:21:33,333 Now, this hadn't happened to Scott, 414 00:21:33,333 --> 00:21:35,133 so what was happening to us? 415 00:21:35,133 --> 00:21:39,666 Well, NASA tell us on return, 416 00:21:39,666 --> 00:21:41,333 "Oh, by the way, guys, 417 00:21:41,333 --> 00:21:43,833 we've just discovered the hole in the ozone layer, 418 00:21:43,833 --> 00:21:45,766 and you walked underneath it." 419 00:21:45,766 --> 00:21:47,400 Ultraviolet rays down, 420 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:51,300 hit the ice, bounced back, fried our faces off, 421 00:21:51,300 --> 00:21:52,766 burnt out our eyes. 422 00:21:52,766 --> 00:21:56,533 Bit of a shock, actually. 423 00:21:56,533 --> 00:22:01,866 And it started me thinking that maybe some of these issues 424 00:22:01,866 --> 00:22:04,000 aren't somebody else's problem. 425 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,233 But first, any businesspeople, 426 00:22:06,233 --> 00:22:07,600 please don't laugh, 427 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,333 I thought I could pay off my debts from the South Pole 428 00:22:11,333 --> 00:22:13,033 by walking to the North Pole. 429 00:22:13,033 --> 00:22:15,166 This was not the best idea I ever had, 430 00:22:15,166 --> 00:22:18,100 but anyhow, I'm not embarrassed to say, 431 00:22:18,100 --> 00:22:24,300 and there's nothing wrong at all in having a dream 432 00:22:24,300 --> 00:22:29,333 and having curiosity to make that dream a reality, 433 00:22:29,333 --> 00:22:32,333 and I wanted to be the first to walk to both poles. 434 00:22:32,333 --> 00:22:33,833 So, off we go. 435 00:22:33,833 --> 00:22:36,133 The team from the South Pole 436 00:22:36,133 --> 00:22:39,500 naturally said, "Rob, on your own this time, mate. 437 00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:40,933 We're not doing it again." 438 00:22:40,933 --> 00:22:42,166 Do you want to know why 439 00:22:42,166 --> 00:22:44,766 I'm the first person to walk to both poles? 440 00:22:44,766 --> 00:22:46,900 It really hurts, that's why. 441 00:22:46,900 --> 00:22:50,566 So now, a team of eight of us from seven different nations 442 00:22:50,566 --> 00:22:54,700 will walk 700 miles across a frozen ocean, 443 00:22:54,700 --> 00:22:56,966 every step away from land. 444 00:22:56,966 --> 00:23:01,266 Walking to the North Pole is extremely hard, 445 00:23:01,266 --> 00:23:04,633 extremely hard. 446 00:23:04,633 --> 00:23:07,233 And we had to learn patience. 447 00:23:07,233 --> 00:23:09,333 Never forget patience. 448 00:23:09,333 --> 00:23:10,866 How many stupid ideas 449 00:23:10,866 --> 00:23:15,800 can you listen to without losing your patience? 450 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,866 Check out Daryl on the right from Harlem, New York City. 451 00:23:18,866 --> 00:23:21,466 He would become the first American in history 452 00:23:21,466 --> 00:23:22,966 to walk to the North Pole. 453 00:23:22,966 --> 00:23:27,500 Check out how much he loved Rupert's music, not much. 454 00:23:27,500 --> 00:23:29,333 Here's me coming in from washing 455 00:23:29,333 --> 00:23:34,000 at minus 72 degrees Fahrenheit, naked. 456 00:23:36,033 --> 00:23:37,200 Gentlemen... 457 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,866 [laughter] 458 00:23:41,166 --> 00:23:43,133 It is your job, 459 00:23:43,133 --> 00:23:47,200 gentlemen, to explain to our esteemed ladies later 460 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,400 why you can see absolutely nothing 461 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:55,400 hanging down in the central area of the photograph. 462 00:23:57,233 --> 00:23:59,766 Let's just say it's a bit cold. 463 00:23:59,766 --> 00:24:04,600 We are now 642 miles from land,