Mission Antarctica – the lessons

The Antarctica expedition was the most unrushed time of my life since my early teenage years. The uninterrupted time to myself, away from cell-phones, emails, deadlines and all worries, gave me ample time to think things through. I came away with a lot of lessons. Some of the lessons were reconfirmation of the old. Many of them gave new perspectives on myself and the world around me. Some of the lessons require me to make new commitments – some personal and some not so personal. On the subject of global warming and climate change, seeing a giant iceberg disintegrate right in front of your eyes at Charlotte Bay in a thunderous noise knocked the wax out of my ears and the cataracts out of my eyes. Seeing the lights at Robert Swan’s E-Base in Bellingshausen station powered out of wind and solar energy makes you wonder out loud why on earth can’t we use the same technology in the more hospitable settings we have in rest of the world. Seeing the abandoned remnants of human activity at Whaler’s Cove makes you promise yourself that you will never be part of any such short sighted and gluttonous mission, plans or business models. At the end of it all, I came away with my own simple definition on sustainability – a word my archaic brain has failed to decipher completely before. For me it means, ‘Balance’. Balancing what we consume today against the self healing and self replenishing capacity of mother-nature. Balancing the profits of today versus the profits of tomorrow. Balancing the needs of an organization, its shareholders, the communities it touches AND ever forgotten mother-nature. Balance!

The expedition also gave me a chance to connect with eleven top caliber people from the various business groups of the diverse company I work for. I learned a lot from them. I learned a lot more about my own company from them. Is there a better way to learn about the diverse and large company I work for than to get to know and understand eleven other individuals representing the different sides of the company? Through them I learned how teams can come together in adversity. I enjoyed their company. I made great new friends. Through our interactions we sharpened each other; like iron sharpens iron. We came together as 12 individuals, shared 12 days in a unique adventure to the edge of the world, and we have returned to 12 different worlds, more aware of ourselves, our company, our world, and our responsibilities. We want to share our experience, our learnings, our stories (and our pictures) with everyone and anyone who wants to listen. Through the sharing we acknowledge the company that send us on this unique journey – Akzo Nobel, the organization that led the expedition and is committed to engaging the world about Antarctica – 2041, the many faces that graced our lives during the expedition, and the majestic land and its rightful inhabitants that hosted us and inspired us – amazing Antarctica.