Nome, Alaska is a remote town with a population of 3,866 located on the southern Seward of the Bering Sea. It is known for being the most famous gold rush town in the state during the early 1900’s. The city is so remote it is not part of Alaska’s roadway system. The most common way to get there is a 90-minute flight from Anchorage.
A Remote Place
Now go about 40 miles from Nome further into the wilderness to an abandoned mining camp and this is where you would have found Richard Jessee in early July. Jessee was surely enjoying the solitude and breathtaking scenery of the Alaskan wilderness. However, the wilderness of Alaska, while beautiful and quite peaceful, can also be a very challenging and extremely dangerous place.
An Unexpected Attack
One day, Jessee’s ATV was crossing a river towing a trailer when suddenly, he was ambushed by a grizzly bear. The ATV, trailer, and most importantly his cell phone all sank to the river. Jessee used his gun to escape but he was alone, stranded, and afraid as he tried to survive being attacked by the most dangerous land mammal in the world 40 miles from the nearest town.
He was then terrorized and stalked for several days as the bear kept returning. He said in this article, “There was no doubt about it: the bear was trying to get into my cabin. I don’t know why it was so aggressive. Maybe it had cubs nearby.”
A Dramatic Rescue
Miraculously, on July 16th, a Coast Guard helicopter flying from Kotzbue to Nome was forced off-course and had to maneuver around low clouding. It was then Lieutenant AJ Hammac saw a SOS sign on top of the shack shown above in a picture courtesy of the United States Coast Guard. He said, “We don’t really come across people in the middle of nowhere. He was kind of struggling. When we came around, he was on his hands and knees waving a white flag.” Lt. Commander Jared Carbajal added, ““(My co-pilot) said, ‘Hey, there’s a guy down there and he’s waving at us.’ I said, ‘Is he waving with one hand or two hands? Well, that’s usually a sign of distress.’”
From there the helicopter descended and rescued Jessee. He was then taken to an emergency medical facility in Nome where he is expected to make a full recovery.
I’m sure the book and movie deals are already being negotiated.
3 Primary Leadership Lessons
We Are At Our Best (And Most Safe) When Working In A Team Environment
Human beings were not made to be in solitude for extended periods of time. Being alone opens us up for spiritual, emotional, psychological, and in the case of Richard Jessee, physical attack. Being part of a team makes us better. We are more effective. When you are part of a team, there are people who will watch your back. Also, they have resources which applied appropriately will help you tremendously. Simply put, you can accomplish more with “we” than you can “me”. Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban recently said not being part of a team scares him. You can read his full recount by clicking Nick Saban’s 8 Benefits To Being On A Team. Don’t face life or leadership alone. You are not likely to survive.
Use Clear, Crisp, And Compelling Communication During Times Of Crisis
SOS is only three letters but packs significant meaning. During times of crisis, it is important to use an economy of words. Extended elaborations during stressful situations cause frustration and confusion. SOS is clear (HELP!), crisp (three letters), and compelling (a distress signal). Its message resulted in immediate action once seen.
Don’t Quit. Who Knows What The Clouds Will Bring In.
We have institutionalized quitting in our world today and often even celebrate it. As a result, we are beginning to see a deficit of mental toughness. Three of the most important leadership abilities are reliability, availability, and dependability. Jessee’s commitment to survive the attacking grizzly for several days reminded me of Tom Hanks playing the role of Chuck Noland, FedEx employee in the wonderful movie Castaway. Upon being rescued after being stranded for years on a deserted island, he summed up his feelings (and probably those of Jessee) when he gave the monologue shown below:
Nolad said, “I knew I had to stay alive. Somehow I had to keep breathing even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said I would never see this place again. So that’s what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day that logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in. It gave me a sail… I’ve got to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring.”
Richard Jessee just stayed alive as well. He kept breathing. The sun continued to rise over the Alaskan wilderness. And one day low cloud cover came in. He was rescued. Who knew what the clouds would bring in.
If you are thinking of quitting your leadership responsibilities, DON’T! The same could happen for you.
The previous post is an excerpt from my latest book 2021 The Year In Leadership: The Stories of Faith, Athletics, and Business Which Inspired Us All. If you are looking for the perfect leadership book for your family or teammates this year, I think they would love this book. You can pick up your copies by clicking HERE or on the image provided.