4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners | BNET http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/4-leadership-lessons-from-the-chile-m...

BNET

4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

By Steve Tobak | October 14, 2010

12 Comments

Like millions, perhaps billions, my eyes were glued to the screen as the rescue capsule brought the first
Chilean miner to the surface to see his wife and children for the first time in 69 days.

In spite of all the media attention and the emotionally charged atmosphere, what really struck me was
something I did not expect to see. When the first rescue worker descended the shaft and emerged from
the capsule to greet the 33 trapped men, I was floored by how disciplined, organized, strong, and in
good spirits the miners appeared to be. Every single one of them.

And no, they weren’t just putting on a show for the cameras. After 69 days trapped in that hell-hole, I
seriously doubt that was even possible.

Don’t forget, not only were these men trapped under a half mile of rock in 90+ degree heat for more
than two months, but for the first 17 days after the mine collapsed, they subsisted on just two days of
food and water without a hint that anyone even suspected they had survived the cave-in.

But they organized, supported each other, and in my mind, demonstrated the very best of what the
human race is capable of doing under extremely challenging conditions. Here are 4 leadership lessons
we can all learn from these 33 extraordinary men:

Humans really are at their best under extreme adversity. We need look no further than
the poise and control of all those miners when they greeted the first person they’d set eyes on in
69 days to know that humans have a surprising ability to pull together and do amazing things
under extraordinarily challenging conditions. Even in business, challenges bring out the best in
us.
Leadership, management, and organization are not just business concepts. They’re
human concepts, terms that attempt to capture how men and women uniquely organize in groups
or teams to take on extraordinary challenges, even the chaos of the physical world. We attempt to
replicate these concepts in the business world, but they occurred first in nature.

1 of 5 18/10/2010 8:29 AM
4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners | BNET http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/4-leadership-lessons-from-the-chile-m...

Embracing emotion aids survival. All the hugging, kissing, and crying by almost everyone
present throughout the ordeal, including Chile’s president and the rescue workers, wasn’t unique
to this extraordinary event. I’ve spent time in South America, including Chile, and the people are
very open, comfortable, and in touch with their emotions. I think that contributed to the miner’s
survival. Feelings are our warning and guidance systems. I wonder if corporate America’s
outwardly stoic nature, especially with respect to emotion, is success-limiting behavior.
Democratic organizations or “social collectives” where everyone has a voice are
inherently problematic. Not to mention they would fall completely apart in times of crisis,
which all companies face. Had it been every man for himself instead of shift leader Luis Urzua
(pictured with Chile President Sebastian Pinera) taking control, the miners would never have
survived. As Jena McGregor explains in her Washington Post column:

“Immediately after the miners became trapped, Urzua reportedly got all of them to share in
the sacrifice by rationing their two-day supply of food to last 17 days–when they were finally
discovered–and to eat their food together at the same time. He crafted a disciplined
structure to their subterranean lives, setting up orderly work shifts and creating a map of
the miners’ topography to help rescuers. And he appealed to his compatriots’ emotional
needs, encouraging miners to talk on camera to their families, serving as a “calming”
presence …”

Bottom line: While not a “leadership lesson” per se, I’d be remiss if I didn’t call attention to the
flawless execution of every stage of the rescue operation. It was truly impressive. And you know what?
Not only did I find this entire experience inspiring, but knowing that there are unheralded leaders like
Urzua scattered around the globe fills me with hope and optimism for all of us.

Also check out:

On Bosses Day, Take Responsibility For Your Own Career

Top 3 Myths About Top Executives
Power Comes From Experience - Get It Now, While You Can

Image of Miner Luis Urzua and Chile President Sebastian Pinera CC 2.0 via Flickr user Rescate
Mineros

Related Tags Leadership, Management, Steve Tobak, Chile, Miners, Luis Urzua, Crisis

Talkback 12 Talkbacks

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

Every man for himself does not describe a social collective. You can have a leader and work
collectively, that is, for the greater good of all. Isn't that what happened? lfskater1 10/14/2010 02:32
PM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

I think you completely misread the story. In my opinion, the reason why this was such an exceptional
event is because these humans exhibited extraordinary self control at a level rarely seen in our society.
Also, like Ifskater1, I see this as strong leadership yes, but a stronger social collective bond which I
doubt was created by a single "alpha male".

2 of 5 18/10/2010 8:29 AM
4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners | BNET http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/4-leadership-lessons-from-the-chile-m...

My takeaway though is like yours, suggesting that within the human spirit it is possible to rise above
ourselves to achieve together what might seem to be the impossible. Our reality does not have to be
that so popularly reflected in the zero sum games of "reality TV". ArtM72 10/14/2010 02:54 PM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

What an awesome story all the way around. I think it says a lot about the human spirit, teamwork and
the ability to thrive in adversity. coachscott 10/14/2010 03:08 PM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

As a Chilean, living in Santiago and spending the last 48 hours pretty much hooked to my TV, I would
say that many factors are responsible for this incredible outcome.
Leadership, well thought organization, experience, faith, well established procedures in the industry,
and people that cared for each other, add to this positive equation. We have a long lasting mining
tradition in Chile, learned from the American mining companies (Kennecot / Anaconda) and nowadays
from the Canadians and Australian companies.
We have an old German engineering culture, and we have the Chilean ingenuity and the strong will to
survive, by any means. This is a country where everything we have has costed us a lot, either because of
the weather, the quakes, the Tsunamis, or any natural disaster you can think off. We love our land, our
flag and our people. Because we are small, we want to be big. Because we are small, we believe
everybody counts, and we do not leave people behind.... pnaranjo@... 10/14/2010 04:36 PM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

Let us not forget the One who did it all: our God. I am sure that the first thing these men did was ASK
THEIR GOD FOR HELP and keep praying throughout the 69 days they were disconected from the rest
of the world.
Chile's president mentioned several times, "Without the help of our God, we wouldn't have done it"
Let's face it, it is true. He is the One Who permits that once in a while we get to be pro-active, and then
be consider super-heroes. The Glory be to Him. thanks God for all your love. falo47 10/14/2010 04:43
PM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

Steve,
On September 11, 1973 the US government was responsible for the military overthrow of the
democratically elected government of Chile, following which some 30,000 people were cold-bloodedly
executed. And following that there were decades of dictatorship while the ?Chicago School? of
economic theory was disastrously shoved down the Chileans? throats.

The mining unions in particular were targeted for violent treatment.

To claim the example of working class solidarity shown by these Chilean miners for the ideology of
US-style business leadership is beyond tasteless, it insults the memory of so many who suffered and
died so that ideology could dominate the globe. Barry Healy 10/14/2010 09:47 PM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

Great until lesson 4 where you try to assert your world view rather than draw lessons. It sounds to me

3 of 5 18/10/2010 8:29 AM
4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners | BNET http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/4-leadership-lessons-from-the-chile-m...

like an argument for totalitarianism. The individual who created the rules still needs to have legitimacy
- in the absence of violent repression or the payment of wages, this must have been granted to him by
the collective, either overtly or tacitly. If the leader did not have legitimacy it would not have worked.
Far from the Hobbsian view of mankind, it demonstrates how faced with challenges and scarce
resources individuals can work together in the collective interest. thelawofaverages 10/15/2010 01:34
AM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

Congratulations on another great article Steve!

I beg to differ with Mr. Healy on almost all counts. What Mr. Healy seems to have left out of this
equation is that Allende was a marxist communist who was actively promoting the Soviet model (his
ideology) and imposing that model on the Chilean people. What came afterwards was probably no
better...but hey, this is an article about teamwork, not about leftist politics (we have that jammed down
our throat here in Spain, by the way) and we can also talk about the thousands upon thousands of
Catholics that were executed by those same-Allende followers over here.

Get back to the story --- their human touch and lively emotions are a lesson for stoic businessmen in
the US. BRAVO! ABSOLUTELY, you hit the nail on the head, Steve! PaulGibson 10/15/2010 01:35 AM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

"Democratic organizations are inherently problematic". Reaching this conclusion from the Chilean
miners experience is a total departure from what actually happened there (based on what we're
learning now from the miners' stories). Today Urzua explained that every decision was made through
democratic voting (16 + 1) The full story is available here (in Spanish): http://goo.gl/UVoJ. The first
three points on this article I totally agree with them. avilamed 10/15/2010 08:10 AM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

When anybody knows how the chilean miners work everyday, it is not a big surprise the way they
behaved in that extreme situation. Teamwork, organization, are the way the live everyday. God made it
possible, and everyone else made it really happen. rómulo 10/15/2010 03:45 PM

RKipling

"The strength of the wolf is in te pack..." - Rudyard Kipling luiscarlosjacobsen 10/16/2010 10:38 AM

RE: 4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners

You seem to have forgotten one of the most important lessons - that of cutting across political divide,
across national / geographic boundaries which can only happen with strong leadership at the top that
can set the agenda and get other leaders to align with the rescue plan like Pinera did. Obama has this
quality too. It was why nations (Austria, Germany, Canada, France, US) contributed willingly with same
priority to the logistics behind this exercise which can otherwise be stymied by political differences. It
is a lesson to the international community to work together for humanitarian cause., This usually
happens with young leadership.

It is often the case technology is there but unwillingness or commitment from top leadership to make

4 of 5 18/10/2010 8:29 AM
4 Leadership Lessons From the Chile Miners | BNET http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/4-leadership-lessons-from-the-chile-m...

this a priority. In some governments, you find "inquiry will now take place into cause of..." instead of
doing something positive. Leadership needs to be more proactive than reactive. amoddeshmukh@...
10/17/2010 08:37 AM

Talkback - Tell us what you think

Subject (max length: 75): Comment:

Popular on CBS sites: US Open | PGA Championship | iPad | Video Game Reviews | Cell Phones ©
2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Advertise | Jobs

5 of 5 18/10/2010 8:29 AM