David Knoff is a true trailblazer that has proven he can lead in whatever condition he’s put in. After all, he’s gone through what most of the Earth’s population will never experience in their lifetime.
Today’s guest is an Antarctic expeditioner who spent over 530 days in Antarctica due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there, he served as the Station Leader at Australia’s Davis Station. Meet David Knoff.
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What makes expressing creativity so important, especially during trying times? As an adaptive leader, David Knoff has the best story to share on the significance of giving people the space to be creative.
Here are some important topics discussed in this episode with David Knoff:
- 04:38 – Change in Frame of Mind
- 09:09 – Before the Antarctic Experience
- 17:27 – A Successful Strategy
- 22:53 – Work Flexibility into Routine
- 26:13 – Adaptive Leadership
- 30:27 – Resistance to Feedback
- 32:05 – Art Shows
- 39:37 – Readjusting
David Knoff made the most of his leadership experience in Antarctica, regardless of the circumstances that came his way. He did so by shifting his perspective and grasping the situation as a professionally defining moment in his life.
Despite only planning a 12-month Antarctic visit, leaving Australia in October 2019, David Knoff’s stay got extended because of the coronavirus. And while the pandemic was unfolding in the rest of the world, he was left in charge of keeping his 24 team members safe and sane in their station.
David Knoff mediated his team for 537 days—2 Christmases, 2 birthdays, and 2 New Years— before he finally went back home. But upon his return to the mainland in April 2021, he was greeted by the unfamiliarity of this new world.
Although he missed the entire 2020, David Knoff was quick to adapt, becoming an established professional speaker and an isolation and leadership expert in Melbourne. It’s the perfect path since his take on leadership is something all leaders should integrate, “Lead the team you have, not the team you want; lead the moment that you’ve got.”
In this interview, David Knoff inspires us with his one-of-a-kind experience and shares the winning recipe to surviving Antarctica in the midst of a global pandemic.
