Afford Anything · Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Alec Litowitz uses the story of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition as an example of adaptability in action. Despite the loss of their ship and the failure to achieve their original goal of crossing the continent, Shackleton and his crew prioritized the survival of every team member, demonstrating a shift in mission and remarkable resilience.
“Yeah, I mean, this is I think one of the epic adventure stories that exist in history. It's almost a miniature version of AQ in operation, you know, adaptability quotient in operation.”
“And what Shackleton decides, and the team decides, obviously, that becomes number one priority is: can we get every single member of the team back alive? Can we find our way back? Forget about Antarctica. Can we find our way back? And everybody be alive.”
“It's perhaps one of the greatest stories ever of a team facing uncertainty of epic proportions and succeeding because of their adaptability.”