Surviving Uncertainty
In 2010, Luis Urzua began his day like he had many times before. He packed up his gear and gathered his team for the 12 hours of mining ahead of them. During that ill-fated shift on August 5th, all 33 men became trapped more than 700 meters underground when the copper-gold mine where they were working in Northern Chili had a catastrophic collapse. As the leader of the team, foreman Luis Urzua recognized the seriousness of the collapse, took charge, and began organizing the trapped miners for a potential long-term survival situation.
For Urzua, the leadership challenges began within moments of the mine collapse. He immediately ordered his men to huddle to account for his team. He then took three miners and scouted up the tunnel, searching for information on the massive cave-in. Correctly deducing that the men were trapped, Urzua instituted a set of rules and regulations that were structured and crucial to the men's survival.
For example, he ordered that the mine's stash of emergency food be rationed into minimal portions: two spoonful’s of tuna fish and half a glass of milk every 48 hours. Such a critical action not only spoke to the situational and physical needs of the team members, but indirectly began addressing the inherent fear and uncertainty that would inevitably be present.
Urzua focused on a plan, not on fear.
Although known to be very dangerous work, imagine the mental anguish of being trapped approximately ½ mile below the earth’s surface. I cannot fathom the thoughts escaping the minds of the miners or the inexpressible fear of the unknown creating panic or paralysis. I’m certain they weren’t thinking about whether they would have a job tomorrow – but rather, would they see their families again? Would they see the light of day? Would they be able to see their children grow to have an abundant life?
What would be going through your mind?
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What would you do in such a situation?
Rather than become paralyzed with fear of the unknown, Urzua remained focused on the survival of his team. He made detailed maps of the area to help with the expected rescue effort. He assessed available resources and came up with an extended use plan. He communicated with his team regarding the plan and the details he had coordinated with engineers on the surface.
But perhaps most importantly, he created hope for himself and his team. He took an incredibly complex situation and made it simple – he focused on the survival of his team. Everything else was out of his hands.
Did uncertainty remain? Absolutely. But Urzua embraced that uncertainty, creating a plan when others would rather cower in fear. He didn’t give up when the days became weeks. He knew there was a chance that the mine may well become their tomb, but he also knew that there was a chance they would be reached. And with that glimmer of hope, he took steps into that reality for himself – and his team.
What is your approach to uncertainty?
Take a moment and reflect on those significant events in your life when uncertainty settled like a dense fog. When you were perched on a precipice without clear direction or resources. When the things that you thought held you fast eroded away. What did you do?
And what about those around you – those for which mutual trust and friendship are shared? Did you come alongside them – or they alongside you?
I can only imagine that Urzua found camaraderie among his team. A very real sense of shared determination that likely vacillated between members of the team. Trying to remain one step ahead of giving up. Optimism despite the odds. For this team, there wasn’t a countdown to freedom – only perseverance. And perhaps a moment-by-moment belief in the miraculous.
However, their reality was a lot like ours but greatly amplified: There was the waiting for death, the hopelessness, the petty squabbles and the nagging, unspoken fear of cannibalism. There were rifts in the group, certainly disagreements, and likely events that occurred we will never know.
Leadership is not easy. Uncertainty is commonplace.
We do not always have consensus. We may even have dissention. But we must have clarity in direction. We must communicate regardless. For Urzua, it was all about survival. About perseverance. For each of us, perhaps something different.
At 17 days, a probe from the surface punched into their cavern restoring hope. More than 2 months passed before ‘los 33’ were rescued – 69 days in all. Most men had lost more than 20 pounds due to limited nutrition – catabolic survival at its finest. All survived.
Urzua was the last man to be rescued - appearing calm and collected despite the odds and the mounting pressure driving by uncertainty. On surfacing after this ordeal, he replied, “It’s been a bit of a long shift…”