Inspiring survivor

New Zealand-born Denis Shackel, 68, a professor at the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business and author of Five Seconds At A Time: How Leaders Can Make the Impossible Possible, is inspiring others personally and professionally with his own survival story. “The fact is that I should be dead; it’s miraculous that I’m alive,” Shackel said. “All I did was get through it five seconds at a time.” He’s referring to a tragic mountain climbing accident on Mount Ruapehu in 1997 that left him stranded in subzero temperatures after watching his brother-in-law plunge to his death. “It’s the idea of breaking down the seemingly insurmountable challenges into smaller, more manageable ones. You have to breathe, reflect on the goal, and prioritise what’s most important.” Shackel was awarded “Professor of the Year” at the University of Toronto in 2, where he taught for 29 years, and again at Richard Ivey in 24.