Nelson Mandela – 30 Leadership Lessons 1 Background Nelson Mandela was one of the most famous figures of the 20th and 21st century. He was known as the revolutionary, peacemaker, leader and humanitarian amongst others. Many dignitaries and public figures would have and did give anything to have a meeting with him or be seen with him. History will show that he was a complex character and that he was able to adapt to a variety of situations with ease. He was not intimidated by anyone as his relaxed encounter with Queen Elizabeth proved. Nelson exhibited many leadership qualities and styles, depending on who he was with and the situation he found himself in. It was behind bars that Madiba learnt his most valuable lessons in leadership. As he himself has acknowleged, prison shaped him. He went in angry, convinced that the only way of achieving his people’s freedom was by force of arms. Given the enormity of the injustice to which the eighty- five percent of the population who were not white had been subjected since the arrival of the first European settlers in 1652, this was not surprising. The prison experience elevated Mandela to higher political aims and this set him apart from the other freedom fighters within his South Africa and those operating beyond its borders. What he learnt was that pursuing vengeance and violence may have brought the enemy to the negotiating table but it would not bring about lasting change; He interacted with his jailers and observed them closely, eventually coming to the realization that that black and white people had far more In a world dominated by leaders with autocratic tendencies, Mandela stood apart. He had in him the rare combination of leadership, courage, wisdom and foresight. He remains among the 20th century’s greatest freedom fighters and statesmen. (Business Day)
16
Embed
Nelson Mandela – 30 Leadership Lessons · 2019-05-28 · Nelson Mandela – 30 Leadership Lessons 1 Background Nelson Mandela was one of the most famous figures of the 20th and
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Nelson Mandela – 30 Leadership Lessons
1 Background
Nelson Mandela was one of the most famous figures of the 20th and 21st century.
He was known as the revolutionary, peacemaker, leader and humanitarian amongst others.
Many dignitaries and public figures would have and did give anything to have a meeting with
him or be seen with him.
History will show that he was a complex character and that he was able to adapt to a variety of
situations with ease.
He was not intimidated by anyone as his relaxed encounter with Queen Elizabeth proved.
Nelson exhibited many leadership qualities and styles, depending on who he was with and the
situation he found himself in.
It was behind bars that Madiba learnt his most valuable lessons in leadership. As he himself has
acknowleged, prison shaped him. He went in angry, convinced that the only way of achieving his
people’s freedom was by force of arms. Given the enormity of the injustice to which the eighty-
five percent of the population who were not white had been subjected since the arrival of the first
European settlers in 1652, this was not surprising.
The prison experience elevated Mandela to higher political aims and this set him apart from the
other freedom fighters within his South Africa and those operating beyond its borders. What he
learnt was that pursuing vengeance and violence may have brought the enemy to the negotiating
table but it would not bring about lasting change; He interacted with his jailers and observed
them closely, eventually coming to the realization that that black and white people had far more
In a world dominated by leaders with autocratic tendencies, Mandela stood apart. He had in
him the rare combination of leadership, courage, wisdom and foresight. He remains among
the 20th century’s greatest freedom fighters and statesmen. (Business Day)
in common than they had differences; he learnt that forgiveness and generosity and, more
importantly, respect were weapons of political persuasion as powerful as any weapon or violent
act.
While researchers have been unable to identify exactly what makes a great leader, they have
been able to identify the characteristics without which one cannot lead effectively. Here are some
examples:
Whilst this article does not use exactly the same terms as those used above, it is evident that
Nelson Mandela exhibited most, if not all of the leadership characteristics of a great leader.
According to Hersey and Blanchard, there are four main leadership styles:
Telling (S1) – Leaders tell their people what to do and how to do it.
Selling (S2) – Leaders provide information and direction, but there's more
communication with followers. Leaders "sell" their message to get people on board.
Participating (S3) – Leaders focus more on the relationship and less on direction. The
leader works with the team, and shares decision-making responsibilities.
Delegating (S4) – Leaders pass most of the responsibility onto the follower or group. The
leaders still monitor progress, but they're less involved in decisions.
source: Mindtools.com
According to Leadership 501; The five
leadership traits/leadership qualities are:
1. Honest
2. Forward-Looking
3. Competent
4. Inspiring
5. Intelligent
6. Situational Leadership
According to John Murphy;
leaders:
1. Get results
2. Care
3. Share their “Why”
4. Deliver on commitments
5. Develop talent
6. Clearly value people over
process
Nelson Mandela was able to apply each of these styles during his lifetime.
He often "told" his ANC colleagues what to do and did so in a manner that indicated that he
would not tolerate a NO. Nelson was quite capable of being an autocrat when the situation
demanded it. He showed this during negotiations with the National party and many times after
that when his party members stepped out of line.
He "sold" South Africa and his favourite interests on numerous occasions and showed that he
was fully aware of his personal charisma and the value of his personal brand.
He participated in numerous high level and sometimes low profile activities in a way which
indicated that he fully understood the value of relationship building, as he did when he supported
the rugby world cup and put his full support behind the soccer world cup.
He delegated many things to many people but indicated that he would hold them accountable in
each case. The approach also depended very much on the impact and importance of the situation.
It was clear that Thabo Mbeki remained very unsettled when he was president and Nelson
Mandela had more influence and presence than him when he was present. He was able to lead
people to greatness without over controlling.
2 Forgiveness Perhaps Mandela’s greatest achievement was that he prevailed upon his people to
shun revenge. (Business day live).
“The time for the healing of the wounds has
come. The moment to bridge the chasms that
divide us has come. The time to build is upon
us.” (10 May 1994)
3 Knowing when to compromise
4 Autocracy The following are extracts from a Mail & Guardian article written in 2013:
IN 1995, SOUTH AFRICAN
RUGBY CAPTAIN FRANCIOS
PIENAAR RECEIVES THE RUGBY
WORLD CUP FROM PRESIDENT
NELSON MANDELA, WHO
WEARS THE GREEN SPRINGBOK
JERSEY.
“Not always the secular saint, Nelson Mandela's decisions showed a streak of autocratic
decision-making that belies the image of the true democrat. “Nelson Mandela was not always a
softie.
He believed in action and led by example, both by getting military training and becoming the
chief volunteer during the defiance campaign. But at the core of all this militancy was always a
desire to get the white colonial regime to come to the table and talk.
Once he was released, the concept of him as the first among equals persisted, and thus the
announcement that the ANC would not follow through on nationalisation as promised in the
Freedom Charter was made in Europe, with the rest of the ANC leadership left to scramble
either to understand and follow, or to contradict the icon. The decision stood.
5 Humility “I stand here before you not as a prophet but as
a humble servant of you, the people. Your
tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it
possible for me to be here today. I therefore
place the remaining years of my life in your
hands.”
Speech on the day of his release, Cape Town
(11 February 1990)
Danny Jordaan, the president of the South African Football Association, tells the story of how
the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee decided that the Springbok
emblem should be abolished in favour of the Protea for all sporting codes. Mandela forced it to
rescind a democratically taken decision that was designed to show that sport was transforming.
All this shows a streak of autocratic decision-making that belies the image of the true democrat.
It was because he had determined where the country should go and how it would get there, and
would not brook what to him were worthless gestures. Primary to this was not to appease, but
rather to cajole people – particularly Afrikaans-speaking whites – into believing that they had a