Being a leader (Stories of Nelson Mandela)

On Becoming a Leader....LEARN from the Great Ones.

Meet Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandella is the best known and loved hero of South Africa. He was born July 18, 1918 in Qunu. His family belonged to the royal lineage of King Ngubengcuka, the greatest king of the Tembu people. His royal ancestry influenced his regal style which commanded respect.

Nelson Mandela was adopted by the Regent of Tembu after his father’s death and was raised for chieftainship. However, he opted to live in the Big City of Johannesburg. The urban life t aught him to overcome all frustrations and humiliations of a black man in a white man’s city. This also gave him a push towards his political fray so in 1944, he formed the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League that organized passive resistance programs against the apartheid. The violence of revolutionary movements prompted the government to crush main political oppositions and Mandela was one of these political opponents

In November 1966, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment and was sent to Robben Island. During his imprisonment, Mandela denied being a victim and instead, he educated himself to the laws, histories, economics, philosophies, etc. This experience developed in him a greater depth of self awareness. He learned to control his temper, developed a strong will to empathize, persuade and he extended his influence and authority, not just over the other prisoners but over the wardens. He saw the prison as a microcosm of a future South Africa where future peace depends on forgiveness and reconciliation. In February 1990, Mandela was released from prison after negotiating with President F.W. de Klerk. It was then that Mandela started his work in unifying his divided South Africa. He won the Noble Peace 1993 for his non-violence strategy towards peace and was elected President of South Africa in May 1994. He led his nation with vigor, resilience, influence and intact integrity.

His Secret …. On Becoming a TRUE Leader
“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”
W.E. Henley
(Mandela’s favorite line from the poem Invictus)

Nelson Mandela spent almost 3 decades of his life in prison. The prison’s condition was deliberately harsh but this did not thwarted Mandela’s vigor and optimism. He once mentioned, while in prison, “In my lifetime I will step out into the sunshine, walk with firm feet.”

Mandela looked at his prison life as a unique opportunity to get to know the prisoners from different political parties better... asserting his political view and listening to their beliefs as well. He was determined to established dialogue to provide basis of unity later outside.

Mandela took the political opportunity to build relationships with the wardens hopefully converting them to the ideals of ANC. Also, he started explaining ANC’s policies to visiting prison officials which helped develop his own skills in argument. Through these initiated discussions, Mandela successfully influenced government to start negotiations with him for his release and his comrades and the transition for South Africa from the apartheid to his democratic government.


LEARN the HUMAN SENSITIVITIES
...something to practice for everyday leadership

Nelson Mandela’s life personified struggle. He had sacrificed his private life and youth for the love of his people and never displayed bitterness. He was a man who learned to forgive the people who put him in jail.

Mandela had learned his conciliation in his years in prison through his brains not with his blood. His prison ordeal transformed him from an aggressive militant to a reflective and balanced person. He changed his attitude towards his oppressors. He learned how to manage the insecurities and needs of his wardens and realized that they lived in their own kind of prison on the bleak island. When his lawyer, George Bizos, paid him a visit, Mandela introduced his guards saying, “George, let me introduce to you my guards of honor,” and named them. He respected his guards as human beings and he was never subservient. Mandela realized that he could impress the wardens and guards with a combination of assertiveness, respect, legal knowledge and that he can retain his dignity in the most humiliating surroundings.

Mandela 's colleagues were perplexed in his dealing with his wardens but soon realized that “You must understand the minds of your opposing commander…know their literature and their language and you will win over them.”

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended. ”