I find Nelson Mandela a most inspiring world leader.His book "A Long Walk To Freedom is easily my favorite autobiography. Recently, I came across an article by Richard Stengel in TIME magazine on Mandela : His 8 Lessons of Leadership which is an excellent read. As such, I thought I'd blog something along those lines for this evening before going for YB Dato' Nizar's Forum at Kompleks Penyayang later @ 8.30p.m.
The biography of Mandela is available at THIS LINK.
According to Wikipedia:
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela( born 18 July 1918) is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. The South African courts convicted him on charges of sabotage, as well as other crimes committed while he led the movement against apartheid. In accordance with his conviction, Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela supported reconciliation and negotiation, and helped lead the transition towards multi-racial democracy in South Africa.
Since the end of apartheid, many have frequently praised Mandela, including former opponents. In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela.
Mandela is currently a celebrated elder statesman who continues to voice his opinion on topical issues. He has received more than 250 awards over four decades, most notably the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly announced that Mandela's birthday, 18 July, is to be known as 'Mandela Day' marking his contribution to world freedom. Read more at THIS LINK.
The eight lessons of leadership as expounded by Richard Stengel are in bold followed by my thoughts.
1. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is inspiring others to move beyond their fears.
Most of us are scared of the unknown which can be scary. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and it must have been most difficult for him. In fact, Mandela said, "I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world, but as a leader, you cannot let people know." I think what Mandela hopes to teach is that even though there are many times when we are scared beyond belief, we need to show confidence and optimism to others lest they become as scared as us. I don't think he means for us to suppress our emotions but rather, to remember that our behavior and lives can affect those around us.
2. Lead from the front, but don't leave your base behind.
When in leadership positions, there are times when others may expect us to lead but we cannot be too innovative or progressive until we get too far ahead of our base supporters that they are left behind. When working together, in due time, things will get better. What is important is that we convince them to work with us. This can be frustrating at times so we will have to develop patience, tolerance and fortitude.
3. Lead from the back and let others believe they are in front.
Mandela, when he was in power, would always listen when others gave their views in discussions and debates before he made his contribution. He said that a "chief's job was not to tell people what to do but to form a consensus. Don't enter the debate too early." From my observation, there are leaders who love to talk but hate to listen to their subordinates. What a tragedy! Proper strategy can ensure greater success in the scheme of things.
4. Know your enemy and learn about his favorite sport.
A great leader is one who can unify friends and understand enemies. Mandela used this strategy to understand and speak his opponent's language to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to formulate strategies and tactics to win. It is better to make a friend than to keep an enemy.
5. Keep your friends close and your rivals even closer.
Some people show their displeasure with their rivals on their faces but Mandela teaches us to charm our rivals and make sure they are in our circle of influence. According to the Time article, Mandela believed that he could control his rivals by embracing them, as they were more dangerous outside his circle of influence. Mandela valued loyalty but was never obsessed by it; he understood that people acted on their own self-interests.
6. Appearance matters and remember to smile.
Mandela was usually very well dressed and careful about how he looked, acted, and dressed. He was sure to wear the proper fatigues with a beard when he was photographed. Despite the trials and tribulations that he always had a smile on his face. I think this is a precious lesson to learn because so often, we can allow our troubles to weigh us down.
7. Nothing is black or white.
In any political situation, we can see that a great leader faces uncertainly and contradictions. Mandela believed that life is never either/or. Leaders have to make complex decisions by considering competing factors. Life is not that simple and explanations may not be found or given that easily because in reality, things are never as straightforward as they seem.
8. Quitting is a way of leading too.
Real leadership is the ability to know when it is time to step down and let others lead. Before that happens, a great leader always trains others to take over for him/her. The sign of greatness can be seen when a leader knows when and how to abandon a failed idea, task, or relationship. In the history of Africa, only a few leaders knew when it was time to step down. Nelson Mandela was one of these leaders.
I believe that all of us, especially the leaders of our country can learn from these eight great pointers shared so simply and yet profoundly by Mandela. He is certainly the stuff that great men are made of.
Have a lovely evening and swing by later for my review of the forum. Please leave a comment if you wish. Thanks.
A Arthur NM is my favorite. He fought apartheid fervently and won. Spending 27 years in jail for a political ideal can make any lesser man goes insane.
Keturunan Melayu in Malaysia is a lesser shadow of Apartheid in S Afica, though the roles are reversed.
We hope to see the likes of Anwar, KuLI, Nizar, Nik Aziz or Zaid Ibrahim or some other forward thinking liberal Bumiputras coming out to the fore front to fight Apartheid Incorporated Malaysian Version.