Every time I remember Nelson Mandela, the first thought that
comes to my mind is, we need more leaders like him. We are in need of leaders
to inspire and motivate us with action and words.
Leadership is hard to define, because it means different
things to different people. We know it requires knowledge, strength and
compassion. We expect leaders to be fair, to share our values and provide
direction. That to me is what leaders like Mandela represent. I say leadership
can be taught. But then, I have a unique definition of leadership.
I think leadership is about managing energy, first in
yourself and then in those around you. What this definition implies is that
unless you are deeply committed to an outcome that others can engage in and
understand, no amount of teaching will make you a leader.
I fear that too many experiences in life push that kind of
simple, powerful clarity out of us. The danger is not so much that we can't
have leaders; rather the danger is that many people pound leadership principles
out as well. Don't be one of those.
On December 5, 2013 the life of a world leader and man of
peace, Nelson Mandela came to an end. However, his legacy will live on forever
– in his country South Africa and throughout the universe.
Mandela displayed tremendous leadership qualities. There are
many lessons we can learn from this man's actions and attributes. Indeed,
Mandela was a real democrat. After he was elected President, he ran for only
one term. Mandela was a good leader. He was a role model to the young and old
about what leadership should be like. He led through example. He was a fighter
and never gave up. He was above all, forgiving and compassionate. He chose to
forgive those who caused atrocities in South Africa. He kept his word and only
led for one term. Mandela's willingness to leave power stands in contrast to a
number of situations in Africa where erstwhile liberation fighters, having
assumed power, find it impossible to relinquish it. It was a pity he only
served five years as president, and not the 27 years he was imprisoned. There
is no doubt that Mandela's charisma complemented his leadership role.
His life has shown us not to retaliate, that we should stand
for the greater good, not for personal gain. Mandela announced during his 1994
speech, following his election as president that he would not run for a second
term, despite that he was eligible to do so and could have won because the
black are in the majority.
“Never, never and never again shall this beautiful land
experience the oppression of one by another…. The sun shall never set on so
glorious a human achievement,” Mandela said during his speech.
Apart from sincerity of purpose, Mandela was a listening
leader, meeting Mandela he always acted primarily as a mediator. This act of
Mandela's openness to new ideas and willingness to learn from others ensured
the success of South Africa, following his election as President.
Leaders should take a leaf from South African freedom hero
Nelson Mandela, who helped to unite a divided society through selfless service.
Mandela was a very successful president. He achieved a lot
and relinquished power when his term ended.
When aspiring to develop leadership skills, whether at home,
with your peers at work or in the community, it is advisable to look for
mentors, role models, who have spent years mastering leadership traits and
putting them into practice.
I have many mentors, but Nelson Mandela is atop my
list. I continue to learn many lessons from him, but the ones that remain
timeless to me are as follows:
1. Inspire with action.
Motivate others with your words and actions. Give them
courage, inspire them to learn more, instill in them a sense of possibility.
Every action that you take will lead to a learning opportunity and will
encourage a moving forward movement in others. Teach others by example. If you
do, they will follow.
2. Be better, not bitter. Nelson Mandela is the
impersonation of this powerful lesson. He was put in jail by a brutal regime
for 27 years simply because he was fighting for fairness and equality. But even
while jailed, he continued to be a leader and the symbol of the struggles of
South Africans. Amazingly, after his release from jail, he became a stronger
leader, not bitter or ready for revenge. He found common ground, embracing
those who were once against him and helping the country bridge a seemingly
impossible gap. Despite the suffering of 27 years in jail, Mandela realised
that if he didn't leave his bitterness and hatred behind, he would still be in
jail.
He left those feelings behind and went on to lead a
phenomenal national reconciliation, after decades of racial conflict in South
Africa.
Undoubtedly, he achieved what can be described as the most
significant success in contemporary world history.
3. Fail to plan, Plan to fail. People fail to accomplish
their goals many times because of this simple premise. Planning and organising
ahead of time is key to the success of any task or endeavour, whether in your
personal or business life. Organise your ideas, write out a plan with
actionable steps to take and deadlines and set out your goals.
4. Work with the willing. Most of us have gotten caught up
at least once in the emotional roller-coaster that is wanting to work with or
help someone who has the talent, the potential or the need, even if that person
is unwilling or incapable. Move on from those that don't want to do or be where
you want them to do or be. And don't carry their burden. Let them go through
their journey and spend your time and energy looking for like-minded people,
who you can partner with.
5. Communicate. Communication is the simple act of getting a
message across clearly and unequivocally to others. This sounds simple in
theory, but communication is one of the hardest things to do because there are
so many things in play (body language, cultural idiosyncrasies, among others)
which can get in the way and cause confusion. Nelson Mandela was a master
communicator, which is one of the top traits of a great leader.
6. Become a people's person. Nelson Mandela was an
incredibly dynamic person, who was able to motivate an entire country to work
together and move past a very difficult time in their history for the benefit
of all. He wasn't attached to a particular ideology or goal. Instead, he was
willing to build relationships on all sides to accomplish his goal of a united
and successful South Africa.
7. Develop strong character. Nelson Mandela and his
followers knew that they were doing the right thing, even if it was dangerous
and could have cost them their freedom (as it did for many years) or even their
lives. But they had strong convictions and a strong sense of character and got
a lot of respect (and followers) because of it.
Nelson Mandela's luminous presence shone radiantly. He may
have died, but his legacies must guide all leaders in the world and especially
in relation to the realities of Nigeria today.
The most significant lesson of Mandela's life and leadership
is that conflicts can be resolved once leadership is able to free itself from
the bitterness and hatred that might have produced it.
Mandela Life And Times
Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918,
in the tiny village of Mvezo, on the banks of the Mbashe River in Transkei,
South Africa. "Rolihlahla" in the Xhosa language literally means
"pulling the branch of a tree," but more commonly translates as
"troublemaker."
Becoming actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in
his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he
directed a campaign of peaceful, non-violent defiance against the South African
government and its racist policies. In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first
black president. In 2009, Mandela's birthday (July 18) was declared Mandela Day
to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader's legacy.
Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013, at 95.
Nelson Mandela's father, who was destined to be a chief,
served as a counsellor to tribal chiefs for several years, but lost both his
title and fortune over a dispute with the local colonial magistrate. Mandela
was only an infant at the time, and his father's loss of status forced his
mother to move the family to Qunu, an even smaller village north of Mvezo. The
village was nestled in a narrow grassy valley; there were no roads, only foot
paths that linked the pastures where livestock grazed. The family lived in huts
and ate a local harvest of maize, sorghum, pumpkin and beans, which was all
they could afford. Water came from springs and streams and cooking was done
outdoors. Mandela played the games of young boys, acting out male
rights-of-passage scenarios with toys he made from the natural materials
available, including tree branches and clay.
At the suggestion of one of his father's friends, Mandela
was baptised in the Methodist Church. He went on to become the first in his
family to attend school. As was custom at the time, and probably due to the
bias of the British educational system in South Africa, Mandela's teacher told
him that his new first name would be Nelson.
When Mandela was nine years old, his father died of lung
disease, causing his life to change dramatically. He was adopted by Chief
Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu people—a gesture done as
a favour to Mandela's father, who, years earlier, had recommended Jongintaba be
made chief. Mandela subsequently left the carefree life he knew in Qunu,
fearing that he would never see his village again. He travelled by motorcar to
Mqhekezweni, the provincial capital of Thembuland, to the chief's royal
residence. Though he had not forgotten his beloved village of Qunu, he quickly
adapted to the new, more sophisticated surroundings of Mqhekezweni.
Mandela was given the same status and responsibilities as
the regent's two other children, his son and oldest child, Justice, and
daughter Nomafu. Mandela took classes in a one-room school next to the palace,
studying English, Xhosa, History and Geography. It was during this period that
Mandela developed his interest in African history from elder chiefs, who came
to the Great Palace on official business. He learned how the African people had
lived in relative peace until the coming of the white people. According to the
elders, the children of South Africa had lived as brothers, but the White man
shattered this fellowship. While the black man shared his land, air and water
with the White man, the White man took all of these things for himself.
When Mandela was 16, it was time for him to partake in the
traditional African circumcision ritual to mark his entrance into manhood. The
ceremony of circumcision was not just a surgical procedure, but an elaborate
ritual in preparation for manhood. In African tradition, an uncircumcised man
cannot inherit his father's wealth, marry or officiate at tribal rituals.
Mandela participated in the ceremony with 25 other boys. He welcomed the
opportunity to partake in his people's customs and felt ready to make the
transition from boyhood to manhood. His mood shifted during the proceedings,
however, when Chief Meligqili, the main speaker at the ceremony, spoke sadly of
the young men, explaining that they were enslaved in their own country. Because
their land was controlled by White men, they would never have the power to
govern themselves, the chief said. He went on to lament that the promise of the
young men would be squandered as they struggled to make a living and perform
mindless chores for white men. Mandela would later say that while the chief's
words didn't make total sense to him at the time, they would eventually
formulate his resolve for an independent South Africa.
From the time Mandela came under the guardianship of Regent
Jongintaba, he was groomed to assume high office, not as a chief, but a
counsellor to one. As Thembu royalty, Nelson attended a Wesleyan mission
school, the Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Wesleyan College, where, he would
later state, he found interest and achieved academic success through
"plain hard work." He also excelled at track and boxing. Mandela was
initially mocked as a "country boy" by his Wesleyan classmates, but
eventually became friends with several students, including Mathona, his first
female friend.
In 1939, Mandela enrolled at the University College of Fort
Hare, the only residential centre of higher learning for blacks in South Africa
at the time. Fort Hare was considered Africa's equivalent of Oxford or Harvard,
drawing scholars from all parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. In his first year at the
university, Mandela took the required courses, but focused on Roman Dutch law
to prepare for a career in civil service as an interpreter or clerk—regarded as
the best profession a black man could obtain at the time.
In his second year at Fort Hare, Mandela was elected to the
Student Representative Council (SRC). For some time, students had been
dissatisfied with the food and lack of power held by the SRC. During this
election, a majority of students voted to boycott unless their demands were
met. Aligning with the student majority, Mandela resigned from his position.
Seeing this as an act of insubordination, the university's Dr. Kerr expelled
Mandela for the rest of the year, but gave him an ultimatum: He could return if
he agreed to serve on the SRC. When Mandela returned home, the regent was
furious, telling Mandela unequivocally that he would have to recant his
decision and go back to school in the fall.
Mandela's Imprisonmen
A few weeks after Nelson Mandela returned home, Regent
Jongintaba announced that he had arranged a marriage for his adopted son. The
regent wanted to make sure that Mandela's life was properly planned, and the
arrangement was within his right, as tribal custom dictated. Shocked by the
news, feeling trapped and believing he had no other option, Mandela ran away
from home. He settled in Johannesburg, where he was engaged in a variety of
jobs, including as a guard and a clerk, while completing his bachelor's degree
via correspondence courses. He then enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand
in Johannesburg to study law.
Mandela soon became actively involved in the anti-apartheid
movement, joining the African National Congress (ANC) in 1942. Within the ANC,
a small group of young Africans banded together, calling themselves the African
National Congress Youth League. Their goal was to transform the ANC into a mass
grassroots movement, deriving strength from millions of rural peasants and
working people who had no voice under the current regime. Specifically, the
group believed that the ANC's old tactics of polite petitioning were
ineffective. In 1949, the ANC officially adopted the Youth League's methods of
boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-cooperation, with policy goals of
full citizenship, redistribution of land, trade union rights and free and
compulsory education for all children.
For 20 years, Mandela directed peaceful, non-violent acts of
defiance against the South African government and its racist policies,
including the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. He
founded the law firm Mandela and Tambo, partnering Oliver Tambo, a brilliant
student he'd met while attending Fort Hare. The law firm provided free and
low-cost legal counsel to unrepresented Blacks.
In 1956, Mandela and 150 others were arrested and charged
with treason for their political advocacy (they were eventually acquitted).
Meanwhile, the ANC was being challenged by Africanists, a new breed of Black
Activists, who believed that the pacifist method of the ANC was ineffective.
Africanists soon broke away to form the Pan-Africanist Congress, which
negatively affected the ANC; by 1959, the movement had lost much of its
militant support.
In 1961, Mandela, who was formerly committed to non-violent
protest, began to believe that armed struggle was the only way to achieve
change and subsequently co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, also known as MK, an
armed offshoot of the ANC dedicated to sabotage and guerilla war tactics to end
apartheid.
In 1961, Mandela orchestrated a three-day national workers'
strike. He was arrested for leading the strike the following year and sentenced
to five years in prison. Then, in 1963, he was brought to trial again. This
time, he and 10 other ANC leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment for
political offences, including sabotage.
Nelson Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for 18 of
his 27 years in prison. During this time, he contracted tuberculosis and, as a
Black political prisoner, received the lowest level of treatment from prison
workers. However, while incarcerated, Mandela was able to earn a Bachelor of
Law degree through a University of London correspondence programme.
A 1981 memoir by South African intelligence agent Gordon
Winter described a plot by the South African government to arrange for
Mandela's escape so as to shoot him during the recapture. The plot was foiled
by British intelligence. Mandela continued to be such a potent symbol of Black
resistance that a coordinated international campaign for his release was
launched, and this international groundswell of support exemplified the power
and esteem Mandela had in the global political community.
In 1982, Mandela and other ANC leaders were moved to
Pollsmoor Prison, allegedly to enable contact between them and the South
African government. In 1985, President P.W. Botha offered Mandela's release in
exchange for renouncing armed struggle; the prisoner flatly rejected the offer.
With increasing local and international pressure for his release, the
government participated in several talks with Mandela over the years, but no
deal was made. It wasn't until Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by
Frederik Willem de Klerk that Mandela's release was finally announced, on
February 11, 1990. De Klerk also unbanned the ANC, removed restrictions on
political groups and suspended executions.
Prison Release and Presidency
Upon his release from prison, Nelson Mandela immediately
urged foreign powers not to reduce their pressure on the South African government
for constitutional reform. While he said that he was committed to working
toward peace, he declared that the ANC's armed struggle would continue until
the Black majority received the right to vote.
In 1991, Mandela was elected president of the African
National Congress, with lifelong friend and colleague Oliver Tambo serving as
national chairperson. Mandela continued to negotiate with President F.W. de
Klerk toward the country's first multiracial elections. White South Africans
were willing to share power, but many Black South Africans wanted a complete
transfer of power. The negotiations were often strained and news of violent
eruptions, including the assassination of ANC leader Chris Hani, continued
throughout the country. Mandela had to keep a delicate balance of political
pressure and intense negotiations amid the demonstrations and armed resistance.
In 1993, Mandela and President de Klerk were jointly awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize for their work toward dismantling apartheid.
Due in no small part to their work, negotiations between
black and white South Africans prevailed: On April 27, 1994, South Africa held
its first democratic elections. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country's
first Black president on May 10, 1994, at the age of 77, with de Klerk as his
first deputy.
Also in 1994, Mandela published his autobiography, Long Walk
to Freedom, much of which he had secretly written while in prison. The
following year, he was awarded the Order of Merit.
From 1994 until June 1999, Mandela worked to bring about the
transition from minority rule and apartheid to black majority rule. He used the
nation's enthusiasm for sports as a pivot point to promote reconciliation
between Whites and Blacks, encouraging black South Africans to support the once-hated
national rugby team. In 1995, South Africa came to the world stage by hosting
the Rugby World Cup, which brought further recognition and prestige to the
young republic.
Mandela also worked to protect South Africa's economy from
collapse during his presidency. Through his Reconstruction and Development
Plan, the South African government funded the creation of jobs, housing and
basic health care. In 1996, Mandela signed into law a new constitution for the
nation, establishing a strong central government based on majority rule, and
guaranteeing the rights of minorities and the freedom of expression. Mandela
continues to be a source of inspiration for civil rights activists
Retirement and Late Career
By the 1999 general election, Nelson Mandela had retired
from active politics. He continued to maintain a busy schedule, however,
raising money to build schools and clinics in South Africa's rural heartland
through his Mandela Foundation, and serving as a mediator in Burundi's civil
war. He also published a number of books on his life and struggles, among them
No Easy Walk to Freedom; Nelson Mandela: The Struggle is my Life; and Nelson
Mandela's Favourite African Folktales.
Mandela was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in
2001. In June 2004, at the age of 85, he announced his formal retirement from
public life and returned to his native village of Qunu.
On July 18, 2007, Mandela convened a group of world leaders,
including Graca Machel (whom Mandela would wed in 1998), Desmond Tutu, Kofi
Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary
Robinson and Muhammad Yunus, to address the world's toughest issues. Named
"The Elders," the group is committed to working both publicly and
privately to find solutions to problems around the globe. Since its inception,
the group has made an impact in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, promoting
peace and women's equality, demanding an end to atrocities, and supporting
initiatives to address humanitarian crises and promote democracy.
In Recent Years
Nelson Mandela made his last public appearance to date in
2010, at the final match of the World Cup in South Africa. He has largely
stepped out of the spotlight, choosing to spend much of his time in his
childhood community of Qunu, south of Johannesburg.
He did, however, visit with Michelle Obama, U.S. first lady
and wife of President Barack Obama, during her trip to South Africa in 2011.
In recent months, there have been growing concerns about
Mandela's health. After suffering a lung infection in January 2011, Mandela was
briefly hospitalised in Johannesburg to undergo surgery for a stomach ailment
in early 2012. He was released after a few days, later returning to Qunu. In
December 2012, Mandela was hospitalised for tests and medical treatment relating
to a recurrent lung infection. In March 2013, he was re-admitted to the
hospital after his lung infection relapsed. Hours later, it was reported that
he was responding positively to treatment. On June 8, 2013, a 94-year-old
Mandela was rushed to a hospital in Pretoria, receiving treatment once again
for a recurring lung infection. Later that same day, the South African
president's office stated that Mandela was in "serious but stable
condition," and that he was breathing on his own. Mandela's wife, Graca Machel,
reportedly cancelled a scheduled appearance in London to remain at her
husband's his side, and his daughter, Zenani Dlamini, Argentina's South African
ambassador, reportedly flew back to South Africa to be with her father.
Personal Life
Mandela has been married three times. He was married to
Evelyn Ntoko Mase from 1944 to 1957. The couple had four children together:
Madiba Thembekile, Makgatho, Makaziwe and Maki. He and Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela were married from 1958 to 1996; they had two daughters
together, Zenani and Zindziswa. In 1998, Mandela married Graca Machel.
In addition to advocating peace and equality on both a
national and global scale, Mandela has remained committed to the fight against
AIDS, a disease that killed his son, Makgatho, in 2005.
Death and Legacy
Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, on
December 5, 2013, at the age of 95.
As we celebrate the passage of this great African and world
leader, we should note that Africa is in dire need of leaders like Mandela.
What do you think was his defining achievement? What was it
about his personality that helped him achieve what he did? What can we all
learn from the life of Nelson Mandela? Mandela: Man of Humility, humble,
forgiving and selfless with no chip on his shoulder, little wonder the whole
world wept when he died. Rest in peace MADIBA.
No comments:
Post a Comment