Nelson Mandela’s Strategic Leadership
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction
A good leader is best described by their strategic leadership skills, how well they put these skills into use, and the difference that they make for the people they lead. There are various essential skills that are taken into consideration in light of strategic leadership. These are anticipation, ability to make interpretations, alignment with stakeholders, ability to challenge, ability to make decisions, and ability to learn; all of which are important in leadership (Schoemaker, Krupp, & Howland, 2013). People will depend on a leader that is driven and understands their issues and needs. In consideration of the mentioned skills, Nelson Mandela is one person who applied strategic leadership skills in his leadership. These skills played an important role in enabling lead his people to freedom. He has been praised for his leadership capabilities, especially during the racial power struggles in South Africa. He fought for the freedom and end of racial discrimination against the Black South Africans as well as the White minority. Mandela helped bring an end to apartheid thus welcoming democracy following talks with F. W. de Klerk, the then South African President, while ensuring a smooth transition away from discrimination (History.com Editors, 2009). These negotiating efforts earned them a Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In this essay, the author shares about how Nelson Mandela applied his strategic leadership skills when taking South Africa through difficult times, while identifying the successes that resulted from his efforts.
Mandela’s Strategic Leadership Journey through His Successes
In light of his shaping up for leadership, the best way one can describe Mandela’s successes as a strategic leader in South Africa is through the focus on three domains of integrated leadership. These are leadership of self or self leadership, leadership of others or interpersonal leadership, and leadership of the nation in this case or strategic leadership. Leadership of self focuses on the ability of a person to hold personal values that are sound, authenticity demonstration, and having a depth to self-knowledge. Interpersonal leadership, on the other hand, is the ability of a leader to understand and relate with the needs of those under their leadership, while doing their best to bring out the best in their people. Lastly, strategic leadership is a type of leadership that has priorities rightly identified and placed, with effective strategies, and a similarly effective process to bring the goals in sight into fruition (Dr. Mathur-Helm & Anderson, 2015). The effectiveness of each domain is dependent upon the effectiveness of the other domains. One cannot exist without the others.
Looking at Mandela, he strongly held onto the idea of being a role model and specifically focusing on making personal changes before expecting those under his leadership to take on the same mindset. He was a man that understood himself as well as what was needed of his leadership. Nelson Mandela is one of the most iconic leaders the world has ever seen. From a young age, especially after his father’s death, Mandela was adopted by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, through which he underwent grooming for Thembo leadership. It was at this point that his value and personality development happened, with a further learning about the importance of humility and listening to others, thus instilling patience in him. Personal growth is, therefore, an essential part of becoming a strategic leader. This helped shape the leader he became, especially in light of knowing when to hold peaceful demonstrations and when to put his foot down. It also helped shape the person he became and the critical decisions that he made in leadership of South Africa (Schoemaker, 2013). The understanding of self helped him excel in his clear understanding of the reasons behind his imprisonment. He set aside languishing over his experiences and embraced studies, and considered both his and his country’s course in the future, especially in light of apartheid. This was more motivating with ANC leadership.
In light of the occurrence of the guerilla warfare, Mandela was convinced that this was a necessary course, especially against apartheid. He and his ANC counterparts were already successful at starting a movement that would catch on to a point of experiencing an overturning of apartheid m exchange of democracy (Gevisser, 2013). Further success of Mandela’s and his fellow opponents’ success was seen in the political and economic pressure that took place worldwide, especially in the potential occurrence of violence against apartheid, which was followed by the acceptance of an unsustainable reality. Such a violent upheaval would result into a civil war, something that would greatly affect South Africa and would go against Mandela’s beliefs. The success now came in the mastering of the need for reconciliation and negotiation as opposed to armed confrontation. This was a victory for Mandela and the people of South Africa since his dealings with the same government that encouraged apartheid now allowed him to see the beauty in professional handling of issues (History.com Editors, 2009). Mandela was seen as the leader of the ANC and the Black South Africans. His candor allowed him to lead them with a lot of calm and self control, which trickled down to the people in issue handling. This was an effective leader, successful even in maintaining calm in the face of a storm due to a right and positive approach to his personal leadership.
Secondly, Mandela was an effective interpersonal leader. A strategic leader has to be able to stand up against all that is wrong. Mandela did just that. He opposed any ideas that he found were limiting and were forced upon him; for instance, he fled to Johannesburg when his guardian had made marriage arrangements for him. His opposition to decisions and ideas that were contrary to what he believed in began early. This shows that he realized early that he had a say in matters pertaining to the life that he was leading. Decisions would not be made against his will as a result. Mandela’s opposition to ideas was more pronounced after joining the African National Congress (ANC), the opposition party. He gained prominence in the party due to his opposition activities and his liberal political views. His stand for what was right is what made people respect him, both as a person and a leader (Prichard, 2014). On this note, he became the face of the opposition. This was a success in itself since the opposition in the 1950s stood against apartheid by a government ruled by the White minority. He was among the people who took on the government by leading violent protests, following years of peaceful protests ending in police force. It was an encouragement to many Black South Africans who were fighting for their rights and needed a leader to get them to democracy, having a leader amongst them.
Mandela, together with a number of other opposition leaders from the ANC, had a hideout from where their sabotage campaign against the government was orchestrated. Once this was found out, as the strategic leader he was, Mandela “admitted to some of the charges against him while defending the ANC’s actions and denouncing the injustices of apartheid” (History.com Editors, 2009). This was a leader willing to say the truth all the way despite the consequences. He was a true leader, ready and willing to die for his people in the sought-after justice and democracy. From the charges against him, he got life imprisonment as a punishment. This was also a success. He had made a name for himself and his people, and in the process, had taken the needs of the people to the government’s doorstep and made them known to the ruling party, despite the government fighting hard against the opposition’s efforts.
Mandela was still the face of the opposition even in prison. The president of South Africa at the time, President Botha, offered Mandela a conditional release in terms of freedom for him while serving his sentence, as long as he promised to end his engagement in violence and any other illegal activity. However, Mandela viewed this as a way of keeping the Black South Africans quiet with their hands tied. It meant that his freedom came at a price, that is, continued encouragement of apartheid. The strategic leader did not buy into the idea; instead, he refused the offer and opted to continue serving his term. This was another success for Mandela. One reason why this was a success was because the people under his leadership now saw him as a principled leader; one who would not be swayed by promises that were too good to be true, and more so, those that would end up hurting their own people instead of making life easier for them. The second reason was that the people, including his ANC party saw him as an effective leader that would be able to make tough choices where there was a lot of difficulty in decision making. He was a perfect example of a strategic leader.
Mandela further showed a lot of grit and determination to remain true to his people even in light of the sweetening deal for him out of prison. He made a decision that he ensured would not betray the long struggle for freedom by the ANC, his principles, as well as his leadership. Looking at Nelson Mandela’s example, strategic leaders ought to be able to make well-thought decisions, especially while taking into consideration the needs of their people and the issues they face.
Mandela’s interpersonal leadership was clear within the confines of the prison. He knew that as the ANC leader and one of the people’s leaders to freedom, he would need to undergo preparation for leadership, over those who had been racially discriminated against and over those who viewed him as an enemy trying to jeopardize their segregation efforts. Mandela needed to show empathy to both parties, and in a manner in which he would gain favor with both sides by showing them that he had their best interests at heart (Freedman, 2015). The man made it a point to understand the language and history of White counterparts (Afrikaans) while showing people the respect they deserved. This happened within the confines of the prison as well as when he went free. His success came at a time when it was needed the most: during the peace and negotiation talks after he left prison. The information he had clung to while in prison on the importance of peaceful interactions with the other side came in handy when in discussion with the then South African president. Armed resistance was not an option anymore (Dr. Mathur-Helm & Anderson, 2015). Apartheid was done away with as a result, and in a peaceful manner that rendered both Black and White South Africans free and democratically entitled to life as South Africans. This was yet another success for Mandela, who had had a long walk to freedom, and for Black South Africans who had been prisoners in their own country.
Shortly after, in 1994, his negotiation and peaceful abilities got him the presidency, with a government that racially integrated to serve the needs of all South Africans without bias. His study of the Afrikaans language and history while in prison came in handy when deliberating national matters with his cabinet, much to the engagement and pleasure of White South Africans in his government. He had managed to bring together leaders from opposing sides through harmony and peace, managing to have their needs met, as well as having the needs of the represented South Africans met. Mandela’s strategic leadership capabilities knew no bounds. This was further seen in his support and encouragement of fellow South Africans to support their own Afrikaans in the rugby world cup held in South Africa (Bacon, 2016). He was a force to reckon with, using presenting opportunities to bring his South African people together.
On top of this, the great leader led the nation through peace and reconciliation in light of the victims of violence during the apartheid period. This was made possible by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which made to possible for affected Black South Africans to forgive their White counterparts, with the White minorities receiving amnesty from prosecution once they were honest in their testimonies (Freiberg & Freiberg, 2018). Nelson Mandela took his own country through the much needed healing process. Mandela was an effective leader especially when it came to coupling his effective personal leadership traits and interpersonal leadership traits (with focus on empathy) for the sake of living life through the eyes of fellow South Africans. He was a true leader, driven by his love and care for others, whether White or Black.
Lastly, Mandela conducted strategic leadership in leading his nation. This has already been seen in his personal and interpersonal leadership abilities. Looking at the period during which Mandela was freed from prison, he gave a speech to the nation. The speech entailed words that signified a plan to unify the nation and serve all the people alike, whether White, Black, or colored. He showed his commitment to making democracy a priority, after all, he was the leader that the people wanted, especially those that had suffered oppression in the hands of the White minority. He ensured that he neither brought up anger in the Black South Africans nor the hatred or dislike in the White South Africans (Dr. Mathur-Helm & Anderson, 2015). This was a success or a win for all, including Mandela himself. He was a careful, calculating, and considerate leader, with the needs of all his people in mind. It was another win when the strategic leader ensured to cover the importance of democracy in the wake of autocracy and corruption that had been ailing African countries at the time. This is the point at which the great leader took on a campaign for forgiveness and reconciliation to bring together all South Africans while encouraging harmony.
Only a strategic leader can help his fellow countrymen see the importance of elimination of discrimination, push for democracy and better living conditions, and encourage forgiveness all at a go, while driving the emotions of his many countrymen in a positive direction. Despite successes in the political front of Black leadership and democracy, South Africa has had its challenges in economic and social realms. Even as a strategic leader whose many successes met many of the needs of his fellow countrymen, he still met a few failures along the way. South Africa is still experiencing gaps in jobs, education, healthcare, and housing due to inefficient funds in their social programs. These are especially said to be an issue because the great leader only put his skills into use for only a short period of time as president, leaving his dreams to fail in the economic and social fronts. Despite these drawbacks, the strategic leader remains a force to reckon with, especially with the number of major changes that South Africa experienced under his leadership at the ANC and as president (Langa, 2018). He was a successful leader with a few hitches, but he laid the most important foundation of democracy for South Africa and the world as a whole.
Conclusion
To summarize, Nelson Mandela was an impeccable leader and he remains a person that many look up to, in light of his leadership traits, his stand and principles, his love for what was right, and his drive to meet people’s needs and see issues resolved. He had many successes but the most important one being the ability to bring South Africa out of the apartheid regime and into democracy that rules the country to date. He also had a few failures, but these do not at all override his successes. He brought back togetherness within the knitted groups of South Africa. Only such a strategic leader could remain firm and yet graceful in his dealings with his people. he is the definition of leadership beauty and success at its best.
References
Bacon, B. (2016, Sept 5). Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela’s Life. Oxford Leadership. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/leadership-lessons-nelson-mandelas-life-2/Dr. Mathur-Helm, B. & Anderson, J. (2015, Dec 1). Mandela: The art of the authentic leader. Think at London Business School. https://www.london.edu/think/the-art-of-the-authentic-leaderFreedman, L. (2015, Feb 10). Nelson Mandela as a Strategist. The Strategy Bridge. https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2016/2/1/nelson-mandela-as-a-strategistFreiberg, K. & Freiberg, J. (2018, Jul 19). Madiba Leadership: 5 Lessons Nelson Mandela Taught The World About Change. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinandjackiefreiberg/2018/07/19/madiba-leadership-5-lessons-nelson-mandela-taught-the-world-about-change/#461c2ffa41baGevisser, M. (2013, Dec 8). Mandela’s failures as well as successes must be recognized. The New Daily. https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2013/12/08/mandelas-successes-failures-must-recognised/History.com Editors. (2009, Nov 9). Nelson Mandela. History. https://www.history.com/topics/africa/nelson-mandelaLanga, M. (2018, July 18). Head and Heart: The Lessons of Leadership from Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela Foundation. https://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/head-and-heart-the-lessons-of-leadership-from-nelson-mandelaPrichard, S. (2014, Sept 25). 11 Leadership Qualities of nelson Mandela. Skip Prichard. https://www.skipprichard.com/11-leadership-qualities-of-nelson-mandela/Schoemaker, P.J.H. (2013, Jul 9). Lasting Legacy: Nelson Mandela’s Evolution as a Strategic Leader. Knowledge @ Wharton. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/lasting-legacy-nelson-mandelas-evolution-as-a-strategic-leader/Schoemaker, P.J.H., Krupp, S., & Howland, S. (2013, Jan-Feb). Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2013/01/strategic-leadership-the-esssential-skills
