conversations with lincoln issue 71 - leadership lessons from madiba

7/28/2019 Conversations With Lincoln Issue 71 - Leadership Lessons From Madiba

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Conversationswith Lincoln

Issue 71 15 February 2011

In this issue:

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Click on one of the headings below:

Leadingorgood. Pg3

Leadersserve. Pg5

Leadersconnectwithpeople. Pg6

Leadersarecredible. Pg7

Valuesdrivecommitment. Pg8

Leaderscantdoitalone. Pg9 Challengetriggersgreatness. Pg10

Aleaderoersanexample. Pg11

Thebestleadersarethebestlearners. Pg13

Leadershipisanaairotheheart. Pg15

Trustrules. Pg16

So much has been written about Madiba, his lessonsare there or all

o us to learn. In the words o Tony Blair, throughout his lie he has

embodied the most essential qualitiesandvalueso a leader values

that transcendtimeandplaceand that are relevant to all.

First, in leading the anti-apartheid struggle or morethanourdecades

in the most adverse conditions, Nelson Mandela showed us just what

courageandintegritymean; he stood by his principles and reused

compromiseeven when his reedom was at stake.

Second, in his roles as negotiatorandelectedleader, the world watched

in awe as he successully guided South Aricas peaceultransitionto

democracy. Without a hint obitternessrom his 27 years in prison,

Nelson Mandela realisedhisvisiono a rainbow nation, orming a state

with a trulymulti-ethnicgovernment, and a modern and progressive

constitution, setting a human rights standard or the world. Who couldail to be inspired by the image o Mandela wearing a Springbokshirtto

present the 1995 Rugby World Cup to the victorious South Arican team?

The need or the kind owisdom,empathyanddeepbelieinequality

and reconciliationthat he demonstrated is surely greater than ever in

our increasingly globalised world.

Leadership lessons rom Madiba

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Image courtesy of www.africanoverlandtours.com


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Icontributedto realising the dream or which he sacriced so much?

I am also asking these questions as one who is a leader o people in

dierent spheres o my lie. Would I be classied as a nationbuilderor

anempirebuilder?

I hope each one o us will rededicate ourselves to the high ideals o

Madiba; to lead with integrity and credibility, to serve rather than to be

served. In the words o my late ather, when you assess your role as a

leader or a person, do you have more assetsthanliabilities?

To him, in lie, your assets were all the people who lovedorcaredabout

youbecause o the positivedierenceyou made in their lives be they

colleagues, riends, loved ones or amily members. Your liabilities were

all the people you hurt,disappointedand on whom you had a negativeeect.

Wealth was having more assets than liabilities in lie in this way.

As a leader and a person, i you are a nation builder, you will have

had a positiveimpactonmorepeoplethan those you have hurtor

disappointed.

I hope that these lessons rom Madiba will help to make us better

leadersandhumanbeings.

The key question is, what are wegoing to do to live

uptohisgreatlegacy?

Regards,

Leadership

lessons romMadiba

(continued)

Finally, Nelson Mandela possesses immense compassionandhumanity

qualities that are oten tragically overlooked in leaders. I have been

humbled by his tireless charitableworkduring his so-called retirement

years to address poverty, HIV and AIDS and the plight o children in

Arica. Even out o the public eye, Nelson Mandela continues to lead and

make a signicantdierencein peoples lives. These leadership qualities

and values are universally important.

Nelson Mandela is quite rightly an inspirationalrolemodelor leaders all

around the world, particularly those who are struggling with divisions and

confict and where the values oreconciliationandunityare critical.

In this issue oConversations, I hope to illustrate the keyleadership

lessonso this icon o nation-builders. I hope these lessons will be useulor all leaders, in politics, corporates and civil society. I hope they will be a

barometerby which we judge ourselves as leaders, but more importantly

are judgedbythoseweleadlest the ate o the empire-builders beall

us as well.

Aswelearntheselessonsweshouldseektoanswerthesequestions

Why are some leaders revered while others are reviled?

Why would people prayoralongerlieor one leader and march

ortheresignationo other leaders?

I the people you lead had a choice, would they wish you were their

leader or somebody else?

I ask these questions as one who, 21 years ago, as inspiredas the

youth who are toppling undemocratic governments today, marchedand

demandedchange in South Arica. I need to examine whatroleIhave

playedin realising the dream o those who opposed our system up until

2 February 1990. I also ask these question as one o those who marched

intriumphon the release o Madiba on 11 February 1990. Have

Lincoln

Nelson Mandela, Oliver

Tambo and Walter

Sisulutogether ormed

a remarkable triumvirate,

their contrasting

personalities complementedeach other so ully that

their combined infuence

was ar greater than the

sum o their individual

parts. I great men ever

mould a nations history,

the interconnection o

these three great men

shaped ours through

decades o struggle which

led to the new South

Arica. Rusty Bernstein


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Ken Blanchard points out that exemplaryleadersdo not place themselves

at the centre; they placeothersthere; they do not seek the attention

o people; they giveittoothers. They do not ocus on satisying their

own aims and desires; they look or waystorespondtotheneedsand

Leaders serveI always remember theaxiom: a leader is likea shepherd. He stays

behind the fock, letting

the most nimble to

out ahead, whereupon

the others ollow, not

realising that all along

they are being directed

rom behind.

Nelson Rolihlahla

Mandela

interestso their constituents. Sel-serving leaders, on the other hand

spend, most o their timeprotectingtheirstatus, they battle to handle

eedback because they earlosingtheirpositionand status.

One o the longest-servingpresidentsin Arica was asked by his people,

Mr President, when are you nally, nally nally going to say goodbye

to the people its been more than 25 years. The presidents response

was, Why, where are the people going? Clearly this president did

notappreciatenorunderstandtheeedbackrom his people.

The best lesson rom Madiba was that he always regarded leadership as

an actoservice. He embraced and welcomed eedback, viewing it as a

sourceouseulinormationon how he could providebetterservice.

In his address on his release on 11 February 1990, he reiterated

his position on leadership, which has remainedcharacteristico his

leadership style: Friends, comrades and ellow South Aricans. I greet

you in the name opeace,democracyandreedomorall. I stand here

beore you not as a prophet but as a humbleservant o you, the people.

Your tirelessandheroicsacriceshave made it possible or me to be

here today. I thereore place the remaining years o my lie in your

hands

As a leader, are you ocused moreonbeingserved

than serving?Image courtesy of http://brentsjourney.co.za


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Truly inspirational leadership is not about sellingavision; its about

showingpeoplehow the vision can directlybenetthemand how

their specic needscanbesatised. Leaders must be able to sensethe

purposein others. What people really want to hear is not the leaders

vision. They want to hear about how their ownaspirationswill be met.

They want to hear how their dreamswillcometrueand their hopeswill

berealised. They want to seethemselvesin the picture o the uture

that the leader is painting. The very best leaders understand that its

about inspiringasharedvision, not about selling their own idiosyncratic

views o the world.

Mandelas vision o a democratic South Arica was powerullyarticulated

on the dock in his last public words as he aced the death penalty;

During my lietime I have dedicatedmyseltothisstruggleo the

Arican people. I have ought against whitedomination, and I have

ought against blackdomination. I have cherishedtheidealo a

democratic and ree society in which all persons live togetherinharmony

and with equalopportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live or and to

achieve. But i needs be, itisanidealorwhichIampreparedtodie.

His vision was sustained through 27 years o imprisonment and three

gruelling years o negotiation. That vision is now enshrinedinour

Constitution, which starts with the words:

Leaders connect with peopleAnd when we let ourown light shine, we

unconsciously give other

people permission to

do the same. As we

are liberated rom our

own ear, our presence

automatically liberatesothers.

Nelson Rolihlahla

Mandela

We, the people o South Arica,

recognisetheinjusticeso our past;

honourthosewhosueredor justice and reedom in our land;

respect those who have worked to buildanddevelopour country; and

believe thatSouthAricabelongstoallwholiveinit,unitedinour

diversity.

Madiba was able to sustainhisdreamo a non-racial, democratic

rainbow nation throughout his career. He makes allous young or

old, black or white, men or women, gay or straight, rural or urban eel

empowered,listenedto,understood,capable,andimportant.

He achieved all this by being openandcaring,positive,passionate

andcompassionate. That made him connectwith our hopes,ears,

aspirationsanddesires.

His crowning glory was the 2010 FIFA World Cup where we showed

theworld, but more importantly showed ourselves, howar

wehadcometo realise his dream o a united, non-racial,

non-sexist and democratic society.

Do you, as a leader, connect with your

people?


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Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner argue that credibilityistheoundation

o leadership. Although it makes a dierence believing in yoursel as

a leader, othershavetobelieveinyoutoo. So what does it take or

others to believe in you? Short answer: Credibility. In these times when

people have become cynicalabout their leaders and institutions, leader

credibility has taken centre stage.

We require believability. This determines whether people will willingly

givemoreo their time,talent,energy,experience,intelligence,

creativity,andsupport. Only credible leaders earn commitment,and only commitment buildsandregeneratesgreat organisations

and communities. Leadership is a relationshipbetween those who

aspiretoleadand those who choosetoollow. You cant have one

without the other. Leadership strategies, tactics, skills, and practices are

empty without an understanding o the undamentaldynamicso this

relationship.

Credibility makes the dierence between being an eective leader

and being an ineective one. Credibility will determine whether others

wanttoollowyouor not. You must takethispersonally. The loyalty,

commitment, energy, and productivity o your constituents depend on it.

And the eect o personal integrity o leaders goes ar beyond employee

attitudes. It also infuencescustomerandinvestorloyalty. People are

just more likely to stick with you when they know they are dealing with a

credible person and a credible institution. In business, and in lie, i people

dontbelieveinyou, they wontstandbyyou.

Leaders are credible

In Madibas case, his credibilityisunassailable. It has stood the test o

time rom prison to the presidency to lie ater the presidency.

Peter Hain argues that prison could have embitteredhim, adulation

could have gonetohishead,egotismcould have triumphed. He urtherargues that the clutching o the crowd and the intrusivepressureso the

modern political age could have seen Madiba retreat behind the barriers

that most top gures today erect around them simply to retain some

individual space, but all oten end up either in coldaloonessor in patent

insincerityand its companion, cynicism.

He boldly asserts that none o this happened. Throughout everything,

Madiba remains his ownman, not seduced by the trappings o

oce nor deluded by the adulation o admirers, always

riendlyandapproachable. And that is why he is

the icon o icons -and maybe alwayswillbe.

Are you regarded as a credible

leader?

Great peacemakers are

all people o integrity, o

honesty, but humility.

Nelson Rolihlahla

Mandela

A good head and a

good heart are always a

ormidable combination.

Nelson Rolihlahla

Mandela

Image courtesy of http://rhythmbangladesh.blogspot.com


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One o the Madiba lessons is about the values o the leader as it is values

that drive commitment. People want to know whatyoustandorand

believein. They want to know whatyouvalue. And leaders need to

know what othersvaluei they are going to be able to orgealignments

between personal values and organisational demands.

I you are a leader, people want to knowyourvaluesandbelies, what

you reallycareabout, and what keepsyouawakeat night. They want to

know who most infuencesyou, the eventsthat shaped your attitudes,

and the experiencesthat prepared you or the job. They want to know

whatdrivesyou, what makes you happy, and what ticksyouo. They

want to know what youre like asapersonand why you wantto be their

leader. They want to know whether you playan instrument, competein

sports, goto the movies, or enjoythe theatre. They wanttoknowabout

your amily, what youve done, and where youve travelled. They want to

understand your personalstory. They want to know whythey ought to

be ollowing you.

Values represent the coreowhoyouare. They infuence every aspect

o your lie: your moraljudgements, the peopleyoutrust, the appeals

you respondto, the way you investyour time and your money. And inturbulent times, they provide a sense odirectionamid all the depressing

news and challenging personal adversities.

Mandelas values are aptlycapturedin a letter written to his then-wie,

Winnie Madikizela Mandela. These are the values that have endeared

Madiba to millions in South Arica and abroad. These should be the basic

oundationor leadership in all spheres.

Values drive commitmentIn an age o cynicism

about political leaders,

Nelson Mandela remains

a truly global icon.

His name is orever

associated with the battle

or justice, reedom and

democracy, and his lie

is a shining example othe possibility o change.

Revered by all, whether

ordinary citizens,

amous celebrities, or

other statesmen, Nelson

Mandelas ability to stir

and mobilise people into

action is unparalleled.

Tony Blair

Madiba wrote: In judging our progress as individuals, we tend to

concentrate on externalactorssuch as ones social position, infuence

and popularity, wealth and standard o education... but internalactors

may even be more crucial in assessing ones development as a human

being: honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, purity, generosity, absence

o vanity, readiness to serve your ellow men qualities withinthereach

o every soul.

These values are conrmed by all those who have observed Madiba

and those who worked very closely with him including, Cyril Ramaphosa:

Madiba is orthright, I can tell you with certainty, in all the years

I worked with him, I have never once ound him to be devious. Honesty,

integrity,orthrightness,andtruthulnesshave been oremost

hallmarks o Madibas make-up and its a joy to deal with someone like

him. His other important quality is loyaltyto his riends. Madiba is loyal

to a ault. Even when his riends and comrades alter and go wrong, i

they have dealt with him honestly and have done some good, he will

be loyal to them to the end. I could not think o a more loyal

person.

What are your values? Do you live by them?Are they known by those you lead?


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Youcantdoitaloneis the next Madiba lesson. No leader ever got

anything extraordinary done without the talentandsupporto others.

Leadership is a team sport, and you need to engageothersin the cause.

What strengthensandsustainsthe relationship between leader and

constituent is that leaders are obsessedwith what is bestorothers,

not what is best or themselves.

Leadership in not about the leader as such. It is notaboutyoualone.

Its about the connectionyou and your teammates have with each other.

Its about how you behaveand eeltoward each other. Its about the

emotionalbondthat exists between you and them. Exemplary leaders

know that they mustattendto the needs, and ocusonthecapabilities

o their constituents i they are going to get extraordinary things done.

To work eectively with others, you havetohearwhat people are saying.

So oten leadership is associated with inspirational speaking, but

people oten miss the act that making the human connection requires

exceptionallistening. You have to understandtheperspectiveo

others. That ability has been shown to be the most glaringdierence

between successul and unsuccessul leaders.

Sensitivitytoothersneedsis a truly precious human ability. But it is not

a complex act. It simply means spendingtimewith people on the actory

foor or in the showroom or warehouse or back room. It means being

acutelyawareotheattitudesandeelingso others and the nuances

o their communication.

Leaders cant do it aloneIts about intimacy. Its about amiliarity. Its about empathy. Thiskind o communication requires understandingconstituents at a muchdeeper level than most people normally nd comortable. It requires

understanding others strongestyearningsand their deepestears.

It requires a proound awareness o their joysandtheirsorrows.

It requires experiencinglieas they experience it.

As much as Madiba was always in the limelight, he always knew he had

to shareit. He understood that some part quite a large part o

leadership is symbolicand that he was a splendid symbol. But he knew

that he could not always be in ront, and that his own great goal could die

unless he empowered others to lead.

In the language o basketball, he wanted the ball, but he understood that

he had to pass to others and let them shoot. Madiba genuinelybelieved

in the virtues o the team, and he knew that to get the best out o his

own people, he had to make sure that they partookotheglory

and, even more important, that they elt they were infuencing

his decisions.

How well do you as leader involve others in

decision-making?

Madiba has the ability

to listen. He listens

to his colleagues, to

his adversaries and in

listening he is able to

take in new ideas and

new thoughts. Many

leaders dont listen;they think they know

it all. Where Madiba

doesnt know anything he

concedes. He also admits

when he is wrong. There

are not many leaders

who admit to making a

mistake either.

Cyril Ramaphosa


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The sixth lesson rom Madiba is that challengeisthecrucibleor

greatness. Exemplary leaders the kind o leaders people want to

ollow are always associated with changingthestatusquo. Great

achievements dont happen when you keep things the same. Change

invariablyinvolveschallenge, and challengetestsyou. It introduces you

to yoursel. It brings you ace-to-acewith your level o commitment,

your grittiness, and your values. It revealsyourmindsetabout change.

Richard Stengel points out that, throughout his lie, Madiba took risks

to lead. I he were a soldier, he would be the one jumpingoutothe

Challenge triggers greatnessI remember beingawestruck when I rst

met Nelson Mandela.

Not because he is a

superstar or a celebrity,

but because he is truly

awesome. What makes

him so exceptional,what sets me in awe o

him, is his tremendous

energy and courage. He

is uncompromising in

his eorts to combat

adversity and injustice,

not just in South Arica.

Muhammad Ali

oxholeand leading the charge across the eld o battle. His view is that

leaders must not only lead, they must be seentobeleading that is

part o the job description.

Leading rom the ront meant many things. He was the one who ledrom

therontduring the Deance Campaign o 1952; he was the rstto

operateunderground, he was the rsttoundergomilitarytraining,

and so on. On Robben Island, he always steppedtotheronto the

line o prisoners entering the island, under the stares and taunts o the

guards, in order to show the others how to react. Right rom the start,

you had to stand up to the guards, he told his colleagues, and he took

theleadin doing so.

But nothing Mandela ever did held quite the risks and dangers o the

secrettalkshe initiated with the white government in 1985 while he

was still in prison. It violated every principle o his movement and his own

public statements over the decades. He could have beenbranded

atraitorand becomeapariahin his own movement, and he

might well have pushed the country to all-outcivilwar.

In government, he boldly donatedpart o his

salary to charity, oughtcorruption,

preachedreconciliation, and

so on.

Image courtesy of http://www.soulculture.co.uk


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You either leadbyexampleor you dont lead at all. That is the eighth

lesson.

Leaders have to keeptheirpromisesand become rolemodelsor

thevaluesand actions they espouse. You have to gorstas a leader.

You cant ask others to do something you arentwillingto do yoursel.

Moreover, you have to be willing to admitmistakesand be able to learn

rom them.

A leader oers an exampleEvery time NelsonMandela walks into a

room we all eel a little

bigger. We all want to

stand up; we all want

to cheer; because wed

like to be him on our

best day. Bill Clinton

Casey Mork said: Youve got to walkthetalk, not just talk the talk.

Leaders are responsible or modellingbehaviourbased on the values

they communicate. The leader must then livebytheminplainviewo

those he or she expects to ollow the values. A leader must gobeyond

just talking about organisational values such as customers are always

dierent they must actuallydemonstratehow to do this.

In other words, leading is not about tellingotherswhat to value and

what to do. You have to modelthe way you want others to eel,think,

andact. You have to show others that you are going to doexactlywhat

you are asking them to do.

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner state the problem succinctly: Quite

oten the greatest distance that leaders have to travel is the distance

romtheirmouthstotheireet. Taking that step toward ulllinga

promise, putting the resourcesbehind a pledge, and actingon a verbal

commitment may require great courage. But its the very thing that

demonstrates the courageoyourconvictions.

Madiba promoted reconciliation, nation-building

and the restoration o peoples dignity by

his own exemplarybehaviour.

He knew that true leadership

Continued on page 12

Image courtesy of http://www.guardian.co.uk


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A leader

oers anexample

(continued)

is oten realised by exerting quietandsubtleinfuence on rom day to

day, by requently seeing ollowers and other people acetoace.

He treated everyone with the same courtesyand respect, whether they

were kings or commoners. He litedpeopleout o their everyday selvesand into a higher level o perormance, achievement and awareness.

He obtainedextraordinaryresultsrom ordinary people by instilling

purposein their endeavours. He was open,civil,tolerantandairand

he maintained a respectorthedignityoallpeopleat all times.

His actions included reconciliation meetings with ormer enemies, visits

to Orania to Mrs Verwoerd, donning the Springbok jersey at the Rugby

World Cup, insisting on the singing o the National Anthem, promoting

reconciliation among warring groups in KwaZulu-Natal The listis

endless.

Everywhere he went, at everyconceivableopportunity, he rearmed,

reassertedandremindedeveryone o the basicprinciplesupon which

our rainbow nation was ounded.

This is aptly stated by Neville Alexander, Mandela is not just an icon.

It is important to highlight those things that show how a reallyhumble

person, with tremendousvisionandinsight, was able and still is able to

inspire millions o people to go the extra mile, to go beyond themselves,

to bring about a change, regardlesso whether they accept what he

stands or or not. I think that side o Mandela, that side o him is what is

mostattractiveto people.

Leaders have only two

tools at their disposal:

what they say and how

they act. What they say

might be interesting, but

how they act is always

crucial.

Alan Deutschman

Image courtesy of http://www.dghugo.com


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The best leaders are the best learnersLeadership and learning

are indispensable to each

other.

John F. Kennedy

Lesson number eight is that thebestleadersarethebestlearners.

You have to believe that you (and others) can learntolead, and that

you can becomeabetterleadertomorrow than you are today. Leaders

are constantimprovementanatics, and learning is the masterskillo

leadership. Learning, however, takestimeandattention,practiceand

eedback, along with goodcoaching. It also takes willingnesson your

part to ask or support.

Leadership can be learned. It is an observablepatterno practices and

behaviours, and a denablesetoskillsandabilities. Skills can be

learned, and when we track the progress o people who participate in

leadership development programs, we observe that they improve over

time. They learntobebetterleadersas long as they engage in activities

that help them learn how.

At the root o learning leadership is the practice oopenness, which is

why learning to be open is the rst o the learning tasks we address

in detail.

Openness is the willingness to entertainavarietyo alternative perspectives, be receptive

tocontributionsrom everyone

regardless o previous


Image courtesy of www.justsharethis.com


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Trustrules thats the last Madiba lesson. I you cant do it alone and

have to rely on others, what do you need to make that happen? Trust.

Trust is the socialglue that holds individuals and groups together. And

the levelotrustothers have in you will determine the amounto

infuenceyou have. You have to earn your constituents trust beore

theyll be willing to trust you. That means you have to givetrustbeore

you can gettrust.

Trust rules your personalcredibility. Trust rules your abilitytoget

thingsdone. Trust rules your teamscohesiveness. Trust rules your

organisationsinnovativenessand perormance. Trust rules your brand

image. Trust rulesjustabouteverythingyoudo.

And when it comes to trust, you have to ante up rst.

Trust is the ramework that supports all relationships. Building that

structure o trust begins when one person takesariskand opensupto

another. I youre the leader in the relationship, thatpersonneedstobe

you.

You also have to showthat youcanbetrusted.

Trust may seem quite intangibleat times, but its earned in some very

tangibleways. You have to demonstrate to others that you have both

the character (honesty and integrity) and the abilities(competence and

expertise) to do your job and to look out or their welare.

Trust rulesMadiba is not dicultperson at all. There isa beautiul Arikaans

word or it: gematigd.

Moderate probably

doesnt describe it as it is

described in Arikaans, but

it is close. He is moderate,

but not impulsive. Hewill sometimes surprise

us by requesting to meet

very simple people who

other people wouldnt pay

attention to. He would go

to through newspapers

and notice people who had

achieved something and

ask us to arrange a meeting

so he could congratulate

them. Zelda le Grange

Howdoyoudothis?Itsnotrocketscience:

Behave predictably and consistently

Communicate clearly

Treat promises seriously

Be orthright and candid.

By behaving in this way, you help to createaclimateotrust. It is only

when you do so and acilitate eective long-term relationships

among your constituents that you can sustain collaboration.

To get extraordinary things done, you have to promote

a sense omutualdependence eeling parto a group in which everyone knowsthey

needtheothersto be successul.


Image courtesy of http://kasamaproject.org


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Trust rules

(continued)

Herearethreeactionsstepsthatyoucantaketoulltheleaders

commitmenttoosteringcollaboration:

Showtrusttobuildtrust. Building trust is a process that beginswhen one party is willing to risk being the rst to ante up, being the

rst to show vulnerability, and being the rst to let go o control.

Since youre the leader, the rst to trust has to be you.

Saywe,askquestions,listen,andtakeadvice. When talking about

what is planned or what has been accomplished, its essential that you

talk in terms o our vision, our values, our goals, our actions,

and our achievements.

Getpeopleinteracting. Create opportunities or people to interact

with one another and in the process orm more trusting, more

collaborative relationships.

People cant all be in this together unless you get them interactingon

both a personalandaproessionalbasis. People need opportunities to

socialise, exchange inormation and solve problems inormally.

Imagecourtesyofhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com

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