Leadership

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Leadership depends on the character of the leader, the leadership attributes and the managerial skills that the leader has. These factors will determine the popularity of the leader. I have chosen Nelson Mandela to be my public leader because of the struggle that he made in South Africa to make sure that the country attains its freedom from the Apartheid rule as well as ensuring that the people of South African remain united as one body. Mandela was also responsible for the fight against poverty in the country all the sufferings that the country was going through. In his leadership, however, Mandela remained focused and peacemaking. He forgives those who jailed him for 27 years (Nohria np). Mandela was not thirsty for power, and that is why he only accepted to be the president of South Africa for one term just to act as a pacesetter for the leaders who were going to lead the country after him.
The leadership characteristics that were experienced from Nelson Mandela include the strength that he had and the resilience. He used these character traits during the hardship he was going through in prison and also when the country was fighting against the Apartheid. In prison, Mandela was forced to do hard labor as a punishment, but he didn’t surrender from fighting after he was released (Krueger np). The other character trait of leadership that was found in Mandela was “the fact that he was a good orator”. Mandela was a good public speaker who could influence the crowd, and they liked his speeches very much.

Through his good speaking skills, the people felt united through him, and he was seen as an individual who spearheads the revolution that was required in South Africa. Similarly, in his speeches, Mandela normally used humor to avoid the boredom among his listeners and also to make the listeners pay much attention to him. Mandela didn’t do any form of revenge to the oppressors even those that imprisoned him were forgiven after the South Africans were liberated from the hands of the Apartheid (Pietersen 4). A leader is not expected to hold grudges against anybody, and that is what Mandela did. He also became friends to some of the enemies who were oppressing the South Africans. And also Mandela focused on the goals of the nation that he was leading and not his own goals. A leader is expected to view the needs of the people that s/he leads and find a way on how to solve them. Through the leadership of Mandela, the South Africans acquired the freedom that they were yearning to get for years. During his reign, Mandela campaigned to create awareness to the people concerning the deadly disease HIV/AIDS that was spreading in the African countries at an alarming rate. This was done because of the concern he had for the goals that his country had set.
The attributes that made Mandela an effective leader included his educational standards. Mandela was very knowledgeable with several certificates from the higher learning institutions such as “the University of South Africa, the University of London” among other institutions. Through his studies, Mandela managed to have more information concerning the human ideas and how to deal with human as a leader (“Leadership Qualities Of Nelson Mandela” np). Through his studies, he also gets exposed to several pieces of information concerning the leadership, and this made him be one of the best leaders that the world cherishes. The other attribute that Mandela had was being resistance to conformity. However much Mandela was being tortured in jail, he never changed his mind concerning the liberation of the country from the hands of the Apartheid. Mandela also denied the arrangement of forced marriage in his culture, and that is why he flew to Johannesburg to avoid the forced marriage. As the people’s leader, Mandela embraced sacrifice so that the country can be free from the Apartheid. He also sacrificed his life in the prison for 27 years so that the country could acquire freedom and become independent just like other African countries by then. And also he made a sacrifice by giving up his role as the president of South Africa so that he can continue with his fight for the rights of the people in the whole world. Even though this was a great responsibility to talk on behalf of the oppressed in the in the world, Mandela sacrificed his time for the entire world to embrace the change and to be free. Mandela was also passionate about the good life for his people and the people in the world (Tutu 623). He advocated for the clean water and clean air for everybody in the world. According to his campaign, he wanted that the environment where people live should remain clean and free from any form of contaminations such as the impurities that are exposed in the air like the industrial wastes. The campaign also went ahead to look into factors that can result in climatic changes, for instance, the cause of drought in some areas and come up with ways to protect the people coming from such regions. Mandela was also passionate about bringing democracy, equality and to solve racism problem among the people in the world. During his detention in prison, he never paid racism with racism. He was very lenient to the oppressors, and he wanted them to realize that practicing of racism was not good among the people.
The other attribute that Mandela had was being influential. When Mandela was imprisoned, he could write letters to his supporters, and this made most of his supporters to remain by his side and even demanded his release from prison. When he was the president in his country, Mandela managed to influence the people to gain trust in him. In his speeches, however, he became very influential by convincing the judges when he was given time to defend himself against the sanction case he had been charged with (Tutu 621). And also because he was an eloquent speaker, he managed to run his country smoothly by setting goals that were also embraced by his country people as the best way of developing South Africa. Similarly, he influenced the people to fight for their liberation from the Apartheid ruling in South Africa as well as influencing most of the people to maintain their environment clean and free from contamination by the industrial wastes. Lastly, Nelson Mandela had the attribute of uniting the people he was leading. The solidarity that was created by Mandela made them overpower the ruling of the Apartheid. By the solidarity that Mandela created, they managed to fight tirelessly against the oppressors and to ensure that their land acquired the freedom that they deserved. The solidarity also made the South Africans to rule their land by themselves and also to work as a unit to make the development of the country.
The difference between a leader and a manager is that a leader has supporters and followers who accept his vision and plans while a manager is someone who employs others to work for him or her in a given organization. Management requires the manager to take control and plan on the things that are already in the firm that s/he is in charge of while the leadership requires the skills that can be used to represent others by acting as an example (Chris np). The management involves taking care of “the activities in the organization and the employees” in that firm while the leadership requires that those who the leader lead to having to trust in the person leading them. And also the people who are led by someone have to be inspired by that person they refer to as their leader. Management involves bringing of stability in the firm where the manager and the employees work and ensuring that the changes that occur in the organization don’t cause losses to the organization that the manager takes care of (Chris np). Leadership, on the other hand, requires that the leader encourages the people to embrace the change that is needed to them so that they can have a smooth movement in their activities as a unit. Management requires set policies and procedures that are to be followed by the employees in the company or the firm where they work. And also an attempt to go against these policies and procedure can result in dismissal from the duties that someone conducts. Leadership, however, works under principles and guidelines depending on the vision that they have as a body such as a country.
The different management and leadership characteristics that were possessed by Nelson Mandela were as follows. Mandela was an ambitious person, and this made him fight passionately about the will of the people and what he believed was right for his people. Because of his ambition and passion, most of the people loved him due to the care that he was offering to them and this also made him a good manager who cares about his people. Mandela also led his people from the front by acting as an example of what they should be doing, and this was also a way to inspire his people to work harder as a manager. The leader also knew his enemies, and therefore he was capable of overcoming them in his leadership, and it was one of the ways that the South African managed to gain a victory from their oppressors (Chris np). As a manager, however, Mandela could easily identify the weak spots of their enemies and overcome them with his people. And also Mandela was a visionary leader who could identify the goals that could help the people to move ahead and create development to the people. As a manager, he could look into risks and how to overcome them in time.
The level of leadership of Nelson Mandela is level five which is known as Pinnacle. Mandela deserves this level due to the respect that he had acquired concerning the status he had reached with respect he was given by the people. Since his death, Mandela has remained in the memory of several people in the world because of the foundation of good work he had laid during his leadership (Maxwell np). Mandela has been a leader who many people have emulated. He also had an outstanding personality that made most of the people to follow his footsteps as leadership is concerned. Mandela has also been a famous leader in the entire world.
There are several things that the new leaders can learn from the leadership of Nelson Mandela. The leaders should be submissive to their supporters and to ensure that they maintain their stands of fighting for the rights of their supporters all through (Krueger np). The leaders can also learn that they should put “the needs of the people” they are leading first and try by all means to accomplish the people’s goals and not the personal goals. The new leaders can also learn that to be an effective leader; you have to read so that you can lead others. Through several studies, the leader will be in a position to understand the people needs. The upcoming leaders can also learn that wrong doings should not be paid by another wrongdoing. For instance, Mandela was detained and punished in prison for 27 years by the Apartheids because he was a black man, but once he was released, he didn’t pay back to the Apartheid by torturing them. The leaders also should be passionate in whatever they are doing so that they give their best to the people that they are leading. And also the new leaders should be courageous to spearhead every activity that the supporters are yet to go through however dangerous it might appear. The leaders should also embrace sacrifice to bring the best things out of their leadership. For instance, the leaders should campaign for the rights of the people such as the right against oppression or the right to acquire some forms of freedom in their lives.
The effective attributes that Nelson Mandela had that enabled him to lead successfully include being much knowledgeable. The knowledge that Mandela acquired in the universities and other higher learning institution enable him to view his supporters in different ways and notice what could help them in time. The other attributes that he had as a leader were remaining passionate and dedicated to whatever could bring good to the people. For example, the leader remained steadfast to his goals for the people of South Africa however much he was being tortured by the Apartheids in jail.
Some of the attributes that the leader could have worked on at the moment in case he was still living are the fight for the equality of the people in the world. The people from different races to be treated equally in different countries that have different races. This fight would make sure that those who are detained and tortured in different countries where racism is still being practiced are left free. The other issue that Nelson Mandela could advocate for is the purification of our environment. There is an increase in the exposure of the industrial effluent in the atmosphere and this result in global warming that in turn cause the climatic changes in some parts of the world. The leader could increase his effectiveness by ensuring that some of these industrial plants that cause these damages to the environment are eliminated and are replaced with effective processing power plants that are environmentally friendly. In addition, the leader could look into the best ways in which the areas that are experiencing the climatic changes can be rescued from the hostility of the environment that they live in.
In conclusion, the leadership portrayed by “Nelson Mandela” was accompanied by the good attributes that he had for “the people of South Africa and the world at large”. For instance being influential and being passionate in his duties among others. Mandela is also portrayed as a good manager of the people that supported him besides being their leader.
Work Cited
Chris, Joseph. “5 Nelson Mandela Leadership Style Secrets.” N.p., 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.
Krueger, Brian. “Leadership Traits In Nelson Mandela.” Sites.psu.edu. N.p., 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.
“Leadership Qualities Of Nelson Mandela, Life Lessons Nelson Mandela.” Center For Work Life. N.p., 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.
Maxwell, John. “5 Levels Of Leadership.” ToolsHero. N.p., 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.
Nohria, Nitin. Imagine Leadership. 2009. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.
Pietersen, Willie. “What Nelson Mandela Taught The World About Leadership.” 1.1 (2010): 1-19. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.
Tutu, Desmond. “Attributes Of Leadership.” 23.3 (2002): 621-624. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.