CASE STUDY ANALYSIS: NELSON MANDELA’S LEADERSHIP

Nelson Mandela is one of the most decorated ad respected leader Africa, and the entire world has ever had. Many leaders on earth widely accept his contribution to the progress of the South African democracy. The efforts in reuniting the South African people led to him being awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. Leadership being a challenging and arduous task for any heads of states, to him it was a passion driven journey and accepted defeat whenever it came his way. The icon had a great desire to deliver social justice in his country and act as an example for other states to emulate. He completed his degree in law in prison while serving a 27 years term. These sought of determination is thus attributed to the success he has achieved during his leadership as the first black president of South Africa. It is, therefore, critical for leaders to be engaged in building a cohesive and peaceful nation. These are achieved through transformational leadership which is orchestrated by passion and inspiration for change in social systems.
Mandela’s Leadership Style
The success of South Africa under the leadership of Nelson Mandela is found on his transformational leadership style. Driven by a desire for social change in the country, he pursued a degree in law to aid his efforts to establish a peaceful society (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2013, p. 392). The desire to end the apartheid and enlighten the society of their social justice was the core milestones he achieved in his leadership.

The social system of the country thus changed allowing racial discrimination to be eradicated in his country. Other than being liberal minded and social person, Mandela had a worldwide fan base that supported his transformation and leadership style. Notably, he encouraged his fellow inmates to invest their time under segregation in education leading to that naming of his prison block as “Mandela University.” Although he was still in prison, he still anticipated for a better future and a society free of discrimination and identification by color. Such leadership is considered transformational owing to the changes it brings in the social justice system of a country (Kotlyar & Karakowsky, 2007, p 41).
Several leadership paradigms have emerged over the years. However, an effective leadership style is determined by the leaders and the quality he/she possesses (Phipps & Prieto, 2011, p.438). Ambitions and desire to achieve set milestones is the ultimate propellant of transformational leadership. Mandela was aligned to a positive change that would benefit the whole society. Selflessness dominated his actions, and as a result, the majority of his followers were transformed to follow his visions. Consequently, the apartheid regime ended under his leadership. Furthermore, his reconciliation efforts and championing for forgiveness among those who were imprisoned for fighting for social rights made him become recognized internationally (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2013, p. 393). He was awarded a recognition award, the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle to build a cohesive and peaceful state free from racial discrimination.
Change in Mandela’s Role in Leadership
Circumstances shape many of the leadership roles in an organization. For instance when there is an urgency need of change in management, the top managers of an organization have to the extent their roles to meet the needed change. This is reflective in the journey of Nelson Mandela as a leader for change in social justice and well-being of his nation. Being brought up by a guardian who was in a leadership position; his path seemed to be predetermined. However due to change in desire to have a society free from colonization, he joined African National Congress and championed for freedom of South Africa. His roles changes to the betterment of the society and his efforts were successful in the long run. Although his courageous fight for freedom led to his imprisonment, he did not give up.
While in prison, he used to enlighten the other freedom fighters to champion for their liberty. After his release, he won the first ever democratic elections in the country and became the first president of the antiapartheid regime. His roles gradually changed to reuniting the already dismantled regime and ensure cohesion between the whites and the blacks. As a leader, he utilized his time in restructuring the social system including the adoption of the new constitution of the country. The role interchangeability due to changes in situations made it possible for the leader to be universally recognized. The zeal to have equal rights to all in was the ultimate goal of his leadership. The sense of humor possessed by the man and compassion he had to his jailers by forgiving them were among the principal propellants of his successful leadership (Williams, 2013, n.p). Even after his leadership tenure ended, his role as a leader still continued but in a different dimension. He championed the awareness of HIV and AIDs among many other social programs.
Lessons from Mandela’s Leadership
Great will always have a significant influence on the political systems of different countries or organizational arrangement of leaders. Nelson Mandela was such a heroic icon in his leadership both as president and after the presidency title. Several lessons can be drawn from his leadership that only a few leaders can keep up with them. First, his leadership reveals that as a leader, collaboration is better that retaliation. After he was imprisoned for championing for a free state, he never retaliated after being released. Instead, as a president democratically elected emphasized on forgiveness between the oppressed and their oppressors. This initiative neutralized the gap that the apartheid system had created in his country. Second, leadership is behavioral rather than positional. Just by the actions of Nelson Mandela, his followers felt a sense of belonging to a society free from conflicts and other racial issues. He ran the government on rather an informal manner and managed to produce quality impacts to the lives of his citizens. He never used his position to discriminate other or to have unmatched uniqueness. He mingled with people and allowed them to develop their own under his oversight. According to Barth-Farkas & Vera (2014, p. 227), effective leadership is founded on the behavioral qualities that support development.
Lastly, from the leadership of Mandela, it is clear that cultivating an organization that has ideals meant to change the society for the better is worth fighting for regardless of the circumstances. Even after being imprisoned due to his antiapartheid campaign, Nelson made it possible by mounting pressure to the existing regime while still in prison. His outcry attracted other nations and humanitarian organizations that led to his release. Progress was realized after his election as the first black president and the anticipation for vengeance to his jailers never happened. Instead, he focused on healing and reconciliation. Such great transformational leaders are the key drivers of the economy and the social change that benefits the entire community (Alimo-Metcalfe & Alban-Metcalfe, 2001, p.13).
Comparison of Nelson Mandela to Other World Leaders
The liberal leadership of Nelson Mandela can be matched with very few leaders in the world. The courage, composure, and determination to deliver his country from the chains of racism have created a huge difference from the ordinary leadership that has been experienced in many parts of the world. Several qualities made his stand out from many leaders especially in the countries in his continent, Africa. The capacity to transcend himself for the advantage of those surrounding him indicated illustrates a huge difference in his leadership (Williams, 2013, n.p). Accepting flaws in leadership were among his qualities that helped him liberate South Africa. Unlike other leaders in Africa like President Robert Mugabe, he never exercised dictatorship or showed mightiness of his powers. The leaders who came close to his type of leadership were Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa. Their zeal for social change and equality to all was determined by their passion and life experiences. Marques (2007, p. 104), resembles the leadership of Nelson Mandela with that of Jesus Christ. His love for the well-being of the people made him a hero and an example to many leaders in the world.
When the leadership of known persons like Fidel Castro, Al Capone, and Mugabe among other is compared to that of Mandela, there is clear evidence that there exists a huge difference in their styles. However, all the sorts of leaderships were entangled with some similarities. Hard work, determination, intelligence and confidence are among the shared similarities. Although some of the leaders used them for their good, Mandela used these qualities to the advantage of the whole society. The significant differences in world leadership in the present world are the goals they set and the qualities and skills they possess to make the goals realistic (Ilies, et al., 2006, p. 19). Furthermore, their appearance in the society has different perceptions.
Personality Dimensions for a Transformational Leader
Leaders who wish to be transformational in their tenure have to possess qualities that allow them to achieve their milestones more. Idealized influence is a personality that transformational leaders need (Joyce & Judge, 2004, p. 902). In leading a transformation, ideas are paramount, and this is an essential ingredient in the success of the undertaking. Transformational leaders have to inspirational and have a motivational approach to their supporters. This attribute is meant to gain the support of the followers to aid in the movement towards the needed change (Carmeli, et al., 2011, p. 402). Individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation are among the needed personalities transformational leaders need in their journey for changing the society. However, such personalities/qualities cannot be achieved by all leaders. Some are dominated by the desire to show their mighty and exercise power over everyone under their ruling (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2013, p. 393). For this reason, only a few decorated and liberal minded leaders can develop such qualities. It is, therefore, vital for leaders who are an anticipating for positive change that is not founded on selfish backgrounds to have qualities that are accepted by the society.
Conclusion
Leadership is associated with responsibilities and accountability on several issues in the society. For this reason, those who are ready to transform a course in the society have to have several unmatched qualities. Confidence, hard work, and courage guide a leader on where, when and how to go about on many issues. This gives them room for interpersonal interactions and aids in gaining support. Strategic vision and appropriate intelligence are also needed attributes needed in leadership. Such qualities were displayed by Nelson Mandela both as a president and a philanthropist.
Reference List
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