Analysis of Nelson Mandela’s Leadership
Samantha Sarnowski
Sullivan University
Abstract
This paper explores the four frames of leadership described by Bolman and Deal (2013) through the analysis of Nelson Mandela’s Leadership. Mandela is known as a great leader but when this paper explores is how he got to be, what happened in his life that developed him into such a great leader. This paper will explain his leadership in each frame one by one.
Analysis of Nelson Mandela’s Leadership
Introduction
There are many different types of leaders and many different types of leadership. The most prominent leaders tend to arise when there is an issue that is causing conflict. This paper will discuss one of the most influential leaders of the time Nelson Mandela. He was a leader in South Africa from 1963 to 1999. This paper will analyze Mandela’s leadership in the four frames of leadership by Bolman and Deal; Structural, Human Resources, Political and Symbolic frames. It will ultimately show how Nelson Mandela’s leadership led to his successes and failures.
Symbolic Frame The national party achieved power in South Africa in 1948 the government, usually comprised on “white people”, and racially segregated the country by a policy under the Apartheid legislation system. With this new policy in place the black South African people were forced to live segregated from the white people and use separate public facilities. There were many attempts to overthrow the Apartheid regime, it persisted to control for almost 50 years. During the reign of the Apartheid regime Nelson Mandela was born and raised. Nelson Mandela was a South African lawyer and prominent activist. He was also the leader of the African National Congress party and the first black President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He is known for his devotion and struggle against the Apartheid regime. Throughout his public life, he embodied for many people an ideal of persistence, tolerance and personal strength. In my opinion, it is the combination of these qualities that made him an outstanding person and a globally recognized leader. Neither persistence without strength, nor strength without tolerance would suffice to turn around the life of
What do you consider a leader? Is it someone who can lead a group of people with no trouble or is it simply someone with exquisite thinking skills? There is not an accurate definition explaining who or what a leader is because each is different. I feel that Martin Luther King Jr is a great example because he has the ability to inspire people, which led to a movement that forever changed America. This paper goes into detail of things accomplished by Martin Luther King Jr, which allowed him to be considered one of the most influential leaders of our time.
From the vantage point of the present, it is easy to look back at the tenure of any great leader and draw conclusions about just what it was that made him/her great. We can examine the circumstances under which their leadership flourished; piece together what we know of their character and personality traits; delve into the factors that may have driven them; and dissect their leadership style all in an effort to pinpoint the source of their success. The ‘Great Man’ theory, popular in the 19th century and now thoroughly debunked, held that leaders are born, not made; suggesting that men like George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., and Winston Churchill were born with the innate capacity to change the world (Landis,
Our world is filled with many successful leaders. The gift of being a leader can be learned; however some individuals have a natural born talent to be a leader. Each leader has his or her own unique leadership style. The gift of being a leader can be learned. Certain individuals are born with a charismatic style and can easily be a leader. A successful leader is one who can inspire and motivate people towards a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual with a born gift to lead people. The following paper will discuss how Martin Luther King Jr. was able to inspire and motivate people with his effective leadership style.
1. The movie “Invictus” shows great examples of the trait leadership theory that Mandela portrayed as the President of South Africa. Mandela was able to influence the people of South Africa through his traits of being an extravert leader and having great integrity. According to the text, extraverts are sociable, assertive, and energetic people. Mandela displayed traits of an extravert leader. Whenever he would greet people he always had a genuine smile and good intentions towards everyone he met. Even the people who worked for him, especially his security, were expected and required to always have a smile to portray a welcoming atmosphere. Mandela was a very sociable person, he made sure to go to all the rugby tournaments and had a very
When reflecting throughout America’s history, two people in particular exemplified the essence of true leadership traits, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. While others displayed a vast variety of traits, Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Nelson Mandela displayed traits of leadership that stood the test of time, and while today, their traits still influence, as well as affect people in today’s society. Throughout his time as political activist, as well as South Africa’s first African President, Nelson Mandela’s
One of the most influential figures of the 20th century Nelson Mandela, was anti-apartheid activist and was the first South African president to be elected in a completely representative democratic election. However, Mandela’s journey to that point is really what would define him. Nelson Mandela would devote the majority of his life constantly challenging the systems of his country in order to reach the Africa he had in mind. His legacy has inspired millions and has left a major impact on society. The book “Tree Shaker: The Life of Nelson Mandela,” by Bill Keller, presents valuable insight into the existence of the real Nelson Mandela.
Warren Bennis’ novel, On Becoming a Leader, is the book I was able to read. Bennis worked years on this novel constructing it off of one of his former creations. Finally, in Cambridge, Ma Bennis published his story by Perseus publishing. Throughout this book he centers around the search to understand exactly how leaders are made. Bennis uses a unique approach to portraying his opinion. This is not an ordinary “how to” book on becoming a leader. Nor is it an autobiography of one’s personal experience. Bennis was a teacher and student all his life, he has never run a country or even a company. Bennis is not directly reciting his own experiences as a leader. This paper outlines Bennis’ basic thoughts, theories, and his contributions to the field of leadership.
Nelson Mandela was the president of South Africa from 1994-1999. He was the first black president of South Africa, and the first president to be elected in a fully representative election.Nelson Mandela's government focused on destroying the Apartheid government in the country, which had focused on racial segregation enforced by the law.In school, Mandela studied law and became one of South Africa’s first black lawyers.In the 1950s, he was elected leader of the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC) liberation movement.When the government prohibited the ANC for racial reasons, Mandela organized a secret military movement. He had previously been involved in peaceful protests but when they were met with
In shaping my personal theory, I sought out my own definition of leadership. To do this, reflected on some of the leaders I admired such as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Indira Gandhi, and Mahatma Gandhi, Why did I admire them? Were there any shared qualities they possessed? What I noticed with many of these leaders was their selflessness, their strong ethics and their ability to bring
In evaluating Chief Nelson and his leadership style, it is difficult to place him under one theory or another as he exhibits traits of numerous leadership theories, both positive and negative. This would be true of most all people in leadership roles, formal and informal leaders alike. I settled on the transactional leadership theory as it most completely captures his most frequent behaviors. Transactional leadership theory focuses on ideal of obey or else, reward for following and doing as told and punishment for any sort of deviation.
It is difficult to examine leadership as a concept without mentioning Winston Churchill. He was at once a brilliant, petty and compassionate man. He is lauded in many texts as one of the greatest leaders of all times for his actions during World War II, and he received awards as the most recognizable person and greatest leader in the twentieth century. The qualities of leadership he displayed though can be widely debated because he was one thing before the public and another to the people closest to him. There is no doubt that without the redoubtable courage of Winston Churchill Strongly leading the charge, Britain, and maybe the world, would not have survived the chaos of World War II. But, he also did do some amount of harm because of his blind self-confidence. The research paper is about the leadership of Churchill, and it looks specifically at his background, capabilities, and then gives conclusions based on his life that give clues as to what leadership actually is.
A game changer in the society of South Africa, Nelson Mandela said: “There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, and discharge in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.” (Mandela) The article in question mirrors this quote. Thinking about leadership, it is normal to think about how a leader emerges, possessions that a person can do to gain leadership skills, and models that will aid companies to find the right leader to bring the company in the next direction. All of these practices hold true in the scholastic norm of higher education. However, how do scholars react to new leadership theories? This question is even more important when a new term is brought to into the leadership realm of theories and practice. The name is Flock Leadership. When this article appeared, the thinking about the concept centered around the natural leader follower dynamic of geese and other flock birds that are seen on a daily basis. However, after exploring the context of the paper, a new thought emerged. In this paper, there will be an exploration of Flock Leadership, and how it could apply to everyday leadership. Along with the comparison of Flock Leadership of Adaptive Leadership.
The leader must inspire engage employees, prescribe a common vision, choose a direction to take and encourage them to follow him. The whole team needs to continue and share the same goals and objectives. One could say that this style of leadership is the most effective of all, especially in large organizations. Nelson Mandela was one of the greatest leaders in history, great freedom fighter and
My essay will be looking at servant leadership in the continent of Africa and how effective it has been. In the past few decades after countries in Africa seized being under colonial rule, there has been a misconstrued notion that “All leaders in Africa are corrupt” and that it struggles heavily with ethical leadership. It cannot be denied that certain leaders in African countries have made questionable decisions but the same can be said for many other leaders in different continents. My thesis aims to uncover that there are leaders in the continent that do adopt the concept of Servant Leadership. If I was to say servant leader and Africa in the same sentence I am sure the first name that will come to mind is Nelson Mandela. A man globally known for his fight against apartheid in South Africa and his compassionate personality and dedication to the African people’s struggle.
Nelson Mandela is recognized for his leadership as a peacemaker and for distinctive aspects of his peacemaking practices all throughout the world. He was the leader of one of the most incredible political transitions in human history. Mandela is known as one of the great moral and political leaders of our times; an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa, won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country.