FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is a Leadership Trait that Unites and Stabilizes

After apartheid ended and Mandela was democratically elected President, some were
thirsty for revenge against his predecessors who had been proponents of racial
segregation. Instead, “Mandela appointed a racially integrated cabinet, visited the
widow of one of the top apartheid leaders, and created the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission that would clear the air and permit moving forward.”
Forgiveness.This man forgave and and then worked with a group of people who had
imprisoned him for 27 years,and who had persecuted his family relentlessly.How many
birthdays,funerals and family issues of note did he miss in all that time?
His most famous quality was his ability to forgive his enemies and especially his jailers.
There is a quote by Mandela after he was asked why he did this (some blacks didn’t
think the jailers and Afrikaans people deserved such a thing), he said: If you want to
make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes
your partner.
Mandela forgave those that imprisoned him for 27 years. He invited a former guard to
his inauguration and shared the Noble Peace prize with his predecessor, F.W. de Clerk.
His magnanimity won trust and set an example of how an entire nation could move
forward. Why was he so willing to forgive? His answer- “Hating clouds the mind.”
I think we acquire the trait of forgiveness when we realize that all human beings are
flawed, including ourselves.

RESILIENCE
Leaders who were brought in to guide companies through tumultuous times have to
have tenacity and determination. They could likely be dealing with situations where they
have to fight against old ideas, company politics, and external pressures.
Many looks at the man and do not know how hard he worked for his entire adult life to
uphold human dignity and fight racism; they see only his later public career. It is also
intimidating to think of being in prison for 27 years in a third world country, but only the
Mandela himself could describe what it was like to be a high target inmate in the
darkness of that stone quarry prison.

SKILLED COMMUNICATOR
Effective visionary leaders have the ability to cause others to see where they are going
and agree to the move toward the new vision. They will likely use their charisma to
cause others to understand the larger picture.
Besides their immense imaginative minds that capture bold visions, the most effective
and admired leaders also have the skill to communicate persuasively and
charismatically. What good is a vision that can revolutionize a family, a company or a
country if you cannot communicate it to the people around you?
It is your responsibility as a leader to transfer through your communication the intensity
of what’s in your heart into their hearts, to communicate it so passionately, so potently
that every person can see, hear, and feel the attractive impact and compelling nature of
the vision.
While Mandela was the leader of the Congress, he inspired his people by helping them
understand the values and importance of his visions. He encouraged them to develop
their own understanding of what is important for the country, like the fight for equality by
eliminating racial discrimination. This inspiring leadership has contributed to helping the
country with overcoming the apartheid and developing it into a stable modern
democracy. In his speeches while traveling every part of the country, he inspired and
convinced people, adding that he could do something to overcome the apartheid
confidently. At the same time, he also warned the people not to be overwhelmed by the
ruling class and not to strike back, physically or verbally, no matter the hassle was.
Nelson Mandela’s oratory played a key role in his journey from imprisoned revolutionary
to the man who helped unite South Africa and he delivered many powerful and
significant speeches during his lifetime. He was a great speaker who was eloquent and
could articulate himself well. His speeches were put together with beautiful words and
sentences. In 1964, he was on trial in the high court of Johannesburg, charged with
treason and acts of sabotage. He did not deny these charges and in a long and
eloquent address, he outlined the stages by which his resistance had become an
imperative moral duty.

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live
together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and
to see realised. But, my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
He was ultimately sentenced to life with hard labour by Mr Justice Quartus De West.

PATIENCE
Patience is important for long term success.
It is typical of politicians now to have a short-term view and forgot about the long term
and sustainability.
It takes time to build something that is worth the effort.
Mandela had a long-term goal.
That's the most important thing I learnt from him.
“We should not let an illusion of urgency force us to make decisions before we are
ready.”- Nelson Mandela. If anyone ever knows how to play the long game it was him.
He spent decades dedicating himself to a cause that didn’t seem likely to succeed in the
early years. The time he spent in prison taught him the value of patience. He waited for
and worked toward the accomplishment of his goals during that time. Great leaders
know that instant gratification is not the way to achieve big goals.

SELF – AWARENESS
Thanks to his good governance, Mandela was universally respected and liked in South
Africa after completing his first term. The stage was set for a second term in office and
possibly many more terms. Instead, he bucked all expectations and stepped down.
At the height of his popularity, he decided that the country was bigger than him, that the
nation needed to develop new leadership to continue to progress, and he stepped
down. That's self-awareness at work, another essential leadership trait. Again, most of
us wouldn't have done this.
Mandela could be, when necessary, an eloquent statesman, an articulate technocrat, or
a humorous storyteller. He knew which situations called for which role and he was self-
aware enough to recognize how people were viewing him. At the same time, he could
put himself in their place too and feel as they felt.
When Mandela was sent to jail he already possessed qualities of self-awareness that
helped him to accept the decision of the court instead of trying to fight it: “I was made by
the law a criminal, not because of what I had done but because of what I stood for”.

HUMILITY
Like other icons of civil disobedience, such as Martin Luther King and Gandhi, Nelson
Mandela was a humble man. He was not full of ego and he firmly believed that all great
peacemakers had to be people of humility. He said, “I am not a saint unless you think of
saint a sinner who keeps on trying.” That humility allowed him to rise above his ego and
make great personal sacrifices for his beliefs. It also made him a role model that other
people would emulate and follow. Humility allows a leader to lead by example.
Effective leaders do not let their egos get in the way of accomplishing their mission.
When Mandela’s death became public, many people who knew him commented on how
humble he was. When meeting someone he frequently said: “It’s an honor to meet
you.” He never presented himself as being above or better than other people. He also
famously wrote in his memoir “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner
who keeps on trying.”
DETERMINATION
“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live
together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for
and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”- Nelson
Mandela. Great leaders focus on what they want to achieve and not their own
glorification. That does mean making sacrifices. You might not have to make the kind of
sacrifices that Mandela made but achieving important goals does demand your time,
energy and focus.

Mandela was so tenacious and committed to his mission. He sacrificed 27 years of his
life in prison. He faced critics from his own party and from international leaders.
Mandela was driven to accomplish his mission and never stopped moving towards the
ultimate goal of liberating his country.

INTEGRITY
definition of integrity, it’s defined as a “concept of consistency of actions, values,
methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is
regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions.”
Integrity: Mandela was known as an honest and respected man who was successfully
able to move South Africa to fair and free elections. – He did what he said he was going
to do. Mandela consistently modeled the core values he espoused. This integrity was
essential to earning the respect of the outgoing white apartheid regime, and eventually
the respect of millions of South African citizens.
He was a person of Integrity: Mandela consistently modeled the core values he
espoused; this earned him respect of the outgoing white apartheid regime.
The second trait is honesty and integrity because Nelson Mandela never compromised
his integrity despite the extreme challenges he faced. For example, he has refused
conditional release from prison because he needs to renounce violence, and violent
protest that bring changes to the political system in South Africa. He also being truthful
to his supporters and followers which make him to be elected by them to become the
first black president in South Africa.
CHARISMASTIC
"a particular quality of a person on the basis of which he is distinguished from ordinary
people and endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least exceptional personal
qualities."
Nelson Mandela influenced people through charismatic leadership. He is able to
articulate an idealized vision of a better future that South Africa can free from Apartheid.
He has many admirers around the world and dedicated followers during his rule as an
authorial power. The courage and the forgiveness he had throughout his fight against
Apartheid actually inspired many people.
He was a charismatic leader who was able to articulate his vision and gained millions of
followers who shared this vision. Beyond that, he was known as a role model for his
strong moral conviction, personal example, and self-sacrifice.

OPTIMISTIC
More and more research are revealing the power of optimism and its direct impact upon
effective leadership. Research also shows that optimism is the essential ingredient for
handling setbacks and developing “grit.” It was this optimism that led to Mandela
surviving 27 years of imprisonment. It was this optimism that gave Mandela the
strength to emerge as an international leader from the moment he left prison.
The first traits is optimism and self-confidence because Nelson Mandela think that
South Africa will not have Apartheid system forever and he has a strong belief that he
can end the Apartheid one day.

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot

say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet
moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely
tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat
and death.”
Mandela’s resilience teaches us that no matter how bad things may seem, keep your
head up. When you come up against roadblocks, remember that you have the ability to
choose a new path.
Nelson Mandela was a great visionary, who exercised a range of cognitive, emotional
and behavioral abilities to bring about profound change in South Africa. He was a
leader who provided the necessary inspirational fuel to an entire nation. He
demonstrated some key leadership behaviors which make him a great leader –

1. He was a person of principles and dignity

2. He refused to accept status-quo, and had the capability to challenge the system
3. He had immense power of forgiving people
4. He never compromised on his deeply held values
5. He could motivate people by his behaviors and had the ability to stir crowds
6. He looked at the bigger picture, and worked towards unification of people and
national reconciliation, as he knew that was more important than anything else.
7. He was a strategic leader who knew the importance of continuous learning. He was
able to adjust strategy and execution amidst complex and dynamic political, legal and
economic forces.
8. Mandela was a person of great integrity. He was known to be an honest man, who
was successfully able to move the country to fair and free elections.
9. He was known to be an extremely humble person, a rare trait, which is necessary at
leadership levels.
Nelson Mandela is visionary. He exhibits courage and conviction in pursuing the vision.
His vision provides the meaning to the citizen to move towards a better future and
improve their communities.