Nelson Mandela

A young man is faced with two options for his life: live out the expected norm for royalty, complete with the best education that status can afford, marry a preselected wife and accept a quiet, undisruptive yet comfortable life; or he can create his own opportunity to have a voice and stand for positive change that would impact a nation, enjoy a life in the spotlight under the scrutiny of authorities and challenge accepted social norms. Which would YOU choose? The young man described is Nelson Mandela, a captivating man of the people; an inspiring leader. He, though adopted at a young age and raised in sophistication and surrounded by wealth, chose to make his mark as a leader by speaking up for his African people and in 1942 “he became actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement and joined the African National Congress…For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and it’s racist policies. In 1994, he was inaugurated as the country’s first black president” (Mandela, 2012).

Leadership as defined by Organizational Behavior is “the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives” (Hunt, Osborn, Schermerhorn, 2010, p. 306). During his life, Mandela showed that he could use his virtue, charisma, and visionary prowess to lead South Africa’s people toward unity and democracy. He motivated the nation with his appeal to the common goal of a desegregated nation. He effectively managed conflict in his fight for racial equality and rights for all by using nonviolent approaches such as boycotts, strikes and mass rallies. And he set the example for his people to follow to be most effective at attaining their goals, even from behind bars.