Alyssa Johanne Silva YB
General Douglas Macarthur once said, “A true leader has the confidence to
stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the
needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the equality
of his actions and the integrity of his intent”. I immediately thought of this quote while
I was watching the short biography about Nelson Mandela. In my opinion, he truly is a
natural-born leader. For 30 years or so, he was determined in crushing the oppressive
government to establish democracy. He was successful in uniting South Africa as it
dismantled apartheid; and became a symbol of hope and freedom for all his African
fellows.
Nelson Mandela practiced transformational leadership as his leadership style.
Transformational leadership is a theory of leadership or a leadership style in which the
leaders “encourage, inspire and motivate followers to innovate and create change”
(White, 2018). This type of leadership style can inspire positive changes or growth for
his/her followers. According to Cherry (2020), leaders who practice transformational
leadership like Nelson Mandela, for example, are generally energetic, passionate, and
enthusiastic. They are involved in the process and are focused in helping every
member or follower to succeed. In other words, the transformational approach looks
at how such leaders can inspire their followers by encouraging and empowering them
to accomplish a common goal through a clear sense of intent and dedication; and this
exemplifies what Nelson Mandela did. Nelson Mandela possesses the gift to “engage
with followers and create a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality
in both the leader and the follower” (Northouse, 2013, p186). His ability to inspire his
followers indicates how he has a high level of social-awareness, self-regulation,
motivation, confidence, empathy, conscientiousness, and social skills. His vision in
ending the apartheid system for South Africa has gained him millions of followers
across globe, who also shared his vision. Moreover, he was an exemplar “for his strong
moral conviction, personal example, and self-sacrifice” (Bantam, 1995). Although he
knew that his vision would lead him to incarceration and prosecution, this did not hinder
him from accomplishing his quest for equality and fairness and remained committed
to his vision.
According to Kuhnert (1994), transformational leaders seek to inspire others by
“addressing self-actualization needs to support the greater good rather than self-
interests”. This is what deviates the transformational theory from other theories like
transactional theory, in which leaders use punishment or reward to initiate his/her
followers. Transformational leaders, like Mandela, recognized the hopes of his people
for independence and democracy. Additionally, Nelson Mandela's followers agreed
that his values and vision were the secret to overcoming the country's decades of
apartheid. They had a deep desire to meet their self-actualization needs, which
included being free of years of segregation and prejudice.
Another theory that I found that could also provide the best explanation,
alongside with the transformational leadership theory, is the Path-goal Theory.
According to the Path-Goal Theory, it is the leader's duty to assist followers in
achieving their goals and to provide the required guidance or help to ensure that their
objectives are consistent with the organization's overall objectives. This concept helps
leaders to choose which particular behaviors are most suitable for their followers.
Nelson Mandela added value to situations by using achievement, supportive, and
participative styles. The motivation, performance, and satisfaction of Mr. Mandela’s
followers greatly depended on his leadership style. According to Vroom and Jago
(1988), there are no leadership style that is best for all kinds of situations. Therefore,
a leader creates a range of responses, from autocratic to democratic, and then
employs the leadership style that best suits the decision situation. In other words,
Nelson Mandela knew the needs and desires of his followers, so he worked in
accomplishing those.
Nelson Mandela is truly an amazing man for continuing his journey to equality
and democracy for the sake of his fellow countrymen, regardless of the consequences.
He is a successful leader because he somehow exhibited each of the five broad
dimensions of personality (according to the Five Factor Model). Mandela possessed
a high level of mental maturity, also known as neuroticism. His ability to harness and
manipulate his emotions in ways that others couldn't was incredible, to the point that
he embraced those who had incarcerated him. He emerges without resentment,
putting forgiveness at the forefront of his plans for the future. He was also an extravert
because of asserting his opinions tactfully. He was willing to give his life for the cause
of ending the oppressive apartheid regime and putting his country on the road to
independence. His openness allowed him to see the bitter truth of the differences and
discrimination; and to envision camaraderie, humanity, and peace. And his
agreeableness was evident on how he accepted and nurtured everyone, especially
his followers, around him. This was apparent when he was imprisoned, and instead of
showing hostility or anger, he cared for the sick or wounded and proud for the sentence
he served. Lastly, he was conscientious; meaning, he was successful in exercising
self-control and self-discipline to achieve and accomplish his goals.
After reading some articles about Nelson Mandela’s fight for equality, I have
greatly realized how racism in his time is just purely disgusting. And how his fight has
a great impact in unnormalizing racism. He is an epitome on how a leader is way
different than a boss. A leader, like him, is someone who sees how things could be
bettered and encourages others to help them achieve that goal. A boss, in contrast,
rules by fear. Anyhow, being a leader is certainly not an easy task. It is not just
something a person could do in one sitting-- especially if you have people who believes
in you. It is not just pressure we are talking about here; it is also about responsibility
and obligation.
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, yet he did not forget what he was
fighting for nor showed bitterness for the people that put him there. He showed more
importance for ideals than his own needs and did what he needs to do for the common
good of mankind. His leadership styles and traits are just some of the things that
makes him a notable leader.
REFERENCES
Soc5290, & Says, J. (2013, July 01). Home. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from
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transformational-leadership/
White, S. (2018, February 21). What is transformational leadership? A model for sparking
innovation. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from
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Krueger, B. C. (2014, January 24). Leadership Traits in Nelson Mandela. -.
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