Mandela’s Lessons of Leadership

Nelson Mandela is a native South African who was strong leader in the South African movement towards equal rights during the Apartheid era. His leadership was tested when he was sent to prison throughout most the protesting of the apartheid and equal rights movements. Towards the end of his political career Mandela was asked to give insight to his leadership skills, from his detailed response the two most important traits of Mandela’s leadership that stuck me the most are knowing one’s enemy and quitting is leading too.. Mandela’s leadership trait that knowing one’s enemy is a main factor in being a leader because you to defeat your enemy you must know what they like to hit them where it hurts the most. This trait has affected me in my life because by knowing my enemy I can understand where they come from and what they truly want from me. By knowing what they want I can connect with them and make it seem as if we both are on the same page. This trait has affected my society because in order for the government to negotiate with foreign enemies they put trade embargos which threaten the enemies economy which they need.

Another important leadership trait form Mandela is that quitting is leading too. This trait is important because by by showing to your peers that you are worry and not going to blame someone else shows that you are a strong, trustworthy, and reliable leader that they can depend on. This trait can be seen in society back when President George Washington resigned from the office after 2 terms. It was never stated that the president could only stay in office for 2 years but since him almost every other president has followed him. All in all, these traits are important to make a strong leader similar to Nelson Mandela. Also these traits struck out to me because they made the most sense and seemed very valuable in the real world.