Nelson Mandela – lifelong African National Congress (ANC) political activist, social revolutionary, and the first democratically elected President of South Africa (1994-99) – is widely acclaimed as a powerfully effective communicator, having succeeded in negotiating radical long-term reconciliatory changes in South Africa during a period of violent political oppression. As with successful leaders across the globe and throughout history, underpinning Mandela’s achievement was undoubtedly his highly adaptable style of leadership and communication. Mandela, like all successful leaders, will employ different leadership styles for different situations in order to more effectively influence others through communication most appropriate for the circumstances.
This series
of articles will finally examine Mandela’s acceptance of a democratic style of leadership, which permitted him to facilitate communication between South Africa’s many and varied social groups and influence a dramatic improvement in his nation’s political situation.Nelson Mandela finally employed a democratic style of leadership, allowing him to facilitate reconciliatory communication between South Africa’s many and varied social groups and influence a dramatic improvement in his nation’s political situation. The primary feature of the democratic style of leadership is the encouragement of the participation of all (Tyler, Kossen & Ryan 2002, p. 210). In a speech given following his release from prison, Mandela notes the importance of involving all South Africans in the shift towards change, stating that
negotiations for such change “cannot take place above the heads or behind the backs of our people” (Mandela 1990).Another key feature of the democratic style of leadership is the fact that group members become active stake-holders through the harnessing of their individual talents (Tyler, Kossen & Ryan 2002, p. 210). In a speech given in 1994, Mandela asks all South Africans, including his former adversaries, the Afrikaners, to “join us [the ANC] in working together to face the problems we face as a nation” (Mandela 1994). In 1994, at the age of seventy-five and after more than five decades as an ANC political activist communicating peaceful reconciliatory changes, Nelson Mandela, in South Africa’s first fully representative democratic election, was chosen to be the nation’s president.
SEE ALSO
Part 1 – The Laissez-Faire Leadership of Nelson Mandela: http://expertscolumn.com/content/laissez-faire-leadership-communication-nelson-mandela-part-1 Part 2 – The Authoritarian Leadership of Nelson Mandela: http://expertscolumn.com/content/communication-leadership-authoritarian-leadership-nelson-mandela Part 3 – The Paternalistic Leadership of Nelson Mandela: http://expertscolumn.com/content/communication-leadership-paternalistic-leadership-nelson-mandela
SOURCES
Mandela, M 1994, Long walk to freedom, Abacus, Edinburgh; Tyler S, Kossen C & Ryan C 2002, Communication: a foundation course, Revised Edition, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest.