New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 1 “The world is crying out for great leaders today and all we seem to get are crass politicians and business executives. In this important book “Martin Kalungu-Banda has focused on one of the acknowledged world-class leaders of our time, Nelson Mandela, and through a series of stories helps us understand the crucial features of leadership. Leaders in business, government and all walks of life will find this book a source of profound yet practical insight.” – Oliver F. Williams, Center for Ethics in Business, University of Notre Dame, and Visiting Professor, University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University “Mandela is the greatest leader of our time. This rich collection of fasci- nating stories shows why and allows us to learn that leadership is not just about heroic acts but also hundreds of small ones taken every day." – Justin Forsyth, Special Adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair “In putting together this collection of stories about Nelson Mandela, Martin Kalungu-Banda has given us a unique opportunity to under- stand the man. Reading through them one can only agree with him that ‘Mr Mandela has lived a life that is food to nourish our souls’.” – Dr Caleb M Fundanga, Governor of the Bank of Zambia “ ... a collection of heart-warming reflections that cannot but inspire those who wish to discern the essence of true leadership.” – Paddy Reilly, Director, Kimmage Development Studies Centre, Dublin “This book brings to life a remarkable man whose thoughts and actions speak to our most burning contemporary issues and still inspire our desires, hopes and dreams.” – John M Mwanakatwe, Chancellor of the University of Zambia New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 3 LEADING LIKE MADIBA New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 5 LEADING LIKE MADIBA Leadership lessons from Nelson Mandela Martin Kalungu-Banda with photographs by Eric Miller New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 6 First published 2006 by Double Storey Books, a division of Juta & Co. Ltd, Mercury Crescent, Wetton, Cape Town © 2006 Martin Kalungu-Banda (text) © 2006 Eric Miller (photographs) www.eric.co.za ISBN-10: 1 77013 044 6 ISBN-13: 978 1 77013 044 6 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form and by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher. Edited by Priscilla Hall Designed and laid out by Abdul Amien Printed by Creda Comunications, Epping, Cape Town New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 7 CONTENTS (cid:1) INTRODUCTION 9 Breakfast at Mr Mandela’s home 13 A train trip of a lifetime 17 ‘When are you going to dismiss us, Mr President?’ 20 Precious things come in small packages 25 Mark Fish and Madiba 31 Sharing the credit is a mark of great leadership 35 Leadership calls for courage 40 The problem Mr Mandela had 46 Speaking in silence 50 ‘My son died of HIV/AIDS’ 57 It is more painful to take revenge than to forgive 60 When Bill Clinton became speechless 65 Mandela or Coca-Cola? 70 ‘Unless it is Madiba who is sick’ 75 Mandela the artist 80 When offering an apology makes us greater 85 The Madiba paradox 91 Respecting our opponents 97 It is more joyful to be proclaimed than to proclaim oneself 101 ‘Don’t stop dancing’ 105 Making oneself dispensable 108 The miracle of Robben Island 110 A LAST REFLECTION 117 HOW TO LEAD LIKE MADIBA 119 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 125 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 126 New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 9 INTRODUCTION (cid:1) The world is in dire need of great leaders, ones who inspire people not through words but by serving them. Yes, the cutting edge is the old- fashioned idea of leadership through service. The whole human race, we could say, desperately needs these outstanding people who really attend to others and are beacons of hope in our search for a world society where justice, fairness, care for the weaker members of our communities, and love flourish. The call for leaders who genuinely serve their people is obvious in social and political communities. We can see it equally in the economic sphere, in business organisations or corporations. The high turnover of staff in many work places suggests that people are looking for what Lance Secretan, a Canadian guru on leadership, calls ‘soul space’ – an environ- ment where they will not simply be cogs in the wheel of production but can live full and happy lives. While it is true that library shelves in management and business schools groan with books on leadership, and that nearly every day a new ‘motiva- tional’ or ‘inspirational’ title appears in bookshops, I hope readers will forgive me for adding one more. The main source is Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. What is so extraordi- nary about Mr Mandela (Madiba, as he is fondly named in South Africa) is the breadth of his appeal. Mandela crosses the boundaries of culture, gender, race, religion and age. He has done so in a society that was once more polarised than any other – one the world expected to explode along 9 New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 10 racial and ethnic lines. That it did not was largely due to this extraordinary man and his unique leadership style. Mr Mandela’s influence transforms ordinary people, events and actions into the extraordinary. We know that great leaders can inspire others to greatness. I use the term ‘inspire’ to mean the ability to bring out the best in the people one is entrusted to work with. Inspirational leadership, like the yeast that imper- ceptibly causes the dough to rise and ‘ripen’, permeates society and its institutions in such a way that everyone begins to see their own uniqueness and take up their role in society. Inspirational leadership makes all of us dig deep into the innermost parts of our being to find the very best that lies there and make it available to ourselves and others. This, in my view, is what great leadership is all about. The stories told here show that Mr Mandela inspires the political leader as he does the boxer and the medical doctor; the footballer as much as the pupil and the government bureaucrat; the social activist and the prisoner; a neighbour, a religious leader, a farmer; the artist, the intellectual, the worker in an oil company; the businessman, the street vendor, the widow, the orphan. This is not a history book. It is about a man whose legacy is his unquench- able passion to spend himself for the wellbeing of others. By so doing, Mr Mandela has lived a life that is food to nourish our souls. As he himself acknowledges, he is human; like all of us, he has made many mistakes in his life. But I choose to share with you the side of him that I think makes him one of the greatest leaders of our time and beyond – a man who has managed to inspire his people and the rest of the world by ordinary human actions. Through stories told about Mr Nelson Mandela and his style, we can reflect on some of the key qualities of great leadership. 10 New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 11 The tales you will read come from ordinary men and women. A few were originally from newspapers, television and magazines. To me, it is not important whether these things happened exactly as they were told. What matters is that the narrators are all trying to describe and share the ‘Madiba’ phenomenon. They are a way for people to treasure and pass on what Mr Mandela has taught the world; what he has been to the world. Their value lies in their ability to inspire those who share and think about them. To me, these stories about Mr Mandela have the power of myths: they start to affect people’s lives and give birth to a new reality. They have the capacity to coax out the best in both the storytellers and the listeners. I hope you find this true as you read on. 11 New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 12 12 New final book 2/6/06 8:32 AM Page 13 BREAKFAST AT MR MANDELA’S HOME Mr Mandela invites Peter, my work colleague, for a breakfast meeting. At Mr Mandela’s home, Peter gets more than simply the breakfast he has gone for. He has a deep lesson on how to treat others. He learns that people matter as people before they have any titles. When BP, the company I was working for, transferred me from Lusaka to Cape Town, I took time to talk with my new colleagues to learn what they were working on. One of the meetings I had was with a man called Peter. He was in charge of promoting the company’s social investment in South Africa. As we introduced ourselves, we somehow came to talk about Mr Mandela. Peter exclaimed, ‘I have to tell you about an experience I had with Madiba.’ His beaming face assured me that I was about to hear one of the greatest moments of his life. This was his story. At Mandela’s request, BP started constructing a primary school in one of the high-density areas of the Eastern Cape. As the project got going, Peter received an invitation to meet Mr Mandela and brief him on the progress. ‘This was a breakfast meeting with Mr Mandela. I can assure you, the days before the appointment were long as I was anxious at the prospect of meeting and sharing a meal with Madiba. Finally, the big day came.’ On the day, Peter dressed his best and asked one of the company drivers, Dumi, to take him to Mr Mandela’s home. To Peter’s amazement, his host was waiting for him in the car park. ‘I felt both extremely elated and humbled that Mr Mandela was waiting outside for me. He warmly greeted 13