With the upcoming celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela on February 11, 1990,  it seems timely and essential that I am reading the autobiography of this great man. It is called “Long Walk To Freedom” and is a fascinating read so far and I am only in the first few chapters. Dan has read it all and highly recommended it to me. I don’t know whether it is because of my African heritage that I find the words in this book so compelling, but as I read about Mandela’s childhood and his descriptions of the way life was I find myself drawn in and captivated.

I want to share with you a section from Chapter 3 where Mandela reflects on the beginnings of his leadership philosophy. I am fascinated by the many factors that shaped the character of this influential leader. There is no doubt in my mind of God’s hand directing each twist and turn in Mandela’s story. When he was nine years old, his father died and as a result he moved with his mother to the provisional capital of Thembuland (South East Coast of South Africa in the Transkei).

Mandela’s father had been instrumental in the appointment of the current Thembuland regent and in death would be rewarded for his loyalty by favour bestowed on his survivng son. Mandela would now be raised as one of the regent’s own sons. What follows are some of Mandela’s first reflections on life in the Great Place (Thembuland Capital).

“Because of the universal respect the regent enjoyed — from both black and white — and the seemingly untempered power that he wielded, I saw chieftaincy as being the very center around which life revolved. The power and influence of chieftaincy pervaded every aspect of our lives and was the preeminent means through which one could achieve influence and status.

“My later notions of leadership were profoundly influenced by observing the regent and his court. I watched and learned from the tribal meetings that were regularly held at the Great Place. These were not scheduled, but were called as needed, and were held to discuss national matters such as drought, the culling of cattle, policies ordered by the magistrate, or new laws decreed by the government. All Thembus were free to come — and a great many did, on horseback or by foot.

“On these occasions the regent was surrounded by his amaphakathi, a group of counselors of high rank who functioned as the regent’s parliament and judiciary. They were wise men who retained the knowledge of tribal history and custom in their heads and whose opinions carried great weight.

“Letters advising these chiefs and head men of the meeting were dispatched from the regent, and soon the Great Place became alive with important visitors and travelers from all over Thembuland. The guests would gather in the courtyard in front of the regent’s house and he would open the meeting by thanking everyone for coming and explaining why he had summoned them. From that point on he would not utter another word until the meeting was nearing its end.

“Everyone who wanted to speak did so. It was democracy in its purest form. There may have been a hierarchy of importance among the speakers, but everyone was heard, chief and subject, warrior and medicine man, shopkeeper and farmer, land owner and laborer. People spoke without interruption and the meetings lasted for many hours. The foundation of self-government was that all men were free to voice their opinions and equal in their value as citizens. [Women, I’m afraid, were deemed second-class citizens.]
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“A great banquet was served during the day, and I often gave myself a belly ache eating too much while listening to speaker after speaker. I noticed how some speakers rambled and never seemed to get to the point. I grasped how others came to the matter at hand directly, and who made a set of arguments succinctly and cogently. I observed how some speakers used emotion and dramatic language, and tried to move the audience with such techniques, while other speakers were sober and even, and shunned emotion.

“At first, I was astonished by the vehemence — and candor — with which people criticized the regent. He was not above criticism — in fact, he was often the principle target of it. But no matter how flagrant the charge, the regent simply listened, not defending himself, showing no emotion at all.

“The meetings would continue until some kind of consensus was reached. They ended in unanimity or not at all. Unanimity, however, might be an agreement to disagree, to wait for more propitious time to propose a solution. Democracy meant all men were to be heard, and a decision was taken together as a people. Majority rule was a foreign notion. A minority was not to be crushed by a majority.

“Only at the end of the meeting, as the sun was setting, would the regent speak. His purpose was to sum up what had been said and form some consensus among the diverse opinions. But no conclusion was forced on the people who disagreed. If no agreement could be reached, another meeting would be held. At the very end of the council, a praise singer or poet would deliver a panegyric to the ancient kings, and a mixture of complements to and satire on the present chiefs, and the audience, led by the regents, would roar with laughter.

“As a leader, I have always followed the principles I first saw demonstrated by the regent at the Great Place. I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my own opinion. Often times, my own opinion will simply represent a consensus of what I heard in the discussion. I always remember the regent’s axiom: a leader, he said, is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind (Long Walk To Freedom, Nelson Mandela, Back Bay Books, 1995).”

I find myself challenged and compelled by Mandela’s words. What Mandela describes here is a leadership philosophy that we don’t often see modeled in the West. My hope is to become a leader that is not threatened by the criticisms of others and is able to draw the many ideas of those around the table into a common vision. I pray that we will all grow in our leadership abilities and so impact the world around us. I also pray that South Africa would be rich soil for the development of leaders like Mandela.

KW