Nelson Mandela, Madiba, has been an ideal and inspiring World maker

For 10 years we have used Nelson Mandela as a great example in our leadership seminars « Act as a World maker ».

Because no one acts on his own, Frederik Willem de Klerk has to be associated with him.

He does not smile like Mandela on the picture but he is the one who understood that the external World changed and that he had to lead his people to something else, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

According to me, both of them are perfect examples of leaders because they are makers of a World that people want to belong to.

What are the qualities to be a World maker leader?

You need three qualities:

1. Be in accordance with the current World of your teams, of your people. It means giving a realistic diagnostic on the current World and knowing how to communicate your understanding of the situation for your team to think : “I am (finally) heard”
2. Designing and embodying an expected World resolving issues. It is important to be out of the current World to develop an independent thought and to live the expected World. This World is not a theory but a World others are ready to embody.
3. Negotiate and build bridges to take your teams from the current World to this expected World. It is still to be built but its principles, greatness, recognition, interactions and decisions, are already defined.

What I admire the most in Mandela is his ability to build bridges, because he succeeded where political people often fail.

The behavior of Mandela in the rugby environment is a great example. He chose the most famous “white” sport in South Africa, a country who had been barred from every competition for years. He chose to organize the world cup in South Africa and to show his commitment wearing the Springbok jersey.

This bridge is perfect:

•        This bridge is obvious in the current World : Whites and Blacks noticed his decision, even if they were shocked at it.
•          It embodies the expected World. Everyone understood the meaning of the decision: “we are a reunited nation”, “there will not be any reverse apartheid”

We do not all have Mandela’s fortitude and lucidity qualities. However we can all try to become World maker where people would like to belong to.

Laurent Dugas