Key Characteristics Of A Visionary Leader: Nelson Mandela

Decent Essays
Everyone wants to be remembered for something. Making a lasting impression or changing things for the better is something each person should aspire for in their lifetime. Many great leaders have made lasting impressions and changed the world because of their conquest for wanting a better way of life for themselves and others. To become someone who is remembered, it takes more than just talking the talk. Great leaders walked the walk. To be unforgettable, leaders started on a path towards greatness. The first step on that path was a belief in themselves. As they strived to develop qualities of greatness their sense of character grew and each became someone who would not be forgotten. Some of the key characteristics that set great leaders apart …show more content…
Nelson Mandela, was considered a visionary leader. He was born into a royal family, but his birthright became tarnished and his circumstances became more humble as his father lost his position in the South African government for standing up to his superiors for their “unreasonable demands.” This forced Mandela’s family to relocate to a poor village, where Nelson tended herds as a cattle boy. After the passing of his father, his mother enrolled him in a Methodist school where Christianity became a significant part of his life. He also studied English, Xhosa, history and geography. He continued his education at college and secured a job at a law firm. He became an advocate for civil rights and saw that there was a need for political changes and equality in South Africa. Mandela was arrested for standing up to the government that was abusing human civil rights against black South Africans. He was imprisoned for a total of 27 years in his lifetime. He was released from prison in 1990 and shortly after he became the first black president of South Africa. Mandela’s goal was to unite South Africa. Mandela was a man who could see the bigger picture of any situation or problem. Paul J.H. Schoemaker said "Mandela was a gifted visionary. He exercised a full reach of cognitive, emotional and behavioral abilities to bring the profound change in South Africa"(Paul J.H. Schoemaker). Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in South Africa and for laying the foundations for a new democratic government there. It was his vision of a better country, which lead him to greatness in this capacity. He changed the course of not only his life, but the course for the entire country. Through his remarkable ability to lead and his great vision he remains

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    A great leader named John Quincy Adams said “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a LEADER.” People all over the world are leaders whether that means the President and Vice President of the United States of America, student council President or Vice President, captain of a sports team and etc. What you do and say determines whether you will go down in history as a great leader or a bad leader. For example John C. Maxwell said this “A LEADERS attitude’s is caught by his or her followers more quickly than his or her actions”. In the history of the World we know good leaders with excellent quality’s…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Have you ever felt that none of your thoughts matter to the world? That you just want to express yourself, but you're being hold against. Thoreau, Gandhi, and Mandela felt that way. They couldn't express themselves or if they did they would be put to jail. I'm going to write about their stories and what we they went through.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Did you know Nelson Mandela didn’t only fight for civil rights? He was also awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize for his actions during protests and speeches. During part of Nelson’s lifetime he had to deal with lots of racial discrimination in Africa. Nelson Mandela, was an African activist for civil rights, during this Nelson was thrown in jail unconstitutionally, and many deadly protests went on after that. Later Nelson Mandela was released and voted president of South Africa, a Civil Rights activist, using perseverance during the protests and his jail…

    • 92 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mandela did everything he could do to fight the rights of black Africans even if it meant he had to go to jail for a long time. Even at the darks moments Mandela did not loss his will to fight for the rights of the black Africans showing good traits of a…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He realized that freedom was not selfish, but a right to all. Another time when Mandela writes about how his search for freedom changed his views is when he states, “... That transformed a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home, that forced a life-loving man to live like a monk” (Long Walk to Freedom). Mandela, once a rule-follower, explains how his quest for freedom was rooted from his experience in the African National Congress. He once believed that obeying the rules and following the social norm would be best for society. He quickly realized the importance of fighting for what is right.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Greatest Leader A great leader is personified by his or her actions and how well they can get their followers behind them and to stand with them. There are many qualities that show what a great leader is they are brave, courageous, perseverant and intelligent. There are many leaders throughout history that have these qualities but there is only one person who was the best at all these qualities making him the best leader. That man is no other than the first president of the United States George Washington who has left his legacy as the greatest leader in history.…

    • 1781 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He sought justice for the abused. Nelson Mandela reduced the amount of poverty, disease and civil war by making simple changes to South Africa. Some of these changes were, changing the economy, education, healthcare and land reform. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. Furthermore, he has received over 250 other awards for his influence and the help he gave South Africa.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the early years Mandela had a dream where he saw an Africa with politically-sanctioned racial segregation being disposed of and man are by large free and evened out. It was this vision that pushed him to do what he should do and it was additionally this vision that made him trust that regardless he has trust through the darkest days in jail. Nelson Mandela’s determination made him trust that one day he could succeed in liberating the general population from the biased past. He never surrendered despite the fact that he was detained foe twenty-seven years before being chosen to be the principal president of South…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nelson Mandela instigated his efforts in the fight to eliminate apartheid by joining the African National Congress. This was the oldest black political organisation in South Africa and is protuberant in its opposition to apartheid. It restrained the inequalities which were seen, and the apartheid organisation gave rise to a comprehensive resistance movement. For racial fairness and impartiality, Nelson had been an inspiring figure all around the world for activists, as he was giventhe symbol of peace, having contributed over the change from apartheid to multicultural equality, and having followed a plan of national reconciliation. In numerous ways, the introduction of apartheid was simply the authorisation of an already well-entrenched system.…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Then in 1962, Mandela was sentenced to five years in prison because of non-violent strike in 1961. Not even finishing out his sentence he was sentenced to life time imprisonment for the Sabotage Act. In 1990 Mandela was released to from prison. He was appointed ANC president and won the Noble Peace Prize. He got this award and presidency because he never wanted to repudiate violence from prison.…

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Also in Nelsons life he has accepted more than 50 awards. Some examples of awards are The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Times out about the Person of the Year, And even The Nobel Peace…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Nelson Mandela Analysis

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 8 Works Cited

    Before he went to prison in trial to rule him of dead penalty his word to court became immortalized: “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. “It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die” (“Nelson Mandela”). Mandela stated that he only fought for the right reason for free nation for all to live and achieved and die for freedom as he told the court.…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 8 Works Cited
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mandela spent mostly his whole life searching for crucial situations to meet his goal and he used non-violent behaviors and peaceful deeds to treat others even the prison’s guardians. This is also what Martin Luther King response was based on, peace and non-violence. The starting point was his unforgettable and recognizable speech”I have a dream”, were he gathered around quarter million people in Washington, D.C who aimed for having freedom and equality in all areas of life. This is was the turning point for black people to live a better life. He began…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Literature review Nelson Mandela was a South African leader. He succeeded to end apartheid and with the African National Congress (ANC), he was the first one who won the presidential election with black-African origin. Thus, Mandela received the Nobel Prize for Peace (Britannica, 2016). 27 years as a strong-willed prisoner (Shriberg and Shriberg, 2011, p. ) improved his personal development of forgiveness for his rivals, formed his strength and established supplementary leadership skills like his positive and humorous attitude and a permanent vision of restored faith in humanity (Rotberg, 2012, p. 40). Even though, Mandela had the opportunity to be released from custody, he refused to abandon his faith pursuant to Northouse in 2009 (p. 16-17).…

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What are the qualities of a good leader? What can you learn from the examples of great leaders of the past? Good leaders are the one whose actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. A good leader is the one who helps group of people identify what they want and how to get it, and influence them to take coordinated action to achieve the desired outcomes.…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics