Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela
Hwan O. Kim
Yongsan, Seoul Korea

Introduction
For many years, researchers all around the world have been studying about leaders and their leadership styles. As a result, leadership has been defined in many different ways. DuBrin (2001) defines leadership as an interpersonal influence directed through communication toward goal attainment, an art that causes others to act or respond in a share direction and the art of influencing a people by persuasion or example to follow a line of action. All considered, leadership can be defined as the process of influencing the activities of an individual or an organized group towards accomplishing its goal in a given situation. In the process, leaders utilize various leadership attributes, behaviors, and approaches to attain or influence the outcome.

Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918, in the tiny village of Mvezo in Transkei of the Eastern Cape. The birth name Rolihlahla literally means “pulling the branch of a tree,” but its informal meaning would be “troublemaker,” in Xhosa (Mandela, 1994). At the age of seven, Mandela became the first member in his family to attend school and receive education. Two years later, his father died and Mandela was sent to Chief Jongintaba Danlindyebo who was the acting regent of the Thembu. Chief Jongintaba adopted Mandela and took responsibility for his continuing education.
Mandela had a clear understanding of the meaning of leadership and the ability a leader must possess. While growing up in the chief’s house in Mqhekezweni, Mandela started to learn about Thembu history and the changes that were brought by the arrival of whites. Mandela was impressed by the socialist structure of the traditional society; no one owned the land and the whole tribe shared it under the authority of the chief. Nelson Mandela