By IESE InsightNelson Mandela serves as an excellent example for business leaders of how to turn around a sclerotic, conservative, internally divided, failing corporate culture, using the power of persuasion and negotiation. Mandela himself is the quintessence of great leadership.John Carlin, whose book on Mandela inspired the Clint Eastwood film Invictus, joined IESE Prof. Paddy Miller to reflect on these themes during a plenary on “Leading Innovation,” as part of the Fast Forward executive education program held at IESE Barcelona.
When it comes to change, there will always be resistance, noted Miller. To overcome such resistance, leaders need to have more than a grand vision; they need an astute strategy founded on a crystal-clear idea of what the objectives are, added Carlin. Mandela was the master of developing the right strategy at the right moment, adapting his tactics to meet new, sometimes extremely trying circumstances.
During Miller’s Fast Forward session, Carlin related his personal encounters with Mandela, distilled in the narrative of his book, Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation.
He told the story of how the newly elected president Mandela joined forces with the national rugby team, a symbol of white rule, to bring together a deeply divided nation, as South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It was an inspired, and inspirational, move that put the seal on Mandela’s lifelong mission to heal the wounds of the past and usher in a new, democratic era.
Among the lessons for leaders are:
Deal with your enemies. Sometimes these may be people and factions within your own camp.
Use the power of symbols. The Springbok team name, jersey and colors, as well as the national anthem, were sources of pain for some, pride for others. Ditching them would have ended up alienating a critical sector of his constituency — the ones who possessed the necessary skills and who held the purse strings. Mandela shrewdly opted to retain them, incorporating them into his grand new national project. He transformed these symbols of division into instruments of reconciliation and nation-building.
To change minds, win hearts. If you really want to change people’s minds, address their hearts, Mandela told Carlin. Appeal to their core values, their pride, their sense of identity — and their vanity, too. Always do so respectfully. This is the most effective and lasting way to overcome deep-seated prejudices and entrenched positions.
Form alliances. Sometimes you may have to do this with your enemies or rivals, winning them over to your cause by zeroing in on shared self-interests.
Negotiate and be inclusive. Some leaders may feel that the only way to bring about radical change is through force. Mandela renounced that path, and his leadership was all the stronger for it. Mandela realized that the best way to achieve his strategic vision was not through imposing his will on others, but by persuasion, negotiation and inclusivity. That is ultimately what wins hearts and minds. – Eurasia Review
