Joining the Chorus Honoring Nelson Mandela: What his Work Taught Me about Achieving Impact and Transformation

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In late 1989 I had the incredible opportunity to visit South Africa with my mother and her dear friends.  The experience had a dramatic impact on me which has lasted ever since.  While there, I saw beautiful waterfalls, magnificent displays of animal strength and grace, and sunrises that took our breath away. But I also heard white park wardens refer to black rangers as “disposable”, saw deplorable living conditions in the townships and witnessed physical brutality in Johannesburg.  The juxtaposition of the horrific way we saw human beings treated under apartheid set against the grandeur of South Africa’s natural resources left me feeling awed and ashamed at the same time.A few months after I returned from my travels, Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the transformation of South Africa began.  From his early negotiations with de Klerk that helped end the country’s apartheid system and bring about a peaceful transition to a nonracial democracy to his election as president and through his post-retirement work on race, reconciliation, and social justice, I followed Mandela and the impact he had on his country and the world at large.As the world mourns the passing of a great leader and peacemaker, I have been reflecting on what his life and methods can teach me about how to make my own efforts – and those of the organizations I work with – truly impactful and transformational.  Here are three things that come immediately to mind:

1. Establish a baseline against which you will set your goals and measure your progress:  Have you listened toNelson Mandela’s statement from the dock at the opening of his trial on charges of sabotage in April 1964?  If not, I encourage you to do so.  The speech is filled with statistics about the health, education and economics of South Africa at the time.  He doesn’t use emotional pleas to make his case for ending the subjugation of black South Africans, he uses facts and figures.
2. Have a very clear vision of what you are ultimately trying to achieve, make it bold but realistic and do not stray from it:  From the statement at the dock in 1964, Mandela said he was striving for a “democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony.”  He achieved democracy and freedom for South Africans and continued to work for harmony through his post-presidency efforts.   Will you know clearly when you have achieved your vision?
3. Be inclusive in your efforts:  invite everyone to the table.  So many times, we tend to invite friends and colleagues to join our efforts and discount or even undermine the contributions of those we have considered our opponents.  A few years ago, I met a man of Afrikaner decent who said his family had fled South African soon after Mandela was released for fear of riots and retributions across the county. What happened instead?  Having spent 27 years in prison for trying to end white-minority rule, Mandela called for reconciliation not revenge. He invited former guards to his inauguration, jailers to the anniversary of his release and prosecutors to lunch.   Bringing people together to achieve peace and progress for his country certainly was a key factor in his successes.

I said three, but there is one more:  Believe in your ability to realize your vision and never give up.  When I am working with organizations during planning efforts, it is not uncommon to hear folks say that their vision is a dream and not really achievable in their lifetime. When I think of the transformation that occurred from 1990 to the present I wonder, did Mandela think his dream was laudable but not achievable?  Quite the contrary, as he closed that 1964 speech from the dock: “During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. 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 will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” (From http://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/i-am-prepared-to-die)

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