Leadership Lessons: Invictus the Movie
December 15th, 2009 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Civility, Leadership, Public Leaders, Public Values
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela
I was inspired by Clint Eastwood’s film, Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. The Nelson Mandela biopic was not as gripping as I’d hoped. The pace was slow and some of the characters were dull. My fellow Washington Times Communities blogger, Christian Toto, found the movie “superficial.”
I watched Invictus not from the perspective of a film critic. I was curious about what lessons I might learn from Nelson Mandela as portrayed by Morgan Freeman. I find Mr. Mandela to be one of the most compelling leaders of modern times. His efforts to heal a violently divided nation deserve profound admiration.
Invictus offers up numerous meaty nuggets to the person who is in search of leadership lessons. Mr. Mandela is a role model for making the most of every opportunity. One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is to understand what’s important to his or her constituents. Mr. Mandela embraced this responsibility in ways most of us would find difficult to even imagine.
Mr. Mandela spent 27 years in prison under the custody of white Afrikaner prison guards. (The white Afrikaner government was the sworn enemy of Mr. Mandela’s African National Congress during the time of apartheid South Africa.) Mr. Mandela admits feeling hate toward his captors and the government they represented. He admitted, too, of wrestling with deep depression during his stay in prison.
Most of us held captive unjustly and for so long would likely take on a combative attitude toward our captors. Or, perhaps, we would retreat from the world in despair. Mr. Mandela looked for opportunities to further his cause even while being held in an eight by eight cell.
Mr. Mandela used his time in prison to develop a deep understanding of his Afrikaner captors. Mr. Mandela engaged the prison guards not as enemies but as if, one day, they would be his constituents and he their leader.
Mr. Mandela understood that it is not enough to be civil toward political rivals and enemies. The only way to truly bridge differences and further a democracy is to understand those things most important to people – even those who seek to oppress.
Mr. Mandela did not poll the Afrikaner guards about their views of apartheid or any other political issue. He studied the Afrikaans language, their celebrations, poetry and pastimes. Mr. Mandela realized that the way to make true connections is through the culture of daily life. These types of sensibilities are what elevated Mr. Mandela’s leadership to a fundamentally different plane.
Invictus did not live up to its potential as a movie. But, I may watch it a second and third time when it comes out on DVD. There is much to be learned from Mr. Mandela’s approach to leadership that is highly relevant in our communities today. Watching and discussing Invictus is a reasonable way to study.
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Photo Credit: Washington Times