Nelson Mandela's Self-Awareness, Self-Management, and Behaviors through Golemans Theory - Case Study Example

INDIVIDUAL LEADERSHIP REPORT Name: ID No: Unit code: Unit name: Assignment: Due date: INTRODUCTION Emotional intelligence refers to how well individuals manage themselves and their relationships before domains. In a nut shell, emotional intelligence involves knowing how self-aware an individual is, whether he/she can handle distressing feelings effectively, how empathic he/she, how well he/she can tune in to other people and how socially skilled he/she is (Goleman 2004, pp.2). According to Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence, there are four skill sets that are the component parts of emotional intelligence. These skill sets are: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skill (Goleman 2011, pp.83). According to Goleman, self-awareness refers to an individual’s capability of knowing what he/she is feeling and using that as a basis of making decisions (Goleman 2004, pp.9). Self-awareness involves an individual knowing what he is feeling and why he is feeling that way. This forms a good basis of good intuition and good decision making for the individual. Self-management is concerned with how individuals effectively handle their distressing emotions so that they do not get in the way of what the individual is doing (Gray 2007, pp.503). Self-management is comprised of self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability, achievement orientation as well as initiative (Goleman 2004, pp.7). Social awareness involves the ability of individuals to sense other people’s emotions, understanding their point of view as taking an active interest in their concerns (Goleman 2000, pp.80). According to Goleman’s theory, empathy is a critical component of social skill (Goleman 2011, pp.93). Social skill includes how well individuals can handle relationships and also how they deal with conflict. According to Goleman, leaders need high emotional intelligence to succeed. One leader who clearly stood out as emotionally intelligent is Nelson Mandela. Using Goleman’s theory, Mandela showed great emotional intelligence various ways. Comparing Nelson Mandela behaviors and actions to Goleman’s theory Nelson Mandela famously forgave the people who jailed him. This was a remarkable thing because they were willing participants in an abusive system. Forgiving people who sent him to 27 years in Robben Island prison was truly extraordinary. Mandela also forgave Ronald Reagan as well as Margaret Thatcher for doing business with the apartheid regime of South Africa (Limb 2008, 48). Mandela also went ahead and forgave members of the United States Congress and political pundits who labeled him a “Communist” and “terrorist” (Limb 2008, 113). It is through Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence that one can analyze Nelson Mandela’s experiences as well as leadership. Mandela used his imprisonment as leverage, sacrificing personal freedom in the short term because the long term goal was to see a transformed society with freedom for his people (Limb 2008, 129). This was truly visionary thinking and persistence in the absence of tangible hope. This is a goal that is only achievable through a high degree of mastery over negativity, anxiety and anger, a symbol of emotional intelligence (Goleman 2004, pp.8).  According to Nelson Mandela’s biographer, Anthony Sampson, it was during Mandela’s 27 years in prison when he developed the art of politics (Limb 2008, pp.80). It was during this time that Mandela acquired the knowledge of how to relate and get along with all kinds of people, how to convince and influence people, how to change his wardens into friends and also how to become a leader in his own prison (Limb 2008, pp. 80). Mandela showed great self-awareness, social awareness and he also showed self-management as well as the know-how of managing his relationships in order to get the most out of others (Limb 2008, pp.82). Sampson (2000, pp.156) provides an example of Mandela's approach to creating such a partnership which occurred upon his taking up of the role of President of South Africa in in 1994. As he was walking into the office just a day after his inauguration, he came across John Reinders, a man who was the chief of presidential protocol during the tenures both of the last white president, FW de Klerk, and his predecessor, PW Botha (Limb 2008, 110). Reinders had been a high-ranking official and was a part of the team that imprisoned and oppressed him as well as his people. As Mandela (1995, pp.137) narrates, Reinders was packing his things and moving to a post of much lower status now that his party had been defeated in the elections. The emotionally intelligent leader, Nelson Mandela persuaded Reinders to stay on and retain his office. Reinders stayed on and worked with Mandela for five years (Mandela 1995, 141). During Nelson Mandela’s active political life, he was imprisoned for leading and championing the anti-apartheid cause. He learnt how to get the best out of himself and from others too by basically being aware of and managing his emotions and behaviors as well as his impact on others (Mandela 1995, pp.155). Nelson Mandela is undoubtedly perceived as possibly the most iconic leader of his generation, and by understanding the behaviors and emotions he exhibited during the most trying moments of his life, one can gain some insight on how he developed to become one of the globe’s most admired leaders (Limb 2008, 99). Self-awareness When Mandela was sent to prison he already had the qualities of self-awareness, and that allowed him to accept the verdict of the court of law instead of trying to fight it. Mandela famously said that he was made a criminal by the law, and not because he was guilty but because of what he stood for (Mandela 1995, pp.172). As Goleman points out in his theory, Self-awareness also entails knowing one’s own strengths and weaknesses, and using them to understand others (Goleman 2004, pp.8). Thus enabling one to have a positive impact on people and this is at the very heart of leadership (Goleman 2011, pp.93). Mandela knew that one of his main strengths was holding him back; he was self-aware since he recognized he was not a criminal, and of all people, he had a desire for freedom and self-governance. Being aware of this, and managing that burning desire to bear the long years of jail with such grace and calmness, he was and still continues to be a source of inspiration to the generations of people who came after him (Limb 2008, 126). He was able to embrace that desire he had for freedom in check to make prison more tolerable and in the long run he managed to inspire even those who were his captors. Social awareness According to Goleman, empathizing with other people both at an individual level and also at group level is being socially aware (Goleman 2011, pp.92). When Mandela was sent to Robben Island for imprisonment, he famously remarked that “how you are treated in prison depends on your demeanor” (Limb 2008, 107). Through this statement, one can see that Mandela was aware that he could not be just himself anymore and that prison life depended on others. Therefore, if he could engage with his jailors, he could make better chances for a more bearable life in prison (Limb 2008, pp.100). Thus, by keeping his emotions in check, Mandela could start to listen to and also understand his captors as pointed out in Sampson (2000, pp.153). According to Goleman, what makes emotional intelligence such a crucial model for leadership is its emphasis on becoming aware of and gaining mastery over the sense of threat that one experiences when stressed or oppressed (Mandela 1995, pp.172). According to Goleman’s theory, social awareness involves understanding and knowing others in order to get the most out of them (Goleman 2011, pp.111). Since Mandela was in jail for almost a third of his life, social awareness enabled him to create a more peaceful co-existence, and thereby making the experience of prison count positively in his life. It was when he was in prison that he came to understand that one must not compromise his/her principles, but he/she must not also humiliate the opposition (Mandela 1995, pp.193). Mandela famously said that “no one is more dangerous than one who is humiliated” (Limb 2008, 129). This means that Mandela was well aware of others and his impact on them, and according to Goleman, this is a vital and integral quality of great leadership (Goleman 2011, pp.101). Self- management Nelson Mandela was aware that his life in prison would be much worse if negotiated alone. Therefore, by influencing others and using them to help he could improve his prison life. But in order to do this, he had to manage himself. Mr. Mandela once said that: “people don’t have to be victims of their own past, that if they can let go of their bitterness, everyone can achieve greatness” (Mandela 1995 pp.123). According to Goleman (2011 pp.101), exercising self-control and harnessing one’s drive to motivate oneself is self-management. The lack of self-control has been identified as one of the key reasons why many high potential leaders do not achieve their full potential. Mandela showed self-control by keeping his emotions in check despite his beliefs and experiences before, during and after his time in prison. He managed himself to the point that he could understand his jailors and in time, build relationships with them. Mandela once famously said that he should not be judged by his successes, but by how many times he fell down and got up again (Limb 2008, 128). One of the best examples of Mandela’s emotional intelligence was his tenacity when faced with impossible odds. Mandela started his political journey as a young lawyer who was fighting against the oppression of his people. He lost his case in spite of a very brilliant performance in court as well as what seemed as a prejudiced judgment (Limb 2008, pp.99). He however did not let his emotions overpower him and distract him from the course. This was a great hallmark of Mandela’s emotional intelligence. Social Skill According to Goleman’s theory, social skill refers to the way that a leader brings people together for the greater good (Goleman 2011, pp.107). It is during this moment that a leader truly matures, leaves his/her own interests behind in order to leads by getting the best out of other people (Goleman 2004, pp.9). For Nelson Mandela, social skill allowed him to establish positive relationships with his captors, and as Limb (1995, pp.103) points out, they would oppose him often but nobody could question his integrity. Mandela always made people feel bigger and better, and in achieving this he also grew as a leader (Limb 2008, 127). Conclusion Throughout his 27 years in jail, Nelson Mandela managed himself as an emotionally intelligent leader, and that helped him to achieve his goals in life. He understood himself well as well as the impact he had on others (Mandela 1995, pp.193). He also understood what behaviors would help him the most and also help all the other people around him in prison as well out of prison. Surely, these are the qualities of a truly great leader as highlighted by Goleman’s theory. The lessons and skills that Nelson Mandela learned and developed in the humble environment of jail were the ones which he used to make an impact on other leaders at the pinnacle of world power at the time (Limb 2008, 116). According to the former United States president, Bill Clinton, “According to the former United States president, Bill Clinton, “each time Mandela entered into a room everyone would feel a little bigger (Limb 2008, 110). When reflecting on his own life, Mandela said that “when a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, then he can rest in peace” (Limb 2008, 125). And finally as Goleman points out, emotional intelligence is also about collaborating with other human beings to make life better. Mandela once famously said that he would like to be remembered as a member of a team and he would like his contribution to be assessed as a person who carried out decisions taken by that collective (Mandela 1995, pp.115). Nelson Mandela was truly a great world leader. REFERENCES Goleman, D. 2000. Leadership That Gets Results. Harvard Business Review March-April 2000 pp.78-90 Goleman, D. 2011. Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence. More than Sound Publishers pp 25-117 Goleman, D. 2004. What Makes a Leader: Why Emotional Intelligence Matters. Harvard Business Review Jan 2004 pp.1-10 Gray, D. 2007. Facilitating Management Learning. Sage Publications pp. 495-519 Mandela, N. 1995. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Back Bay Publishers pp.21-332 Limb, P. 2008. Nelson Mandela: A Biography. Green wood publishers, pp. 79-128 Read More