Leadership: Self-Knowledge

Until the 1990s, South Africa was ruled by its white people in a policy called apartheid. Nelson Mandela came to the front as a leader of the oppressed black people, and for his efforts, he was thrown in prison for 27 years. But he never lost sight of his goal of equal rights for everyone in the country. Pressure from around the world finally led to his release and to the dynamic change in South Africa we see today.

When Mandela was just out of prison, former President Bill Clinton asked him if he felt angry. Mandela said, “Yes, with the joy of being free, I also felt great anger. But, I valued my freedom more, and I knew that if I expressed my anger I would still be a prisoner.”

He didn’t have time to feel like a victim. ...

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