"Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs."
“It is wise,to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea.”
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela adalah seorang pemimpin yang cemerlang dalam membuktikan kekuatan memaafkan dan rekonsiliasi. Nelson Mandela mampu menggunakan Smart power yaitu perpaduan antara soft and hard power. Soft power adalah daya tarik yang melekat pada seorang pemimpin, sehingga ia mampu menggalang pengikut yang setia. Soft power ini terdiri dari kecerdasan emosi dan kemampuan berkomunikasi serta kemampuan merumuskan visi misi masa depan yang menarik. Sedangkan hard power adalah kekuatan yang berkaitan dengan kepekaan politik organisasi. Memahami dinamika organisasi dan memanfaatkan kekuatan politik yang ada untuk mencapai tujuan.
Nelson Mandela mampu mengorganisasi pengikutnya yang mayoritas kelompok kulit hitam africa selatan yang telah dizalimi oleh sistem apartheid, untuk tidak melampiaskan dendamnya. Tetapi ia mampu membawa pengikutnya untk bersama-sama melakukan rekonsiliasi di antara kedua kelompok itu. Berkat kepemimpinannyalah Afrika Selatan berhasil menghapus sistem apartheid dan menjadi negara multiras yang harmonis, seperti yang diimpikan oleh Nelson Mandela. Menurut Mandela kepemimpinan itu bukan berwacana, karena menurutnya talk is cheap.
Nelson Mandela adalah contoh pemimpin yang tak mau berlama-lama menggenggam kekuasaan, bahkan ia mengundurkan diri setelah satu masa jabatan. Ia melukiskan perjalanan hidupnya itu seperti pendaki gunung. Pada saat dia sampai di puncak gunung dia melihat gunung yang lebih tinggi yang harus dia daki. Tentunya untuk mencapai gunung yang lebih tinggi dia tidak langsung melompat ke gunung yang lebih tinggi itu, tapi dia harus turun gunung dan melanjutkan pendakian ke gunung yang lebih tinggi.
Mandela mempunyai 8 prinsip kepemimpinan yang dapat kita contoh dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari sebagai pemimpin. Inilah 8 prinsip kepemimpinan dari Nelson Mandela :
1. Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.
Mandela bukan tak pernah merasa gentar sebagai pemimpin, ia kerap kali merasa gentar, dan menurutnya itu wajar dialami oleh seorang pemimpin. Tapi, ia tidak ingin menunjukkan rasa takut itu di hadapan orang lain. Keberanian yang ditampilkan Mandela, meskipun itu kadang hanya berpura-pura, dapat menenangkan kekuatiran dan menyemangati orang di saat-saat sulit.
2. Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind.
Ketika Mandela memutuskan untuk memulai dialog dengan pemerintah apartheid, teman-temannya mengira ia sudah ’menjual diri’. Ketimbang meninggalkan mereka dan maju sendiri dengan keyakinannya, Mandela mendatangi mereka satu per satu, menjelaskan rencananya, dan dengan sabar membujuk mereka pelan-pelan. Mandela tak pernah meninggalkan kelompoknya demi kepentingannya sendiri dan dia tak pernah menggunakan perantara untuk menjelaskan keputusannya kepada pengikutnya. Mandela adalah seorang yang benar-benar memahami arti rekonsiliasi.
3. Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.
Tugas seorang pemimpin, kata Mandela, bukanlah untuk memerintah atau menyuruh orang lain, melainkan untuk menciptakan sebuah kesepakatan. Dalam setiap rapat, Mandela biasanya mendengarkan pendapat teman-temannya terlebih dahulu. Ketika tiba gilirannya, ia akan merangkum semua pendapat itu, baru mengutarakan pendapatnya sendiri dan pelan-pelan mengarahkan hasil diskusi tanpa nada memaksa atau memerintah.
“It is wise,” he said, “to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea.”
4. Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
Mandela mengenali musuhnya. Dia mengenali apa kekuatan dan kelemahan musuhnya. Ia mengembangkan strategi untuk benar-benar mengenali musuhnya.
Di awal perjuangannya, Mandela bersikeras untuk belajar bahasa Afrikaan, bahasa orang kulit putih Afrika Selatan, beserta sejarah kolonialisasi mereka. Ia bahkan berusaha mendalami rugby yang menjadi olahraga favorit kulit putih Afsel. Hasilnya, ia mendapat respek dari pihak lawan, mula dari sipir penjara hingga P. W. Botha (Presiden kulit putih Afsel pada masa apartheid), dan memperlancar proses dialog dengan mereka.
5. Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer.
Mandela mau merangkul musu-musuhnya dalam bahasa jawa ia "menang tanpa ngasorake". Ia tak pernah menjauhi musuhnya. Lihat saja orang-orang dekat Mandela tidak selalu orang yang ia sukai. Seringkali mereka adalah rivalnya, orang-orang yang digosipkan berusaha menggulingkan kepemimpinannya. Tapi Mandela percaya bahwa dekat dengan rival adalah satu cara untuk mengendalikan mereka. Tapi bukankah mereka belum tentu akan loyal padanya? Mandela mengakui bahwa loyalitas memang penting, tapi ia juga tak terlalu menggantungkan diri pada hal itu. “People act in their own interest.”
It was simply a fact of human nature, not a flaw or a defect.
6. Appearances matter — and remember to smile.
Mandela percaya apa yang tampak di luar sama pentingnya dengan apa yang ada di dalam. Karena itu, ia benar-benar menggunakan penampilan fisik untuk membantu perjuangannya. Ia tampan, seorang petinju amatir, anak seorang kepala suku, suka berpakaian rapi dengan jas, dan ia memanfaatkan semua itu untuk membangun citranya. Tapi ikon yang paling menonjol dari Mandela adalah senyumnya yang penuh kedamaian, sehingga ketika berkampanye untuk pilpres, ANC (partainya) tak membutuhkan slogan lain. Ternyata senyuman mampu mengalahkan segalanya. Dan lihat penampilannya saat menggunakan batik, sungguh amat mempesona bukan.
7.Nothing is black or white.
Meski Mandela jelas-jelas menentang apartheid, ia juga sadar bahwa apartheid memiliki penyebab historis, sosiologis, dan psikologis yang kompleks. Karena itu ia tak pernah terpaku pada satu jalan untuk memecahkan masalah. Mandela adalah politikus yang pragmatis; Ia tak akan segan-segan mengubah ideologi atau taktik (misalnya dengan menghentikan perjuangan bersenjata) jika memang itu adalah cara paling praktis untuk mencapai tujuan akhirnya.
8. Quitting is leading too.
Berhenti menjabat atau tak punya jabatan bukan berarti berhenti memimpin. Jasa-jasa Mandela cukup signifikan untuk membuatnya menjadi presiden seumur hidup, tapi ia menjadi salah satu dari sedikit pemimpin Afrika yang dengan sukarela tidak ingin dipilih lagi ketika pemilu berikutnya menjelang. Bagi Mandela, yang diikuti dari seorang pemimpin bukan hanya apa yang ia lakukan, tapi juga apa yang tidak ia lakukan. Mandela membuktikan bahwa seseorang tak harus mempunyai jabatan untuk disebut sebagai seorang pemimpin. Dan ia juga membuktikan bahwa tanpa jabatan ia tetap mempunyai pengikut yang setia dan dapat berbuat banyak untuk negaranya. Kenapa kita harus selalu kuatir jika jabatan kita telah berakhir ? Bukankah kita bukan dilihat dari jabatan kita.
Mandela adalah seorang pemimpin yang legendaris yang menggunakan smart power, dan kekuatan memaafkan serta memahami arti rekonsilasi.
Apakah kita mampu seperti seorang Mandela ? Prinsip kepemimpinannya hanya delapan prinsip namun itu bukan perkara yang mudah untuk menjalankannya...
Mampukah kita mengisi hari-hari kepemimpinan kita sebagai hari Nelson Mandela...??
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Nelson Mandela's Quotes :
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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
"It always seems impossible until it's done."
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
"A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special."
"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death."
"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."
"Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front."
"I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying."
"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."
"Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."
"The greatest glory in living
lies not in never falling,
but in rising every time we fall.”
"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended."
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us: it's in everyone. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
"As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility."
"(...) when a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw."
"Where you stand depends on where you sit."
"One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others."
"Courage is not the absence of fear — it s inspiring others to move beyond it."
"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."
"I am the captain of my soul."
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."
"It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones."
"Appearances matter — and remember to smile."
" As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom."
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
"Nothing is black or white."
"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself 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 live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
"In my country we go to prison first and then become President. "
"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"
"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison."
"When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat."
"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation"
"Quitting is leading too."
"Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me."
"After climbing a great hill, one finds there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk has not yet ended."
"I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, Henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise."
"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires"
"A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."
"You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution."
"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
"Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport."
"Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer."
"Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves."
"We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right."
"It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success."
"One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen."
"I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself."
"The brave man is not the one who has no fears, he is the one who triumphs over his fears."
"Lead from the front — but don t leave your base behind."
"A winner is a dreamer who never gives up"
"Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?"
"Only free men can negotiate,prisoners can't enter in contracts"
"Having a grievance or a resentment is like drinking poison and thinking it will kill your enemy."
"No single person can liberate a country. You can only liberate a country if you act as
"I have never cared very much for personal prizes. A person does not become a freedom fighter in the hope of winning awards."
"Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs."
"A good head & a good heart are alway a formidable combination"
"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership."
"i love playing and chatting with children...feeding and putting them to bed with a little story, and being away from the family has troubled me throughout my...life. i like relaxing at the house, reading quietly, taking in the sweet smell that comes from the pots, sitting around a table with the family and taking out my wife and children. when you can no longer enjoy these simple pleasures something valuable is taken away from your life and you feel it in your daily work."
"Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place."
"I could not imagine that the future I was walking toward could compare in any way to the past that I was leaving behind."
"He knew when to compromise. Yet he never compromised his principles. He was a militant. Yet a militant who knew how to plan, assess concrete situations and emerge with rational solutions to problems."
"Freedom is indivisible the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them the chains on all of my people were the chains on me. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela : With Connections"
"And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do
"Money wont create success, the fredom to make it will"
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