What makes a leader? To some, it’s simply a person with power – the more brutish and unrestrained, the better. That has been the philosophyof despots for centuries. But for my grandfather, Nelson Mandela, power was something else. It was found in the willingness to commit your entire being to a set of values; to not only advocate for them but to embody them. Come what may.
In that respect, many leaders don’t have power in the ordinary sense that we associate with the term. For people such as my grandfather, their moral courage and strength is what allowed them to exercise influence. What’s more, people often cannot help but align themselves with the values and virtues of a noble person. That is why my grandfather went from a prison cell to helping overturn apartheid, winning over the most ardent critics in South Africa.
