Nelson Mandela and Dialogic Lifelong Learning †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Nelson Mandela and Dialogic Lifelong Learning. Answer: Introduction Leadership is a procedure of social influence where an individual is capable to provide assistance and support to other people for the successful achievement of a collective or communal mission (Dinh et al. 2014 pp.36). It is a skill, an ability and an influential procedure that is measured by effectiveness and victory (Lituchy, Metwally and Henderson 2017, pp.19).The effectiveness of leadership is mainly dependent upon the behavior of the leader. These include encouraging the followers towards the exuberant effort, obtaining the faith and fidelity of the followers and applying mastery and resources for the achievement of a mission (Von Krogh, Nonaka and Rechsteiner 2012 pp.240). One of the examples of effective leadership skill can be found in the life story of a former South African leader, Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandelas memory lives on through Justin Chadwicks movie labeled Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom which was adopted by William Nicholson from the 1995 autobiography of Nelson Mandela, the first elected black president in South Africa (Sternlight et al. 2015, p.281). The film highlights the journey of a radical man from fighting and protesting against racial inequality to becoming a president (Brooks 2018, pg-25).The film came out shortly after the death of Mandela and the renowned figure was again brought back to the world by the famous actor from Britain, Idris Elba. This report aims at critically analyzing the effectiveness of the leadership skills that are portrayed in the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Its objective is to examine the film which was based on the autobiography of Mandela and identify the leadership theories and approaches represented by Elba, in the shoes of Mandela (Brooks 2018, pg-45).The purpose of this review is to identify the different aspects of leadership qualities in Mandelas character which has been shown in the film. This report highlights the key principles and behaviors of Mandela that made him the true renowned strategic leader. The concept of leadership widely includes encouraging and influencing individuals to target and work towards a common achievement. Leadership constitutes a leaders tasks, responsibilities, abilities, duties and personal skills. Effective leadership qualities include ceaseless working and effective communication skills so that people around get influenced and motivated. There are various research works on the topic of leadership and numerous studies have been conducted to understand the theoretical concepts of the effectiveness of a leader and the relevant ideas behind it. The effectiveness of the leadership is dependable on four major factors highlighted above. The characteristics and traits of the leaders include both the internal and external qualities of the individual which helps them in efficient functioning in a tough situation. These are mainly courage of an individual, the self-confidence and self-esteem level in the individual and the abilities to handle tough situations (Senge, Hamilton and Kania 2015, pp.27).The behavior and style of the leader can be judged from the activities and participation of the individual and his characteristic approach. The characteristic of the members of the group is important since their level of support and motivation encourages the leader for achieving any target. Besides, the culture of the organization, the diversity of workforce and economy are some of the important factors in the internal and external environment which influences the leadership effectiveness (Nanjundeswaraswamy and Swamy 2014, pp.57). According to this formula, the process of leadership is a function of the leader(l), the members of the group(gm) and other situational variables(s).The model further explains that understanding the effective leadership can be done by evaluation of its key components. These key variables or components are: Characteristics and traits of the leader Behavior and style of the leader (Moghalu 2017,pp.171) Nature and characteristics of the group member The environment-both internal and external These variables are interconnected and interrelated. Relevant examples The movie, Mandela: Long walk to freedom portrays some of the deepest moments featuring some poignant events. Order in the court scene: The movie portrays two of the courtroom scenes. In scene one, Mandela, a young lawyer was defending a black South African maid whose employer has accused her of robbery and theft. The white lady standing in the court in the movie refused to answer Mandelas questions after several attempts by Mandela and the white judge suddenly informs her that she can relay her questions to him. This particular scene shows the racial belatedness and the level how the black South Africans were looked down upon by the whites. The second scene, when Mandela himself is on trial (Brooks 2018, pg-67).This scene portrays the leadership traits of Nelson Mandela when he offered up his life against his lawyer's wishes in the famous three-hour-long speech. Contingency theories of leadership effectiveness model can be identified from this scene. Hersey-Blanchard Situational Model can be explained by the scene. In the opinion of these authors a situational leader is the one who takes de cisions depending on the situation and does not act on the basis of a fixed style of leadership (McCleskey 2014 p.117). Mandela has fought for the country as a leader for seeking equality for all and he offered his life in front of the court for this ideal (Jordan,Werner and Venter 2015,pp.10). Long Pants Victory Scene: Mandela and fellow members were taken into custody at South Africas notorious Robben Island. The light-skinned people were offered long pants while the blacks were tossed a pair of shorts. Mandela and her fellow were furious. The scenes in the movie here show how Mandela guided all the black people, eventually became their leader, protest for equal rights and long pants from the prison (The New Times 2015). Path-Goal Model can be explained by this scene. Mandela guided all his fellow dark mates to reach the goal of acquiring long pants similar to the light-skinned prisoners. Free at last scene: The movie shows how Mandela was not allowed to attend the funerals of his mother and son and was left in a tiny prison cell (Engel 2017, pp.115). Initially he was put on house arrest but after a period of six months he was moved to the prison where he was not allowed even the liberty to go out his prison cell. The scenes were exhilarating where he finally acquired freedom. The scene when he was elected his countrys president at 1994 showed how shocking Mandela was when he saw a hallway of South African white military leaders offering him a salute while he was walking down the hallway (Brooks 2018, pg-89).Transformational leadership can be identified from this scene. It is significant to note that the transformational style of leadership is the one where the leader leads by example and tries to motivate his followers through his own activities (Avolio and Yammarino 2013 pp. xxvii). Key aspects of leadership effectiveness model Effective leadership is essential for any leader to be successful. Critical analysis of the required skills can always help in improving their leadership skills to achieve an array of targets and goals (Cullar 2017,pp.17).There are a few skills and traits for developing the leadership skills. These skills are the part of the leadership effectiveness model which consists of the following leadership theories. Trait Theory: This theory emphasizes mainly on the characteristics and qualities of the leaders. According to this theory, the level of confidence, knowledge and the qualities of an individual leads them to the path of success and effective leadership (Yukl 2012 pp.66). This theory fails to explain the situation of failures in leadership despite having the required qualities. Behavioral Theories: According to behavioral theories, the behavior of an individual is an important factor that leads to the success of their leadership skills (Alvesson and Spicer 2012 pp.367). These theories overlooked the factors of situation and environment where the behaviors are denoted. Contingency Theories: According to these theories, the effectiveness of leadership is connected or majorly dependable on the leader's characteristics, nature and other situational factors (Landis, Hill and Harvey 2014, pp.97). Fred Fielder Contingency Model explains that performance of a team is dependable upon the characteristics and the nature of the leadership and the situation (Latham 2014, pp.11). According to this model, the best or the effective way to address and handle a situation which is changing is to change the leader since individuals characteristic or the style of the leadership remains fixed and certain styles are effective in certain situations. Hersey-Blanchard Situational Model explains that the style of the leadership should be similar to the level of maturity of the individual. An individual attempting to be a leader may adopt some styles according to his maturity level (Kark and Shamir 2013 pp-77). Some of the styles are: Telling, Selling, Participating and Delegating. Path-Goal Model: According to this model by Robert House, there lie certain factors which affect the performance and the level of motivation of a group of individual. These factors are o Recognition of talents and providing rewards for good performance. o Guiding towards the targets and goals o Helping out with the performance obstacles (Lituchy, Metwally and Henderson 2017, pp.19). Charismatic Leadership Theory: According to this theory, a leader should command authority by his charismatic personality traits. The three elements of the charismatic leadership are empowerment, envisioning and empathy. This theory highlights the fact that leaders with strong commitments and extraordinary qualities towards their goals attract people. Transitional Leadership Theory: This theory is based on the rewards and punishment that are judged according to the performance level of the followers. Transformational leadership: One of the most important theories of leadership in accordance with the effective leadership skills as portrayed in the chosen movie of Nelson Mandela, transformational leadership include inspiration and abilities to motivate the followers. Leaders are expected to ignite the fire of protest or reform or any other targeted works among the followers with their visions and personalities. Some of the major components of this theory are: inspiration, motivation, consideration, idealization and intellectual stimulation (Jallow 2015, pp.11) Critical analysis and evaluation of leadership effectiveness in the selected film Mandela: A long walk to freedom, highlights the journey of the leader Nelson Mandela. The film portrays the struggle, the protest against the inequality in South Africa caused due to racism. The film showed different chapters of his life right from the boyhood till old age, it portrays his struggle, life at the jail and the moment he was elected as the president. His works, speeches, and his traits influenced thousands of Africans to join the movement (Brooks 2018, pg-45).After his death, Nelson Mandela was revered as a universal figure of peace and reconciliation. The concept of leadership effectiveness can be identified throughout the movie by the leadership lessons from the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Some of the leadership lessons of Nelson Mandela are: Courage does not mean that the fear is absent; courage inspires others to challenge the limit and move beyond it: In the film, it has been shown that Mandela was afraid during the Rivonia trail at Robben Island which eventually led him to jail. But deep in his mind, he knew that he cannot let the people of South Africa know about his fear as he was a leader. It is his responsibility to provide encouragements to the others (Nur 2015,pp.52). The movie shows how Mandela pretend of appearing brave and fearless and how he gained strength to overcome his fear(Chasi and Levy 2016, pg-67). While leading from the front but one should not forget his base: In the movie it has been shown that Mandela initiated negotiations with the apartheid government while he was in prison. The film shows the reaction of many who thought that it was crazy for him to negotiate with his enemy. He then explained his act to each of his comrades and slowly gathers them along with him. The movie throughout highlights the principles Mandela used to follow. According to him, a refusal for negotiation was not about principles but about tactics (Ferraris 2015, pp.1413). He was shown as the most pragmatic one in the movie. One should often guide from the back and let the others believe that they are in the lead: In the film it has been shown that as a child, Mandela was influenced largely by the tribal king, Jongintaba who raised him. The movie shows how young Mandela noticed the meetings of Jongintaba where he spoke after all the men. Mandela gathered the idea of effective leadership tricks from the tribal king which helped him in his later lives. The film shows Mandelas concept of effective leadership. According to him, the wisest act is to persuade others to do certain things while making them believe that it was their idea altogether. One should be well informed and keep knowledge about his enemy: Mandela in the film is shown to follow the whites ever since 1960 (Beresford 2014, pp.297).The film shows how he started studying the languages, the sports of the white South Africans who constituted the apartheid. Often his comrades used to judge him due to his habits but Mandela was determined to understand the worldview of the Africans. The movie showed how Mandela determined to fight with them and planned to stand against them. He understood that the black South Africans were looked down upon and were subjected to discrimination in every ground by the British government and the white people and no one was there to raise a strong voice against them. It is important to have close friends and even more closer connection with your enemies: The film highlighted the invincible charming nature of Mandela. He believed to keep close relations with his enemies since he believed that it will help him to understand their moves (Sternlight et al. 2015, p.281).The movie shows how Mandela believed in embracing his rivals and believed it to be a way of controlling their minds. In the Robben Island, it has been shown how Mandela believed to neutralize his enemies with his charm. The appearance of a person is one of the key factors of understanding his personality: In the scene of 1994 where Mandela was shown to run for the presidency, back in his mind he knew that he was never a good speaker in the public (Rule 2017,pp. 31). As he recalls some of his previous experiences, where people often turned out during his speech after some minutes made him realize the importance of appearance (Dwivedi 2015,pp.66). He realized that a beatific, dazzling smile in the public represent leaders lack of bitterness and symbolizes the courage and happiness to triumph. In the platform of life, nothing is black or white: One of the most important lessons from the movie is the realization of the concept of life. Mandela in this movie shows that there is no either or in the platform of life. It is the nature of the human brain to look for simplified explanations in life. Mandela as a politician in the movie, viewed the world as extremely nuanced. One should understand that sometimes quitting means leading: The film portrays the greatest legacy of the leader Mandela on the knowledge of when to quit. The president shows that one of the toughest decisions a leader should take is leaving a failed task. Listening is an important task : The film shows the learning for the leaders that Mandela acquired from his young days(Lituchy, Metwally and Henderson 2017, pp.19).According to him, an effective leader sums up all what others say and forms harmony among the diverse opinions. Accepting the flaws and mistakes and being self-aware is the key to success: The movie portrayed the bold speeches and realization of the leader that he was not resistant to flattery and periodic judgments. It is important to make sacrifices as a leader in certain situations: The greatest sacrifice by the leader as shown in the movie was his decision of not appealing for his conviction (Ferraris 2015, pp.1413).He believed that the movement and whatever he has done was for moral reasons, for his country. Besides, an analysis of the effective leadership skills identified from the movie and from the character of Nelson Mandela is listed below: Keeping a track of the long-term purposes and encouraging the followers to join the mission The mission or achieving a target is important but not more than family at any level Encouraging the team members to join and make suggestions in the decision-making process. Forget and forgive (Klassen 2017,pp.26). Emotions are an important part of a human life and being a leader it is essential to express them to the other people One should never let his targets or goals cause close-mindedness. Lastly one should be loyal to himself and to the country since loyalty pays. The movie shows a different dimension of the character of the great leader. Apart from the leadership lessons from his nature, the movie highlighted three main components of a successful leadership trait. These are: The key to freedom is Education: From the beginning of his career, Mandela realized that education is the one and the only true path to success and freedom. The movie shows his outstanding efforts in academics and his successful career in law. Challenge the authority-the one and only way to be recognized and remembered: The movie shows how Mandela as a child developed strong opinions regarding the injustice in the society which enabled him to gain the courage to challenge the authority. The most crucial time to practice is just after your biggest failure: The movie shows that in 1964, Mandela was taken into custody after he was caught in the conspiracy to overthrow the government (Beresford 2014, pp.297).Right after this devastating failure, Mandela got right back to practice, stood up and started the protest again. Conclusion Leaders are more effective when their behavior is dependable in certain situations. Situations influence the consequences of the behavior of a leader. The above analysis depicts the Leadership effectiveness model of DuBrin and the factors influencing the effectiveness of leadership. The report is an analysis of the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the autobiography of the famous humanitarian leader Nelson Mandela. The leadership traits by the leader and the links with the DuBrins model have been analyzed. Leading through a critical situation is a form of contingency leadership, Mandela throughout his life has fought for his black countrymen who were looked down upon by the whites. The movie shows how he left his successful career in advocacy and ended up in jail before becoming the first black president of South Africa.The path-goal theory and the Fiedlers Contingency Theory has been the best example of the leadership style of Nelson Mandela. The report highlights Mandelas strateg ic vision and the tenacity to hold it with his self-belief and unbreakable self-confidence. His struggle against the apartheid, life in the prison and electing as a successful leader shows his commitment towards his country. This report summarizes all the lessons in leadership one can acquire from Nelson Mandela. References Alvesson, M. and Spicer, A., 2012. Critical leadership studies: The case for critical performativity.Human relations,65(3), pp.367-390. Avolio, B.J. and Yammarino, F.J. eds., 2013. 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