Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in the movie Invictus (2009)
The movie “Invictus” (2009) not only showcases the South African “Springbok” National Rugby Team and its impact on South Africa’s transition from segregation to integration, it also highlights Nelson Mandela’s example of what true transformational servant leadership looks and sounds like in action.
Nelson Mandela realized that he was facing an enormous challenge when he became President of South Africa in 1994. He was taking the reins of a country so deeply divided, with chasms so wide it appeared at first glance that it would be impossible to bring the two sides together. However, being an extraordinary transformational servant leader, Nelson Mandela was able to see well beyond the challenges of the present to the possibilities that lay just over horizon.
Nelson Mandela used the “Springbok” National Rugby Team as a way to bring an entire country together and to bridge the divide between those who had supported apartheid and those who fought so hard against it. The rugby team represented so much more than just a sport, it represented possibilities for South Africa and its people. Even though the antecedent conditions (Northouse, 2019, p.233) were not initially favourable for Nelson Mandela’s style of leadership, he possessed qualities and characteristics that eventually attracted the following of an entire nation.
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in prison in the movie Invictus (2009)
He possessed all seven servant leadership behaviours (Northouse, 2019, p. 235) that are the backbone of the servant leadership process. Nelson Mandela could conceptualize and was able to see the big picture. Being a prisoner for 27 years, he fully understood the “purpose, complexities and mission” that he faced and how to “address problems creatively in accordance with the overall goals of the organization” (Northouse, 2019, p.235). He prioritized emotional healing and was extremely sensitive to the needs of others and their well being. He is famously quoted in the movie, speaking to his own family who were angry over his imprisonment and wanting to punish those who had harmed others; “You criticize without understanding. You seek only to address your own personal feelings. That is selfish thinking.” He goes on to share about the power of forgiveness stating that, “forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.”
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar in the movie Invictus (2009)
He put his followers first always. He is seen in the movie constantly asking after others and how they are doing personally. Their needs came ahead of his own. He helped his followers grow and succeed while modelling ethical behaviour and choices. Nelson Mandela mentored his followers (members of his office, his bodyguards, the sports regulatory body, the captain of the “Springboks” team, Francois Pinnear and the general public) by providing them with the support they needed. He helped his bodyguards in particular as well as Francois Pinnear become “self-actualized” and enabled them to reach their “full potential” all qualities mentioned by Northouse (2019.
Nelson Mandela: How do you inspire your team to do their best?
Francois Pienaar: By example. I’ve always thought to lead by example, sir.
Nelson Mandela: Well, that is right. That is exactly right. But how do we get them to be better then they think they CAN be? That is very difficult, I find. Inspiration, perhaps. How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us? I sometimes think it is by using the work of others.
~Movie Invictus (2009)
Despite his own personal feelings regarding his imprisonment, Mandela always behaved ethically. He was consistently “open, honest and fair with his followers” and he never “compromised his ethical principles in order to achieve success” (Northouse, 2019, p. 236). He famously says in the movie, when told that he was risking his political capital and his future as a leader by speaking up to the sports regulatory body, he replied, “The day I am afraid to do that (speak up) is the day I am no longer fit to lead.”
He empowered others and enabled them to make decisions on their own and as such it built his followers confidence in themselves to think and act on their own. He provides Francois Pienaar with a poem he had written while in prison to help inspire him to lead the Springboks to victory. By the end of the movie, Francois Pienaar also decides that he wants to actually sing the words to the national anthem instead of just mouth them as he develops a deep pride and love for his country. He is determined to leave nothing on the field and to give everything he can for his country so that South Africa can win the World Cup, realizing the significance of his one team and one country.
Francois Pienaar when asked what Mandela wanted during their meeting: “I think he wants us to win the World Cup.”
Francois Pienaar: “I may break my arm, my leg, my neck, but I will not let that freaking guy go (referring to #11 from Australia).”
Nelson Mandela created value for his nation by being involved with the Springboks rugby team. As a true servant leader, he “nurtured individual growth, strengthened organizational performance, and in the end, produced a positive impact on society” (Northouse, 2019, p. 238). He knew that when his followers received care and empowerment from an ethical leader, his followers would in turn begin treating others in the same way. 
Nelson Mandela’s vision paid off and he went down in history as a leader who encouraged racial harmony within a rainbow nation and someone who led by example and embraced forgiveness over power. His support of the national rugby team the Springboks, was just the start of his empowering others to achieve more than they had originally thought possible.
References:
“Invictus” Warner Brothers, 2009.
Northouse, P.G. (2019). Leadership: Theory & Practice (8th ed). Sage Publications.
