8 Lessons of Leadership from Nelson Mandela

At 90th, Nelson Mandela 8 Lessons of Leadership:

No.1 Courage is not the absence of fear--it's inspring others to move beyond it.

No.2 Lead from the from the front--but don't leave your base behind.

No.3 Lead from the back--and let others believe they are in front ("it is wise..to persuade people to dothings and make them think it was their own idea").

No.4 Know your enemy--and learn about his favourite sport (this was strategic in two senses: by speaking his opponents' language, one might understand their strengths and weaknesses and formulate tactics accordingly).

No.5 Keep your friends close--and your rivals even closer.

No.6 Appearances matter--and remember to smile ("the smile..was the message").

No.7 Nothing is black or white ("Why not both? Life is never either/or. Decisions are complex, and there are always competing factors. To look for simple explanations is the bias of the human brain, but it doesn't correspond to reality. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears").

No.8 Quitting is leading too. --knowing how to abandon a failed idea, task or relationship is often the most difficult kind of deciison a leader has to make. …"leaders lead as much by what they choose not to do as what to do"

Source: Times magazine July2008

Another interesting ideas:

by Edward De Bono, Penguin Popular Classics 2008 "The main difficulty of thinking is confusion. We try to do too much at once. Emotions, information, logic, hope and creativity all crowd in on us. It is like juggling with too many balls. The six thinking hats allow us to conduct our thinking as a conductor might lead an orchestra...(Preface xi-xii)"

Chapter 2: Six Hats, Six Colours: -

"White Hat: Whilte is neutral and objective. The white hat is concerned with objective facts and figures." -

"Red Hat: red suggests anger, rage and emotions. The red hat gives the emotional view."

- "Black Hat: Black is sombre and serious. The black hat is cautious and careful. It points out the weakness in an idea."

- "Yellow Hat: Yellow is sunny and positive. The yellow hat is optimistic and covers hope and positive thinking."

- "Green Hat: Green is grass, vegetation and abundant, fertile growth. The green hat indicates creativity and new ideas."

- "Blue is cool, and it is also the colour of the sky, which is above everythingelse. The blue hat is concerned with control, the organisation of the thinking poress and the use of the other hats." "Juggling with six balls at the same time is rather difficult. Tossing up one ball at a time is much easier...One Thing at a Time"