It’s the last week of the year, holiday time around the world. One of the few events that everyone everywhere shares, although there are some who place it on somewhat different days. No matter. The turning of the year is a time of festivity…a chance to dump the old and set the new.
A time of rebirth with the chance to begin anew with better ideas and actions.
A time to re-charge your body and brain.
Last missive from Benari was about Mandela, a man of uncommon…perhaps unique these days…character. As the year turns and you think about how you will approach the new one, think about Mandela. He wasn’t a saint but still he managed to leave a worldwide legacy of exceptional leadership.
As you think about resolutions for improvement, think about incorporating some of the leadership traits of Mandela. Put his picture on your mirror and every morning think about how you too can build a culture of inclusiveness that draws people in and encourages them to work together to achieve exceptional results for all.
After all, exceptional results for all is an excellent result for your business and other activities. We all have a bit of Mandela within us…let it lead you to greatness.
Steve, I’ll write my own blog post about this when I get the proverbial “Roundtuit.” Until then, a comment here will suffice.
Saints aren’t perfect, but overcome their imperfections in a way the rest of us don’t. For corroboration, see “St. Augustine,” who was a libertine before he was a saint. 7 or 8 years ago, I heard my dear friend Pastor Mark Borgetti (www.markborgetti.com) give a sermon in which he explained simply, “Saints give.” By that standard, if the Methodists canonized, Mandela would be prime fodder.
When looking at that picture of Mandela in the mirror, you would do well to remember that in order to become the noble leader the world embraced, Nelson Mandela had to subordinate the anger, hatred, pessimism and an inclination toward violence that came from the life of oppression he lived as a child and young man. He had much better reasons to feel those things than you do. Much worse was done to him than has ever been done to you. Yet he used his years in prison to subordinate those feelings rather than to stoke them. If he could do that, what are you complaining about?
By “you,” of course, I mean anyone who reads this. Starting with the guy who’s writing it.