Who Are You Serving?
Anderson & Mathur-Helm | Nelson Mandela Leadership
credit | John Pannell | Creative Commons 2.0
This article is written by Professor Jamie Anderson, Antwerp Management School, and Dr Babita Mathur-Helm, University of Stellenbosch Business School.
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Given the recent change of leadership in South Africa, it is time to reflect upon the legacy of Africa’s first black president—Nelson Mandela.
At a time of so much social change, not just in South Africa but in so many countries around the world, there is a lot of talk about the leadership traits that will be required to drive positive outcomes for humanity in the 21st Century.
We believe that the focus on leadership at this time of volatility and uncertainty is somewhat misplaced—the real challenge will be to inspire humanity towards following a path to peace and prosperity for all. And Nelson Mandela’s story provides insight into how building and sustaining a follower-driven movement can be achieved.
In this post we reflect upon the legacy of Nelson Mandela. We demonstrate how Mandela was able to build and sustain a followership base as part of creating momentum towards achieving positive social transformation. He was able to evolve a remarkably consistent approach to delivering what we see as the three pillars of a followership, and each of these pillars will be discussed in turn. We will demonstrate how Mandela’s story provides a powerful lesson for global leaders who are looking to create momentum for positive change in today’s turbulent and complex times.
Reckenrich & Anderson | Creative Leadership in 16th Century Venice
Tintoretto, Self-Portrait ca. 1588. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikipedia.
This piece is written by Professors Joerg Reckenrich and Jamie Anderson of the Antwerp Management School. More information and links to the authors can be found below.
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In today’s complex world, a leader’s ability to drive creativity and innovation is an essential skill. Leaders need to identify emerging customer trends, drive the creation of new products and services, and continuously push for novel and effective ways of doing things.
While the ability to think creatively and to innovate is a requirement for all contemporary leaders, in this post we step back to 16th Century Venice to demonstrate that Creative Leadership spans industries and epochs. We tell the story of Tintoretto, a true innovation leader who was able to challenge the dominant position of his competitor and Art Grand Master Titian.
What Is 21st Century Leadership?
Every day we experience changes in how people live and work, how they lead and manage and communicate.
It’s not self-regarding for current generations to recognize that some of the results are novel, even unprecedented.
Tom Friedman, in a stimulating op-ed, “One Country, Two Revolutions,” points to the historic social changes unleashed by Information Age technology. He acknowledges ongoing evolution in leadership, management, and communications.
Serve to Lead argues that fundamental change in leadership dynamics is well underway. Now, in our time of astonishing potential for individual empowerment, Everyone Can Lead–Because–Everyone Can Serve.
21st Century Leadership Principle | People Are Greatest Asset
How often have we heard the mantra: Our people are our greatest asset.
Now, in the new world of 21st century leadership, it’s actually true.