Time Magazine features an article with Nelson Mandela discussing leadership. I highly recommend it. You can find it here.
I also wanted to talk to him about leadership. Mandela is the closest thing the world has to a secular saint, but he would be the first to admit that he is something far more pedestrian: a politician. He overthrew apartheid and created a nonracial democratic South Africa by knowing precisely when and how to transition between his roles as warrior, martyr, diplomat and statesman. Uncomfortable with abstract philosophical concepts, he would often say to me that an issue “was not a question of principle; it was a question of tactics.” He is a master tactician.
His 8 lessons, summarized?
No. 1– Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it
No. 2 – Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind
No. 3 -Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
No. 4 -Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
No. 5 – Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
No. 6 – Appearances matter — and remember to smile
No. 7 – Nothing is black or white
No. 8 – Quitting is leading too
pat loughery 
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