Leadership Essay Sample

Invictus was a Latin word that could be loosely translated to mean undefeated in English. It could also be interpreted to mean an unconquered territory. Their choices for a movie title were well choreographed as it went to show a springbok side that, according to the movie, was undefeated in the 1995 Rugby world cup in South Africa. It was also a good theme that went ahead to prove to the nation of South Africa that, in unison, they were always going to be conquerors.
When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he successfully contested and was elected the first black president of a South Africa nation divided by apartheid. On one side, were the blacks wishing to retaliate against the wealthy whites who had oppressed them over the years. The whites were skeptical about the black leadership and thought president Mandela would retaliate against the whites. The president though opted for a unified South Africa. Francois, the captain of the National Rugby team was also of the idea of a united South Africa. He too, like President Mandela, believed that apartheid had nothing to offer to the citizens. He too was also for the idea of a united country. The two leaders were portrayed as showing exemplary leadership skills despite being on the two opposing sides of the apartheid divided country.
According to the movie, President Mandela as portrayed by Morgan Freeman, leadership involved allowing oneself to expect more out of him/ her. Motivating a team enabled them to produce the best in them and to be better than they ever dreamt.
According to the movie, President Mandela is portrayed as visionary. He follows his vision of having one unified South Africa. He is also seen as humble when as a president he pours the tea for himself. His humility, respect, and kindness were shown when he addressed his secretary as a Mrs. He was also open-minded about culture. He enjoyed tea as a beverage even though it was foreign. He was also informed. Francois was depicted as team focused. He understood that as a captain, he had a duty to inspire the team to perform much better. He was also portrayed as respectful as well as a good listener. He gave the President full attention even on the field of play.
The poem Invictus taught Mandela that it was one's duty to dust him/ herself up in the worst of situations. One needed not to mourn, but to rather rise and get determined to move on. Even though apartheid split South Africa, he had a duty, as a leader to unify the nation. As a leader of a nation, it was important to rally every citizen behind you so as to realize equal opportunities and development.
Sports were regarded as a unifying factor all over the world. Better performances by a sports team made every citizen of a country want to be associated with the team. Every citizen would, therefore, wish to emulate examples set by the winning team and lead in their way. Even in schools, according to President Mandela's beliefs, sports teams and clubs generally will have a positive influence on the student life.