MGT506 - Strategic Leadership, Mod 5 Case Assignment Essay

MGT506 - Strategic Leadership, Mod 5 Case Assignment - Essay Example The implication is that a leader must always lead by example which is expressed by doing that which is expected to be done in the correct way and time so that he rest of the population being led can follow the example and do things the way he has done them. Shamir defines a leader as a person that is considered the best in doing something or carrying out an activity, that a leader is the head of an organization or a country and is one that is considered the best in doing things that are supposed to be done by the people or group he or she is leading. He adds that the term leader refers to one who is in front of a group and is responsible for the actions of the group (Shamir, 1991). To this extent therefore what Shamir is trying to imply is that a leader must ensure that the people he or she is leading do the right thing all the times. Good leaders in essence act as mirrors to those that they lead which is a reflection of what the people should do even in the absence of the leader. He is the root map that people view to get the right direction to follow in order to make straight their progress in life, the Pacesetters in everything that goes on in the community around them. A good leader as Shamir would put it is visionary in the sense that he or she leads the people towards the realization if they're set dreams for a better future and a better life in the times to come (Shamir, 1991) . A number of people in the world have satisfied this definition and proved their worth to fall in the list most successful and honored leaders of the world given their excellent performance and determination in leadership positions. This paper is going to examine the qualities of a good leader and define the requirements for good leadership with reference to the example of the former South African Anti- Apartheid activist and president, Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela As a Visionary Leader Nelson Mandela was born on July 18th 1918 in the current republic of South Africa. He was ado pted by the king of the Thembu tribe of South Africa after his father’s death just a few years after his resignation from the British employment (Mandela, 1994). While growing up among the king’s children, Nelson Mandela learned of the styles of leadership from the way the king used to handle cases brought to him from various regions within his kingdom. He also learned of the mode of relationship that the king had with the neighboring kingdoms in a bid to create peace and unity with the neighbors. In essence, the excellent style of leadership that Nelson Mandela portrayed as the first black president of the new republic of South Africa was learnt in this context right at the king's palace in the Thembu kingdom. (Waldman, 2006) David A Waldman in his journal article entitled Cultural and leadership predictors of corporate social responsibility values of top management: a GLOBE study of 15 countries defines leadership in the context of taking collective social responsibi lity taken at three levels. Of prime importance in this case is the dimension concerned with the community or state welfare, which he argues extends beyond just a particular stakeholder group include the larger societal entity which involves such values and actions as