THE DAY I MET NELSON MANDELA

As I shook his hand I felt I had touched saintliness, as if he had somehow transferred some of his worldly knowledge to me. I know I was forever changed by the experience of meeting Nelson Mandela. It was in the Long Room of Wanderers cricket ground in Johannesburg and I was seated diagonally adjacent to the President. Whilst he was very much in demand to meet dignitaries and important people, after dinner I did have the opportunity to talk to him.??

From then on, my view of the words "purpose", "values",?"vision" and "strategy" took on new and far deeper meanings. These are not trivial concepts; they cannot just be the product of a few hours of workshopping with a whiteboard. They are core, fundamental, and the building blocks around which you shape your people, be that a country or a business.?

If we unpack what Mandela did in South Africa there are some important lessons for anyone involved in managing people and developing organisations.??

Values were core for Mandela and amongst these were equal opportunity, the right to be treated equally in law, respect for cultural heritage (there were 11 tribal groups plus the white Afrikaners and English settlers), and forgiveness.

Let me ask what your corporate values are?

Do they really mean anything to your people? If we listed the corporate values of all organisations in Australia, would we find them extremely similar? I would bet we would, and I would also bet that they do not mean that much to your people.??

To make your values more meaningful and relevant add the behaviours that should be seen in support of each value. This allows you to put context and relevance around each value and provides identifiable actions that support each value. It will be easier for your people to relate to and believe in these.?

Mandela had a vision for his country. The many national initiatives (strategies) his cabinet designed and implemented were a clear statement of what he wanted his rainbow nation to be. You need a vision, a strategy and relatively well understood management concepts.. When the vision is not achieved it is either because the wrong strategies were chosen, or the right strategy was chosen but poorly implemented.?

Where does purpose fit into this mix?

Purpose is an altruistic view of why the organisation exists. It goes beyond the economic objectives that vision and strategy are built on. For Mandela, I suspect his vision was his purpose. He had a profound conviction to his core values and that is what he was working towards.??

Regrettably, South Africa has failed in many areas. These can be put down to poor implementation of key strategies, but also to the purpose shift of some leaders towards self serving ends away from Mandela's beliefs.?Purpose is like a religious creed - it is a set of beliefs or aims which guide people’s actions.?

There are two other key?concepts that contemporary strategic management uses.

Strategic pillars?set the boundaries within which the organisation should operate. Purpose and vision are broad concepts and do not have specific boundaries. Strategic pillars are necessary for defining areas of competitive advantage and to make clear the focus of the organisation in its detailed planning.?

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Finally,?business plan objectives (BPOs)?anchor blue sky aspirations (dreams!).?They define what you need to deliver this year to take you on your pathway. BPOs are what the CEO is accountable for. BPOs can be broken down into smaller work parcels and distributed to others who are made accountable for them. Measuring and reporting on these regularly enhances the chance of successful execution.?

The admiration for the achievements of Nelson Mandela is global. The way he made this happen provides a lesson to everyone who manages people and organisations. If he, a great but still one man, can do it for a nation why can’t you do it for your organisation. It starts with the core fundamentals of purpose and values, followed by vision and strategy, and rounded out with strategic pillars and business plan objectives.??

I think back on that day, the privilege, a life changing experience and the day I really understood the essence of inspiring a people towards a much better place

Cheers,

Jim McKerlie?

Executive Chair at Kendo?.?