Nelson Mandela died in his home land of South Africa this week, prompting celebrations around the world of the inspirational life he led.
Nelson Mandela is up there with Gandhi as one of the most peaceful, honorable, bold and courageous world leaders of all time. But he’s an entrepreneur at heart.
Mandela co-founded South Africa’s first black law firm in 1952, providing legal representation to black men and women for the first time. He helped to start the African National Congress Youth League, which led the civil disobedience and strikes against apartheid in the 1940s and ’50s. During his time in jail, he managed to keep pushing his equality agenda. And then through bouts of prostate cancer and tuberculosis and today, as he struggles with critical illness, he’s continued to represent the societal change that comes from radical thought and risk-taking.
Here some startup-worthy lessons Mandela leaves for entrepreneurs.
Stay humble. Awards and accolades give validation to your business. They’re a testament to your idea, leadership or innovation. But don’t let them get to your head. Mandela won a Nobel Prize, had streets named after him, postage stamps in his image and a namesake museum in South Africa, but he insisted that it all be in tribute not to him but to the causes he stood for.
If you’re passionate, speak up. Don’t be afraid to ruffle feathers about what you believe in, what change you want to make in the world. Mandela did this in his fight against AIDS, the disease that killed his son. He boldly called it “the curse of Africa.”
People may have you or your product all wrong at times. Mandela spent 27 years in prison because he wanted peace and equality, but the nation’s leaders called him a sinner and accused him of treason. He practiced patience even as he kept fighting.
Forgive your competitors. Love your enemies. Even after apartheid tore apart his nation, Mandela wore a Springbok shirt to the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The brown and white animal, after which the team was named, had been emblematic of white supremacy, and Mandela wore it to urge the two races to heal and trust each other again. If you don’t like the tactics of a competitor, do something better. And don’t be prideful about it.
Never sacrifice happiness for your startup. Mandela married three times, and he had many children. It’s clear he believed in serving his family along with his nation.
Do good with the influence you have. Mandela was named president of the Republic of South Africa after so many hard-fought years, but he resigned after a single term in order to establish foundations and causes to provide aid to his country. He also wrote books to spread his knowledge and insights. He believed that everything should be shared.
