To method-act the persona
and circumvent the ego

Stature – One of the most notable aspects of Mandela’s demeanor was his air of dignity and grace, and, contrastingly, humility. He stood tall and very erect, but without any trace of arrogance. From his earliest years, Mandela understood his place as the future chief advisor to the king and knew his importance to the community. However, when he went to boarding school, his classmates made fun of his discomfort with western conveniences, and he felt very much like a country bumpkin. He seemed to portray that dichotomy in his posture. As Mandela, practice standing very straight and tall, yet don’t stick your chest out or put your shoulders back. Let them fall gently by your side so that your arms swing naturally and gracefully.

Dress – For many years, Mandela’s attire was dictated by others: uniforms at boarding school, traditional dress at tribal functions, suits while practicing law, and prison uniforms for his twenty-seven years behind bars. However, he was always conscious of his image, even suffering solitary confinement after insisting on wearing long pants in prison rather than the shorts issued to black Africans. After he became President, he adopted an Indonesian-style of shirt that eventually became his signature attire, nicknamed Madiba shirts after his tribal name. The shirts are made from cotton or silk, usually in a patterned print, and are long and loose, worn untucked from the pants. Many people believed he adopted this style of dress as a middle ground between Western suits and African formal attire and to show that he was an informal man of the people. To really channel Mandela, choose long, loose, but well-constructed shirts over trousers as your dress. Otherwise, decide what message you want to convey with your dress and find an appropriate style.

Mandela was ultimately successful in the removal of Apartheid laws through a single-minded devotion to that cause, at great personal sacrifice. Once Apartheid was outlawed, he exhibited the same single-mindedness to creating a unified South Africa with a Government of National Unity. In order to achieve this mindset, you will need to practice self-discipline and a thoughtful, deliberate approach to all your decisions and how they will further your cause in the long-term.

Exercise – Throughout his life, Mandela was an early riser, starting his day 5:30 with about an hour’s worth of exercise. He jogged and trained at a boxing gym and in prison, he ran in place and did calisthenics, much to the chagrin of his cellmates. He found that exercise provided him a calmness and clarity of mind. While you are Mandela, start your day a little earlier with a similar exercise regimen.

Further your education – Education was extremely important to Mandela and he urged his children and his comrades in the ANC and in prison to go to college and obtain degrees. He believed that education was the only way to bring people out of ignorance and poverty. While he himself was expelled from college, he finished his B. A. degree through correspondence while he worked as a clerk and started his legal degree. Unable to finish his law degree, although he had enough training to obtain a license to practice, due to bans and arrests, he did eventually get a law degree while he was in prison. Choose a course or a program that will further your career and complete it. It’s important that you earn that certificate.

Follow sports – Nelson enjoyed sports, especially boxing and soccer, and would use rugby as a unifying force (more on this later.) On the world stage, he would often talk about his team or what happened in a fight. This interest would prove useful in finding common ground to open discussions and develop rapport. While you are Nelson, find a sport to follow and stay current with all the major sport news. You can use this information as small talk to open conversations.

Make yourself a symbol – When Mandela was captured and tried for leaving the country without permission, he arrived to the court wearing his formal tribal attire of leopard skins and beads. He wanted to show that he was an African in a white man’s courtroom where the whites’ rules shouldn’t apply to him. In many ways hence, Mandela became a symbol. The Nationalist party branded Mandela as a terrorist with a black and white image of him taken when he was in hiding, bearded and at his heaviest. Accustomed to this formidable figure, many people were shocked to see the dignified, slender, and graying old man walk out of prison. The image of this old man with his fist raised in the ANC salute then became the symbol of the long march to freedom. Think of yourself as symbol of your cause. How can you personally embody the message you want to impart with your dress and overall appearance?

Reframe your situation – Mandela had an amazing ability to reframe any situation and turn it into another way to fight for his cause. The authorities thought that the ANC would be silenced when its leaders were imprisoned, but Mandela continued the fight in prison by embarking on a struggle to secure more rights for prisoners and to be recognized as political prisoners. He organized prison yard work slowdowns and wrote to the heads of prisons and ministers of parliament about conditions. Through his wife, Winnie, and Oliver Tambo, he was kept in the forefront of people’s memories as a political prisoner and his freedom became an international cause. Take a look at your current situation through the eyes of Mandela. How can you turn adversity into an advantage? Develop multiple narratives that explain your circumstances and choose one that inspires you to action.

Rely on your principles to make decisions – As a politician, it is very easy to bend your principles in order to win elections with the rationale that you can’t do any good until you’re elected. While people have criticized the ethics of some of Mandela’s decisions, like befriending dictators, he never wavered from his principles. For example, when he started a militant branch of the ANC to enact sabotage, Mandela felt justified in that decision because acts of peaceful civil disobedience were met with police violence and massacres. He frequently said the opposition determined the type of resistance needed. He was fiercely loyal to those who worked for the cause, insisted on giving everyone a voice, had complete faith in discussion and negotiation to bring about the desired results, and steadfastly believed that forgiveness was the only way forward. In order to rely on your principles for decisions, you need to understand what they are and which ones you will never compromise. Spend some time defining your own code of ethics and create a list of your principles and another list of things you will never do.

Understand your adversaries – Mandela learned to speak Afrikaans and learned about Afrikaner history in order to explain the struggle for equal rights in terms that his enemies could relate to. He drew parallels with the Afrikaans history of being suppressed by the British to the black Africans plight in Apartheid. You should learn as much about your opposition, their values, and their history as you can so you can understand why they do what they do and how you can talk with them.

Never suffer slights – One of the first words people use to describe Mandela is dignified and this was no accident. Dignity was important to him, not simply an air or mien, but something he actively strove to obtain and maintain. When he first arrived at Robben Island, the wardens berated him to walk faster, but Mandela insisted on keeping a comfortable pace. When he was threatened with violence, he calmly informed the warders that he was a lawyer and would sue them and their families for all they were worth. When De Klerk denounced the ANC as a violent, terrorist group during his address to the CODESA (commission creating a new constitution), an angry Mandela immediately rose to denounce de Klerk as duplicitous, and the government he represented as illegitimate. While many politicians often shrug off slights as part of the game, Mandela never did. Take the attitude that you must fight for respect, and with it, your dignity. Make a list of inoffensive one-liners to use when you feel slighted and make sure to use them when the occasion arises. Some examples are: I don’t think you meant to insult me, but the language you used was demeaning, using words like that don’t help us build a coalition but rather divide us, or I’m not sure why you would choose to insult me, but I don’t think it is helping you prove your point.

Reach out to your adversaries – When Mandela felt the time was auspicious, he sent a note to the South African head of security to ask if he wanted to start discussions. The positive response began the long process of dismantling Apartheid and instituting a parliamentary government with free elections. Similarly, when it seemed as though the far-right party would start a conflict during the negotiations for a transitional government, Mandela reached out to their leader to bring him to the negotiating table, even allowing the possibility of a separate Afrikaner nation. While this may require swallowing some pride, make overtures to you opposition to see if they are willing to hold open discussions. At the early stages, make no commitments to work on issues, just the promise of talks to learn about each other’s’ positions and find some common ground.

Create an inclusive committee – Mandela had faith that bringing everyone to the table to discuss issues and work on problems would have a positive outcome. The ANC held a Freedom Conference, attended by all races, that resulted in the Freedom Charter, which outlined basic rights and governing principles of all South Africans and became the framework for the new constitution. The constitution itself was drafted through a long series of conferences, CODESA, which included leaders of all the political parties. As the South African president, Mandela chartered commissions on reconciliation, economic development, and property rights to address some of the country’s most pressing issues. Once you have reached out to your adversaries, organize a committee or a conference to work on your issues. Ensure there is equal representation of all viewpoints and work to achieve consensus among all parties.

Find a unifying event – When Mandela became the President of South Africa in 1994, he took over a highly divided nation. When the national rugby team, the Springboks, began to do well in international competitions, Mandela saw this as an opportunity to unite the nation. Rugby, and the white Springboks team, were a symbol of white supremacy and hated by non-whites who followed football (soccer.) Mandela met with the team to show his support and urged them to do their best. He wore the team’s jersey and cap at various functions and urged all South Africans to show their support. Initially booed, as the team won more games, support grew. This was important for Mandela to demonstrate that South Africa was a rainbow nation and that all colors of people were welcome. In an upset victory, the Springboks won the world cup, playing to a stadium packed with both black and white supporters, and he was on hand to give the cup and personally congratulate the players.

Build an army of supporters— While Mandela may have been the face of the struggle, the ANC and other resistance parties actively worked to recruit supporters within and outside of South Africa. When building the ANC’s military, Mandela traveled all around Africa soliciting help in any form it was offered for his army. While he was in prison, once he was allowed, he corresponded with those who were sympathetic to his plight. He also unified the political prisoners at Robben Island to support the same goals. Find ways to recruit new members to your cause and to create alliances with sympathetic groups.

Organize for the long haul – When the Nationalist government began to crack down on all resistance efforts, Mandela made plans to go underground and he and the ANC leadership restructured the ANC to continue its operations secretly and abroad. Oliver Tambo was dispatched to London to advocate on its behalf while military bases were set up in adjacent countries. The militant wing had a long-term plan that escalated from sabotage to guerilla warfare, depending on the government’s responses. Keep in mind that your struggle is a long-term one and you need to be prepared. Create a long-term plan that includes multiple scenarios. Do your best to think through everything possible so that when the unexpected occurs, you will have the presence of mind to handle it.