This week's episode discusses the film INVICTUS,
directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the inspiring and true story of how newly
elected President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joins forces with the captain
of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their
country through sport and overcome economic and racial division in the wake of
calls upon Pienaar to lead his team to greatness, joining forces to turn their
individual hopes — the president, to unite his country; the captain, to lead
the nation’s team to World Cup glory — into one shared goal with the motto “One
team, one country” and citing a poem that was a source of inspiration and
strength to him during his years in prison. It is later revealed that the poem
is “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley.
is a biographical sports drama film, based on the book ‘Playing the Enemy:
Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation’ by John Carlin.
What is our purpose? Our purpose is to serve.
“You criticize without understanding. You seek only to
address your own personal feelings.
That is selfish thinking, Zindzi. It does not serve
the nation.” - Nelson Mandela
Modelling great leadership.
Mazibuko: You're risking your political capital, you're risking your future as our leader.
day I am afraid to do that is the day I am no longer it to lead.”
here too. Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is
“If I cannot change when circumstances demand
it, how can I expect others to?”
Human Solutions - never lose sight of the fact the
tactics result in human solutions - they should come from purpose.
Mazibuko: So, this rugby is a political solution.
Nelson Mandela: It is a human solution!”
Inspiration - more than leading by example (model the
way and inspire shared vision)
do you inspire your team to do their best?
example. I've always thought to lead by example, sir.
Well, that is right. But how do we get them to be better then they think they
can be? That is very difficult, I find. Inspiration, perhaps.”
eventual world cup victory did not start with a powerful speech or a
cataclysmic moment - but with Francois Pinnear saying " I think he wants
walk in the early days of the presidency, Mandela looks down at a newspaper
headline that questions whether he will be able to run a country. "It's a
legitimate question," he says, and they walk away.
