IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL IS DONE:

These are tough times. But as you’re fighting your own battles as an entrepreneur, there is perhaps no better benchmark of leadership and greatness to follow than the story of Nelson ‘Madiba’ Mandela.

The black civil rights movement of the 19th and 20th centuries saw the rise of some of the finest heroes of our time. From Harriet Tubman, to Dr. Martin Luther King, to Steven Biko and many others. But nobody was more critical to the global civil rights movement than Nelson Mandela, the father of modern South Africa.

His passing in 2013 was universally mourned, with nearly a hundred representatives from around the world coming to grieve at his funeral. Among them, Barack Obama, who reflected:

“We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela ever again, so it falls to us, as best we can, to carry forward the example that he set. He no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages.”

Mandela was a quintessential example of greatness. He suffered against incredible odds – surviving nearly 30 straight years of imprisonment – to achieve freedom and liberty for his people.

He actually tells us how to become a real leader.

Leadership Lessons 🌍

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” —Nelson Mandela

When you hear a story like Madiba’s—a simple village boy who would rise to become one of the greatest revolutionary leaders— “impossible” suddenly doesn’t feel so challenging.

Mandela’s peers often emphasized a single trait of his character—humility. He wasn’t the smartest, the bravest, the strongest or the most charismatic. He was flawed—something he would be the first to acknowledge.

But beyond all of that, he had a rock-solid foundation based on a single, uncompromising principle—he believed in putting every ounce of himself towards achieving the greater vision.