Invictus

A management review

Introduction• Directed by Clint Eastwood starring Morgan Freeman and

Matt Damon.

• Based upon the infamous story of how Nelson Mandela finds inspiration of uniting a nation, torn by the ravages of the Apartheid era, through an all white rugby team – Springboks.

• The title Invictus is basically Victorian era poem written by William Ernest Henley.

• Delivering a message of self mastery, Invictus, was regularly read and recited by Nelson Mandela during his 27 years in jail.

• The famous phrase of the poem “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” has been an inspiration to many people including Franklin D Roosevelt, Aung San, Nelson Mandela, etc.,

Dramatis Personae

Morgan Freeman & Matt Damon Nelson Mandela & François Pienaar

The plot

• Backdrop of Nelson Mandela’s historic release from Robben Island – 27 years of incarceration

• 4 years later - becomes the first black president of South Africa

• President Mandela faced by the biggest challenges of his presidency - How can you bring about reconciliation among the majority blacks and minority white people?

The plot

• The ill will which both groups hold towards each other is seen even in his own security detail where relations between the established white officers, who had guarded Mandela's predecessors, and the black ANC additions to the security detail, are frosty and marked by mutual distrust.

• Attends a game between the country’s rugby union team, Springboks, and England

• Notices that majority of the black South Africans are rooting for the England Team– Reminded of his days in Robben Island where he too would root for

the side against Springboks. – Springboks was widely looked upon by the black South African

population as a reminder of the white rulers of the Apartheid regime as Springboks was a predominantly white team.

The plot

• Mandela is inspired on uniting his nation, torn by the ravages of the Apartheid era, through an all white rugby team – Springboks.

• Embodied by the slogan, “One Team, One Country,” Mandela set the goal of the Springboks winning the World Cup.

• Mandela’s journey as he tries to encourage black South Africans to get behind the previously hated national rugby team, as South Africa host the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

The plot

• Mandela persuades a meeting of the newly black-dominated South African Sports Committee to support the Springboks.

• He then meets with the captain of the Springboks rugby team, François Pienaar (Matt Damon), and implies that a Springboks victory in the World Cup will unite and inspire the nation.

• Mandela also shares with François a British poem, "Invictus", that had inspired him during his time in prison. – a gross in-accuracy

The plot

• Things begin to change– The support for Springboks begins to increase in an incremental pace

– South Africa is pitted against the All Blacks of New Zealand in the finals of the 1996 Rugby World Cup.

– The Springboks win an epic final over New Zealand, Mandela presents the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar, an Afrikaner, wearing a Springbok shirt with Pienaar's own number 6 on the back.

– This was widely seen as a major step in the reconciliation of white and black South Africans; as de Klerk (the last President of the Apartheid regime) later put it, "Mandela won the hearts of millions of white rugby fans”.

The plot

The plot

• The movie ends with Mandela in his car wading through the traffic filled with fans who thronged to the street to celebrate after the historic win and Mandela watching Rugby fans Black and White celebrating together.

• A nation torn by Apartheid uniting to become what is truly believed to be a rainbow nation.

Key Learning/Management Lessons

• Behaviour of a leader:– The behaviour of a leader is extremely important to

successfully lead teams in organisations– Globally Accepted Types of Leadership Behaviour:

• Task oriented• People oriented

– President Mandela excellently displayed both task-oriented and people oriented styles in his quest to build the nation. He intended to transform the image of Springboks in the eyes of the black natives and sought the help of Pienaar. Through Pienaar’s leadership, the team members successfully won the hearts of the black natives and garner their support which steered the team to victory.

Key Learning/Management Lessons

• Comprehensive team building

– Mandela’s ability to building a comprehensive team around him comprising of black and white South Africans. Mandela wanted a unified country and he intended for his team to set the perfect example for that cause

Key Learning/Management Lessons

• Performing the role of a change agent

– Mandela performs the role of a change agent by leading from the front, leading by example and motivating all the people regardless of the colour of their skin who come in his presence.

Key Learning/Management Lessons

• Setting audacious goals

– Setting audacious goals is key aspect of management skills.

– Mandela sets an audacious goal to captain Piennar to win the Rugby World Cup (1995). He believes (Mandela) that by winning the Rugby World Cup, the Apartheid torn nation will unite.

Key Learning/Management Lessons

• Supporting the team

– Apart from setting audacious goals, a key management skill is to believe in your team and stand behind them regardless of how steep the mountain is and the challenges posed to the team.

– Mandela’s undying belief in his team, inspires them to go beyond the call of duty and win the world cup against all odds.