Nelson Mandela is know for being one of the most influential people in the world today. He became one of the most influential people because he was part of the radical change in South Africa that abolished segregation.
Nelson Mandela was part of the anti-apartheid movement and was the leading force behind the movement. In 1962, he was arrested for sabotage and sentence for a life term. While being in jail Nelson never gave up on what he believed in, he stood by is morals and values. Even when the prison officials offered to let him go in exchange for him to stop preaching his ideas, he refused and remained in jail. He was released 27 years later in 1990, where he led his party to a peaceful negotiation for a multiracial democracy and later won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mandela is a perfect example of being a very successful authentic leader. To be a good authentic leader you need understand your values and have a clear idea of who you are and how you are going to get the job done in the right way.
As an example with Mandela, even though he was put in jail for fighting against the government and was given the opportunity to get out as long as he stopped protesting, he refused and stood next to his values. This is what authentic leaders need to do, when pressed with a difficult situation you stand by your values. By standing by what he believed in, he was able to gain support from a large group of people and later abolished segregation from South Africa.
I definitively agree with you Stephen. I also think Steve Jobs is another example of an ethical leader that was very authentic. He had an understanding of his values and had a clear idea of how he was going to get the job done in the right way.
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