My apologies to those who read my blog for the last couple of weeks of silence.  Lots happening with the elections but I’ve been swamped with no time left to post.  As I was working on my sermon today (this weekend I conclude a series entitled “Reset” by focusing on how we face anxious economic times with courage, hope and joy) I came across the following eight leadership principles of Nelson Mandela compiled and written by Richard Stengel in, “Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership,” Time, 7-21-08, (pp. 42-48).  It was posted on the Preaching Today website:

“[The lessons] are cobbled together from…conversations old and new and from observing [Mandela] up close and from afar. Many of them stem directly from his personal experience. All of them are calibrated to cause the best kind of trouble: the trouble that forces us to ask how we can make the world a better place.”

Here are Mandela’s eight lessons of leadership:

Courage is not the absence of fear—it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.

Lead from the front—but don’t leave your base behind.

Lead from the back—and let others believe they are in front.

Know your enemy—and learn about his favorite sport. [In order to work more effectively with Afrikaners, Mandela learned their language and all about their most cherished sport: rugby.

Keep your friends close—and your rivals even closer.

Appearances matter—and remember to smile.

Nothing is black or white.

Quitting is leading too.