Invictus Movie Analysis Essay

1040 Words3 Pages

Nelson Mandela was one of the greatest leaders of our time. In the movie Invictus, the devotion and love he had for the South African people is exemplified. The movie was named after a Victorian poem that brought President Mandela strength while in prison. The meaning of Invictus is “Undefeated”, a perfect fit for this movie. The opening scene of the movie shows President Mandela being freed from jail and driving past a field of young boys playing soccer. All the boys start chanting the Presidents name and running to the fences to get a better look. This is the first scene, and an obvious show of support and following for Mr. Mandela. Throughout the movie there are many different styles and approaches of leadership shown. Not only is President …show more content…

A recently divided country must come together as one again. From the start it is obvious that Mr. Mandela will be the prime leader in the movie. Rather than fighting for revenge, President Mandela urges the country to forgive and become one. I think that President Mandela takes the situational leadership approach to bring South Africa back to one. By using a mix of the 4 style; Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating he gains the peoples trust and slowly brings everyone back together. The founders of the Situational Leadership Approach, Hersey and Blanchard state that “Based on the assumption that followers’ skills and motivation vary overtime, situational leadership suggest that leaders should change the degree to which they are directive or supportive to meet the changing needs of the followers.” I think this is a prime example of how President Mandela leads. A quote from the movie by the President “If I can not change when circumstances require it, then how can I expect others to.” In the beginning of the movie the people of South Africa were timid of the new leader and needed more support than direction. As the movie progress, and as President Mandela gained more of the peoples trust he became more directive, banning together with Francois to bring the country back …show more content…

The exchange between the leader and his/her followers is the focal point of the theory. For Francois and his team, I think they are an example of the in-group. The in-group theory gives the followers more responsibility for a greater outcome. As the movie comes along, the leader, Francois, gives the team more responsibilities and expects them to work their hardest. A scene where Francois displays great leadership is during the finals against New Zealand. The Springboks are down in the half and Francois huddles the team together, giving a speech to motivate the boys. I think motivation and support are key aspects in being a great leader, and Invictus truly shows how great of a captain and leader that Francois

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