My 5 "Mandela Moments": How the Quintessential DreamMaker Helped Me to See the Light
Last Sunday while
attending a celebration in honor of Nelson Mandela's life I had an epiphany;
Nelson Mandela deeply touched my spirit on five synchronistic moments that came
at critical times in my life. His loving spirit, unwavering optimism, and
remarkable courage inspired me to find light in some of my darkest moments.
During these times I might have fallen victim to cynicism however, Mandela's
example helped me to rise above my personal struggles and focus my energy on
helping to create a better world. Mandela's life inspired me to continue to
dream big and reinforced my core values of love, peace and the belief that the
world can be changed. In short, Nelson Mandela helped shape my belief in
DreamMakers. He also helped to confirm my commitment to being an unapologetic
optimist. This way of being, thinking and working has brought me great joy,
love and fulfillment.
My first "Mandela
Moment" came in 1989. This was a very hard year for me. I had recently
divorced and was compelled to abruptly uproot my daughter from the town she was
raised in from birth. Nicole's elementary school had displayed paintings that
depicted blacks sitting at the back of the bus and a restaurant with a sign in
front that read "No Negros Allowed". Consequently, her second
grade classmates and friends told her she belonged at the back of the bus and
was not welcome at lunch. The lack of sensitivity on the part of the school
administrators was a powerful sign that it was time for us to go.
Shortly after this
event, Max De Pree, former CEO and chairman of the board of Herman Miller and I
were invited by Ambassador Piet Koornhof for tea at the South African Embassy
in Washington, D.C. Mandela was still in prison and apartheid was still in
effect. Ambassador Koornhof was interested in learning how Herman Miller, a
global fortune 500 company, was able to mobilize highly diverse employees from
around the world to participate in creating a shared-vision and shared-values
for the company. He also wanted to know how we enabled people to participate
and collaborate to transform our shared-vision into a reality.
At the time I was
serving as Corporate Vice President For People at Herman Miller reporting to
Max. Representing the company, I would frequently share our story with leaders
from around the world who were interested in learning about employee
participation, collaboration and shared ownership. These were Herman Miller's
core values that flourished under Max's extraordinary servant leadership. They
were deeply embedded in our culture, organizational policies and practices and
most importantly, in our leadership decisions and actions. We not only
struggled to live our values, we believed it was important to spread the word
that it is possible to "do good and do well". We had
discovered that when organizations authentically engage their people in a
shared-vision that is compelling, aspirational and inclusive and liberate them
to contribute their gifts, amazing things happen.
As committed as I was
to helping to catalyze vision-led and values-based organizations and
communities, I was nearly paralyzed at the thought of walking into the South
African embassy and meeting with Ambassador Koornhof. All sorts of wretched
thoughts ran through my mind: the images of the killings of thousands of
non-white South Africans who stood up for freedom and the oppression and
humiliation inflicted on the non-white majority as a policy of the apartheid
government. I thought about my seven year old daughter's pain and confusion at
being excluded and humiliated by her school and by the friends she had known
all her life. My own memories surfaced of living in Kentucky, not allowed to
eat in restaurants, use public bathrooms and being called horrible names. All
of these thoughts contributed to my dilemma. I anguished over whether my going
there was the right thing to. I was unsure whether I could suppress my anger
and disgust over the inhumane treatment of Mandela and the non-white residents
of South Africa. To exacerbate my predicament, I had just read Kaffir Boy:
The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa.
I found the courage to
overcome my fears, and Max and I went to the meeting. I was still extremely
uncomfortable at the thought of walking into the South African Embassy in
Washington, D.C.. I remember I wore huge sunglasses to hide my face. Although I
overcame my fears, the shame of being recognized was overwhelming.
Ambassador Piet
Koornhof was disarming! He was gracious, humble, vulnerable and surprisingly
candid. He told us that F.W. De Klerk was in the midst of conversations and
negotiations with Nelson Mandela for his release from prison. He told us that
Mandela was committed to making his release and the end of apartheid a peaceful
transition. I was stunned! As I listened I tried to sip my tea and noticed that
my hand was trembling. My emotions had gone from shame, to shock, to elation. I
had to fight an inner battle to retain my composure. Once I found my center,
Max and I told the Herman Miller story and Ambassador Koornhof listened
intensely and wrote lots of notes. When Mandela died, I called Max and we
reminisced about this extraordinary meeting.
My second
"Mandela Moment" happened while I was serving in President Bill
Clinton's administration. I had been appointed by the president to join the
Reinventing Government Initiative led by Vice President Al Gore. I served as
the Director of the Federal Quality Institute. FQI was a key resource to help
"Create a Government That Works Better and Costs Less". This was
a daunting task to say the least. I had to uproot my daughter again and move to
a new city. I had left the company I loved and took a tremendous pay cut to go
serve my country. Collaborating with Federal bureaucrats, we worked tirelessly,
14 to 16 hours a day helping to transform one of the largest, most complex,
convoluted, highly regulated systems in the world. I was exhausted and felt the
clouds of regret and cynicism drifting into my psyche - and then I received a
reprieve!
In January of 1994
with two days notice, I was invited to join Warren Christopher, the Secretary
of State and his wife, Marie as a part of the U.S. delegation representing
President Clinton at the funeral of Johan Jørgen Holst, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Norway. Traveling on Air Force II, I found myself lifted into a
higher cause with a vastly broader view. Secretary Christopher shared stories
of how Jørgen Holst played a vital role in brokering the historic Middle East
peace accord. Although I had been to Oslo many times on business and pleasure,
I had no Idea the significance Norway had played in brokering the
Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
At Minister Holst's
funeral the Norwegians created the space and energy that gave me hope that
humankind could live in peace. At the reception following the magnificent
funeral, I witnessed archenemies hugging, talking, sharing hopes and dreams.
Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres were smiling and sharing stories. There was very little
pretense in that room. Most of the people I talked with at that reception were
inspired by Minister Jørgen Holst's commitment to peace and Nelson's Mandela's
spirit of "Ubuntu" - a South African word that recognizes "that
we are all bound together in the oneness of humanity". For a brief
moment in time, I was given a glimpse of the impossible, becoming possible -
that together we can change the world.
My third "Mandela
Moment" happened later that year, in October 1994 when President Clinton
hosted President Mandela at the White House. I was honored and thrilled to
attend President Mandela's welcoming reception. To be in the presence of a man
I so revered and respected was a tremendous gift. Mandela was a Godsend! He
beamed love and everyone felt it. Through his example he reminded us of our
mission to bring love, justice and peace to anywhere and everywhere we find
ourselves. I found the light again and a deep understanding of my higher
purpose.
My Fourth
"Mandela Moment" was in 1996, two years after Mandela had become
President of South Africa. I was asked to facilitate a visioning session with
the senior leadership team of Motorola's Radio Product's Group. They were holding
their meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. I was ecstatic! I was given this
phenomenal opportunity to personally witness one of the greatest
transformations in human history. I was not disappointed. I traveled through
the city observing the people and was amazed at the integration. In the
shopping malls, restaurants and on the streets, I saw Black, White, and Colored
South Africans socializing together. (I believe the ultimate test for authentic
integration is the degree to which diverse people socialize together). I talked
to businessmen, waiters, and teenagers at the mall, anyone who would talk to
me. Everyone I asked was thrilled to share their perspective on the new South
Africa. There was a sense of community and euphoria that permeated the city and
it was palpable. One day I got into a cab to explore the city and the cab
driver immediately identified me as African American. He proudly advised me to
go home, get my daughter and come to the land where we can be free. I was
stunned. The people of Cape Town felt a deep ownership for their miraculous
transformation.
My fifth "Mandela
Moment" happened several years after my visit to Cape Town, Frances
Hesselbein, CEO of the Frances Hesselbein Institute (formally the Peter Drucker
Foundation for Non Profit Management) invited me to a lunch with Professor
Russel Botman, the first Black Rector and the Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch
University. Stellenbosch University was the Afrikaner community's most
prestigious university. It was once known as the "intellectual
engine" of apartheid. Here I was having lunch with a Black man who held
one of the top leadership positions in what was historically known as the
Afrikaners preeminent University.
In 1996 Stellenbosch
University honored President Mandela with an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy
degree. At the ceremony they acknowledged that Mandela was "a living
symbol of empowerment through learning, of peace and reconciliation through
negotiation, and of respect for those values which make a just and human
society possible."
The South African
transformation, though not perfect, is non the less miraculous.
When I think of my
"Mandela Moments" I know there is a divine spirit that unites us,
some call it God, some call it a field of energy, but whatever we choose to
call it -- it exists. My "Mandel Moments" were neither accidents nor
coincidences. This was the height of synchronicity at work, reinforcing my
belief that we can change the world.
Mandela, the
quintessential DreamMaker so eloquently said "It always seems impossible
until it's done"
This holiday season my
wish to all people is that we embrace the spirit of "Ubuntu"
and understand that we are all inextricably bonded by our common humanity. The
moment we understand this reality is the moment we will began to flourish.
May all your beautiful hopes
and dreams come true in 2014!
Michele
www.dreammakers.org
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