In The Leadership Challenge, written by Kouzes and Posner, the last chapter focuses on the power of everyday leaders "because leadership is not about position or title" (Kouzes and Posner, 2012). Leadership is about building relationships, being credible and doing what you say you will do. A transformational leader has the power to lead others to new places and motivate others to strive to achieve a high level of performance. Transformational leaders must believe they can have a positive impact on others and use their actions to convince others that they too can be leaders. Nelson Mandela died this week at the age of ninety-five and left a legacy as one of the world's most important leaders. modern history. Throughout Nelson Mandela's life, “many of his defining moments involved acts of compromise, pragmatism and reconciliation” (Myre, 2013). Nelson Mandela used several opportunities to reach people who were not his allies. Instead of fighting in a war, he decided to fight in an election to “advance the cause of black political rights” (Myre, 2013). One of the most memorable opportunities was the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. In South Africa rugby was dominated by whites, but "Mandela went to the Johannesburg stadium and wore the green jersey of the national team, the Springboks, before the championship match against New Zealand" (Myre, 2013). was predominantly white, out of 80,000 he began singing "Nel-son". Nelson Mandela served a five-year term in South Africa and voluntarily resigned. This was an extraordinary act because Africa is a place “where many leaders expect to govern all their lives, and often do” (Myre, 2013). Nelson Mandela used the skills of leadership and the virtue of compromise... middle of paper... with my actions. Leadership gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the best of who we are. Leadership constantly presents challenges, and those challenges will define me as a leader and how effective I can be to my colleagues, family, and friends. Works Cited Arbinger Institute. (2010) Leadership and self-deception: breaking the mold. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. McClure, L. F. (2000). Anger and conflict in the workplace. Manassas Park, VI: ImpactPublications.Myre,Greg. (8 December 2013). Nelson Mandela and the virtue of compromise. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/12/08/249562974/nelson-mandela-and-the-virtue-of-compromise.