Leadership Lessons From Emperor Shaka Zulu

Shaka Zulu created the Zulu Nation and began a movement that would impact the continent of Africa. A book was released in South Africa in 2000 and draws principles for leadership from the life of Shaka Zulu (The Leadership Lessons from Emperor Shaka Zulu the Great by Phinda Mzwakhe Madi published by Knowledge Resources in 2000). Shaka Zulu has been acknowledged for creating and consolidating the amaZulu as one of the most powerful nations on the African continent. He was a child born out of wedlock to Princess Nandi of the Elangeni clan in 1787. His father was a Zulu Chief, Senzangakhona. At his birth the Zulu clan numbered no more than two thousand people. Shaka was conscripted to Dingiswayo’s army at the age of 23 where he distinguished himself with acts of bravery.  When Shaka’s father died, Dingiswayo helped Shaka to become a Chief in the Zulu clan. Dingiswayo helped to redirect Shaka’s anger and hatred by guiding him to gain a vision for uniting all the African tribes in the southern half of the continent under a single empire. He went on to hand the British army their first and only humiliating defeat. He experienced depression when his mother died and he became incoherent and unpredictable. His half-brothers assassinated him at the age of 42 and as he lay dying he predicted that their actions would literally hand the land over to White conquerors. His predictions became true within a decade. What are some of the lessons for leadership that we can draw from his life?

1. Have a Sense of Mission

Shaka was born into scandal – born out of wedlock and thrown out of the kraal with his young sister he became an object of scorn throughout his childhood. He was often beaten and humiliated – but his mother never gave up on her dream to see her son become the king of the Zulu clan. Shaka grew up knowing that somehow he would become king and was driven with the desire to overcome his situation and regain his rightful place in society. Shaka would spend hours alone, gazing into the distance with glazed eyes, thinking – which earned him the nickname: “the Zulu with Eyes Stuck in the Heavens”.  Shaka knew deep down that unless he fulfilled his mission, his life would have been wasted. When Cetshwayo’s army defeated the British army at Sandlwana fifty years after Shaka’s death, it was Shaka’s army – he had built a permanent monument.

2. Be Apprenticed to Others

Dingiswayo sharpened Shaka into a great leader. He was the son of a Chief who was so ambitious to lead that he plotted to accelerate his father’s death. When his father heard of his plotting he drove him into exile and Dingiswayo travelled to the Cape where he met up with the swallows (the White settlers were called Settlers because like swallows they were thought to have landed from the sky), befriended them and studied their ways.  He mastered their language, learned to ride a horse and use their guns. He liked what he heard about their king, King George IV, but he was concerned that he was setting his sights on the black tribes to conquer them. He believed that the only way they would protect themselves was to be as powerful as they were – and this meant that the black tribes had to be united under one king who would be powerful enough to negotiate coexistence with King George. When his father died he returned from exile and took over as the new chief and immediately stated to extend his kingdom and incorporate other tribes into his own. He became known as a might conqueror – but one who hated bloodshed. When word spread that all people were welcome in his kingdom, Shaka and his mother found refuge in his growing empire. Shaka was conscripted into Dingiswayo’s experimental Bushmen regiment. It was here that Shaka distinguished himself with acts of bravery and dedication and caught the eye of Dingiswayo. When Dingiswayo discovered that Shaka was the son of a Zulu chief, he took him under his wing. Shaka was eager to learn all he could from the great Dingiswayo. Under Dingiswayo’s tutoring Shaka learnt to channel his anger-driven ambition to greater goals than personal revenge. Dingiswayo made Shaka realise that the most important thing to accomplish, for the growth and development of their people, was to unite them all under one Great Chief who would be strong enough to withstand any invasion. Dingiswayo taught Shaka all about the swallows that he encountered in the Cape and warned him that in time they would find their way to Natal. He warned Shaka that they would come with “sticks that belch fire and kill a man”. This was all new for Shaka – all his life he had wanted to restore pride by delivering revenge on those who had driven him and his mother out of Zululand. But now there was something bigger than his narrow ambitions – the delivery of the black tribes from impending slavery. Dingiswayo warned Shaka, “You don’t want the children of Zulu to become slaves, swallows herd some of our people to great logs of wood floating deep into the sea, never to be seen again. We must stop that, we must stop that!” While Shake took on this deeper mission, he also began to have new ambitions, and to challenge some of Dingiswayo’s views. He believed that some of Dingiswayo’s methods would not realistic enough – in the end, his vision began to exceed that of Dingiswayo.

3. Innovate for Effectiveness

The Zulu’s were a conservative people who observed their customs and traditions closely and were reluctant to go against the teachings of the clans founders. But Shaka challenged virtually every convention that was held sacred.  He once appointed a woman to be charge of one of his regiments composed of men. Shaka felt that some of Dingiswayo’s methods were too lenient and soft. He believed that many and incessant battles with neighbouring tribes were a waste of precious time and resources. Shaka believed that to achieve their dream they needed to fight few but decisive battles. This would send a message to other tribes that they should not mess with them. When Dingiswayo appointed Shaka as leader of the Bushmen regiment, the first order Shaka gave the regiment was to take off their sandals and never wear them again. He believed speed was critical in defeating the enemy and that sandals slowed them down. He then sprinkled thorns on the group and proceeded to dance barefoot on thorns. The soldiers joined in. Shaka also challenged the wisdom of warriors throwing spears at each other – so he had each soldier carry a single spear – a short spear that was used in close combat.  Such a spear had never been seen in the land before. He even used a special kind of wood for the shaft that was not found in the area. He also created a shield that was as tall as a soldier to be used with the short spear. He also came up with a new strategy where groups of soldiers were used to surprise and circle the enemy. Shaka would never be stopped by customs from doing something he thought would help him accomplish Dingiswayo’s Grand Vision. He was not afraid to change old traditions if it served his purpose.

4. Lead from the Front

Shaka led his people from the front. When he asked his warriors to discard their sandals and stomp on the thorns, he was the first one to do that. In the first battle that the small Zulu clan engaged in, against Zwide who had just captured and killed Shaka’s mentor, Dingiswayo, Shaka led and ordered his troops from the group while Zwide watched the battle from a vantage point at Qokli Hill. Because of this, Shaka was able to defeat an army with far superior numbers. During times of peace, Shaka would wake up before dawn and take the warriors out to train. He ran with them as they were being drilled. No one could say, “Shaka is enjoying his beer and women while were are out here sweating for him.” He was out there sweating with them, eating the same food they were eating and personally teaching them his methods.  In this way, he gained their respect and love.

5. Build a Dedicated Team

Shaka knew that if you want to be a great leader, you cannot do it alone. You have to surround yourself with people who believe in your dream. While Shaka was earning the admiration of Dingiswayo, he began to build a core of loyal friends, men like Mgobozi, Mdlaka and Nzobo. In these men, he found a great team that was willing to die with him battle.  Each time Shaka returned from a battle, Dingiswayo would shower him with accolades and give him a dozen heads of cattle – but Shaka would first distribute these to his men – only taking one cow from each dozen for himself. When Shaka took over as leader of the Zulu clan he started a new tradition where warriors sat around a fire after sunset discussing battle. He asked each warrior to recount momentous situations in battle and to give themselves praises for what they had done. Other warriors added their praises – all done in singing and dancing. This was Shaka’s way of making the team feel good about themselves; ensuring that they believed that they were part of a great moment in history and even more ready to die in battle.

6. Work According to a Strategy

Successes on the battlefield alone do not make a legend that people will talk about for all ages. Even though Shaka distinguished himself on the battlefield, he built a great nation from a small tribe. You don’t build a nation with luck or with skill with a spear. You build it out of your vision, out of your ability to see the whole forest and not just the trees in front of you. Shaka knew that the only way to build the Zulu nation was to end the little skirmishes and to unite the different little clans under one strong rule. Shake protected and fed all the clans that came to pledge allegiance to him. Even the Whites went to Shaka for protection and hospitality. By the time the White man came to them, the Zulus were ready for them. Shake did this by always being on the look out for new tools. He appointed people to start making their own guns – which they copied from the White men. He also was powerful enough to enter into a partnership with the White men in which they learnt each other’s ways. Shaka had a plan that he was working towards – every battle he fought was for a bigger purpose. He knew what the bigger plan was. When he faced obstacles, he knew why he needed to overcome them – because of his plan.

7. Be Strong and Courageous

Shaka was tormented by bullies during his exile. He realised that the only way to fight his lowly and humiliating status was to win extra-ordinary victories. He knew that claiming lineage to the Zulu throne would not get him anywhere. He realised that his only salvation lay in being noticed and liked by Dingiswayo the Great. The first obstacle on his way to greatness was fear. He had to conquer fear. Soon after he arrived back from exile he heard there was a madman who lived in a cave and terrorised villages.  The madman had a huge axe, and a neck the size of two bulls. He had defeated many warriors who had tried to attack him. No one had been able to get him out of his cave. Shaka saw this as an opportunity to defeat the giant and make a name for himself. He travelled to the village and plotted how to defeat the madman. With a plan developed, Shaka approached the cave at daybreak and started to insult the giant. The giant became so angry that he charged at Shaka – but because Shaka was not wearing sandals he was able to outrun the giant. When the giant ran out of breath, Shaka took his opportunity and plunged his spear into the giant’s heart. When news of the death of the madman spread Shaka became a national hero.

8. Know the Terrain

Shaka would win a battle because he understood the battlefield better than the enemy.  He was the first leader in the land to use spies. In this way, he knew almost everything about his enemies: how people felt about their leader’; the leader’s strengths and weaknesses; the exact number of warriors in each of the enemies regiments; and their battle plans. When the discovered that they were seriously outnumbered, he would retreat his regiment and plan his strategy. Before the battle of Qokli Hill where he defeated Zwide, Shaka and his troupe camped at various sites around the uMfolozi river. He studies the shape of the land; listened to reports on Zwide’s preparations; and asked hard questions of his generals about various battle options depending on the response of the enemy. Not only did they defeat Zwide’s army on the hill, but also were able to deal with troops who tried to escape, as they had placed warriors along escape routes. He placed his swimmers on the river to deal with enemy warriors who tried to escape through the river.

9. Stay Humble

The downfall of Shaka is a story that must be told. Many leaders after doing great work for their people turn against the very same people. After Shaka had built a great nation, he seemed to be bent on destroying it. In just twelve years, Shaka had built a nation. Unfortunately, success went to his head. He began to speak about how he was greater than the whole nation; to refer to himself as the re-incarnation of the great father, Zulu. When his mother died, Shaka was devastated – he wept like a child for days and no one could comfort him. As he wept the nation descended into anarchy. He started to act strangely. He had some of his enemies killed for ridiculous excuses. He started to refer to the people as his dogs to be killed at his pleasure. He believed that his mother was so valuable that she needed to be accompanied to her resting place by thousands. When he began to regain his composure, he was interested in ruling by fear. He insisted that he be referred to as a demi-god, not a mortal who could do wrong. He pushed his warriors into battle after battle and suddenly mutiny became a reality. Everyone likes their praises to be sung; but Shaka did not remember that praise-singers are paid to sing praises. He should have remembered the wise proverb: “You must listen to your praise-singers with one ear, and keep the other ear close to the herd-boys.”

Adapted from a presentation by Mark Tittley