The Leadership Qualities and Success of Thulani Madondo

Thulani Madondo is a leader and youth activist in Kliptown, South Africa, where he co-founded the Kliptown Youth Program (KYP). The program provides academic support, after-school programs, and food for 400 children living in Kliptown (Toner), a disadvantaged, depressed, and often dangerous area that is located near the capital, Johannesburg. In order for Thulani Madondo’s program and vision to succeed, he had to be a tireless, resourceful, and regenerative leader who inspired a community to help itself.

Thulani Madondo is a leader because he is both in a position of leadership as the Executive Director of the KYP program and because his actions on behalf of KYP have led others to help the organization grow and thrive in the midst of such poverty. Madondo himself grew up in Kliptown, living in a one-room apartment that he shared in his family of seven siblings (den Hartigh). He supplemented money for his education through various labor-intensive jobs and was the first of his family to graduate high school (den Hartigh). His belief that making an investment in education is the key to a better life is reflected in the work he does for KYP. At the age of 30, Madondo won the 2012 CNN Hero of the Year Award, bringing in extra money and resources for his organization, as well as new publicity and exposure to the work he and his staff are doing for the 400 youth who participate and are affected by KYP.

The impact and effect that Thulani Madondo has are evident in the kids whom he works with. In the video piece accompanying the news story by Kathleen Toner, a teacher at a local school remarks on how involved, disciplined, focused, and confident the kids from KYP are in the general classroom. Madondo’s organization has also made it possible for more than a dozen students to participate in a college education or learning experience, giving some of the program recipients more educational opportunities than Madondo himself received. Thus his impact is felt in the community of Kliptown where kids have a place to go that is safe, provides basic nutrition, and helps them develop their academic skills and literacy, thus promoting an education focus that impacts lives and minds. Madondo stands for education opportunities. As he says in his news story, “I realized education was the key” (Toner). The stated goal of KYP is stated as follows:

“KYP believes that if we identify and nurture talent amongst us, and inculcate the culture of education, we can create positive opportunities for ourselves. In doing so, we are creating a solution to poverty; one by which we can stand up and show the world that we are a force to be reckoned with. On a continent often wrought with victimhood and a handout mentality, KYP teaches its children that they deserve that which they create. Together we can empower the youth, foster the cycle of giving back, and help lift Kliptown out of poverty.” (“Why Kliptown Needs KYP”). That type of mission statement explains the desire Madondo and his organization have to make an impact and vision for their future accomplishments and passions.

Understanding the lofty nature of Madondo’s goals helps identify and pinpoint the types of traits he has possession of as a leader. Using some of the accepted language of describing leaders, Madondo can be described as possessing the following traits: energy, passion, knowledge, intelligence, optimism, enthusiasm, charisma, self-confidence, sociability, ability to enlist cooperation, drive, responsibility, and tenacity (Daft). This is a long list of traits, but they can be grouped and unpacked for easier understanding and digestion.

In interviews, Madondo’s personal characteristics of energy and passion are prevalent, as well as in the proof of his endeavors. Starting an enterprise, especially a non-profit such as KYP, requires a lot of energy to do all the work that needs to be done and passion to stay excited, focused, and driven. Though Madondo lacks formal education, he still has a high cognitive ability, good judgment, and knowledge in the form of the lived experience of his upbringing. He has the knowledge of poverty and the ability to empathize, understand, and facilitate solutions to the problems his kids and staff face because he has lived that experience.

Modano's personality includes elements of optimism, enthusiasm, and self-confidence. Anyone involved in a startup that is facing adverse conditions—such as KYP battling the violence, apathy, and poverty in its neighborhood—must have optimism to see a larger goal and be able to convince others to share his or her vision. That shared vision comes from enthusiasm and self-confidence. Enthusiasm as an attitude is a source of fuel for people, especially when it’s viewed in others. The belief that someone has that something is possible to the point that its success or accomplishment brings exuberance and joy is how enthusiasm can affect people around a leader. Self-confidence is also reassuring and inspiring when it is found in leaders. If someone believes that an idea is good or that he or she has the skills or energy to accomplish something, it gives others the same feelings. Each one of these traits is important, but they all work best in synergy to create a dynamic leader such as Thulani Madondo.

Being involved in something that is both a social program and a labor-intensive program that desires to be sustainable and employ a staff requires leaders to have a combination of social and work-related characteristics he or she can draw upon to lead, motivate, and develop staff. Madondo’s sociability (as the face of the company, always with a gregarious smile) and his ability to enlist cooperation through volunteer support and donations. Charitable giving requires tenacity and drive—though people often want to help in theory, it requires a good deal more effort to enlist that help in reality. Madondo must have the charm of a politician and the tenacity of someone who is fighting for what he believes is the most important thing in the world. It is also interesting to note that Madondo was missing two key traits that are often ascribed to successful leaders: education and mobility. However, these were gifts he knew were precious, which is why they are themes found in the mission statement of KYP and in the speeches and interviews Madondo has given. Realistically, the likelihood of all of Madondo’s and KYP’s students will not improve their lives in substantive ways to break their cycles of poverty or uplift them from the dangers and pitfalls of their community. Even the best and highly funded programs cannot do this. However, Madondo’s vision was to give as many kids as possible access to some opportunity or the means to create an opportunity for themselves.

Though there is not a lot of evidence for the type of leadership styles Madondo practices, it is possible to surmise what a likely are, based on the nature of his work and the organization. Madondo is likely going to be a people-oriented leader. Some of this is evident from looking at the staff homepage for the KYP organization. Many members of staff are former students, and the biographies include a list of duties, but are flavored with things such as “Thando [the deputy director of KYP] is also one of the main gumboots dancer” (“KYP Leaders”). The bio for Thulani is impressive and official, but the picture is of a man with soft eyes and a wide smile, dressed casually and friendly. This does not mean that based on his appearance Madondo must be a people-oriented leader, but it seems as if he presents himself and his organization’s culture as people-oriented. After all, his mission is to help people, so they are his “tasks” as well. Of course, no leader could only be people-oriented, and it is evident that KYP does not have a “country club atmosphere,” so Madondo must have some elements in his leadership style that helps him focus on the tasks. Exactly where he falls on the matrix of task versus people is unknown, but given his charisma, it is probably safe to assume that the people-oriented portion of his leadership style is quite high.

Again, there is little evidence of how Madondo performs his role as the Executive Director of KYP, but it is possible to apply some different leadership theories and explanations in regard to his emotional intelligence and ability, as expressed in interviews and in the coverage CNN provided. Though Madondo’s formal education is not as developed as many leaders, especially in the western world, there is evidence his emotional intelligence is high. In particular, Madondo’s story shows his self-awareness and social awareness are keen, and he has the ability to make connections between the two. Given the amount of success he has earned in a relatively short time with limited circumstances, he must have enough self-management to not only get people to trust him with resources and responsibilities but to continue to build on those things as KYP developed. Given Madondo’s role and life story, the Meyer-Briggs Type Indicator types of “healer,” teacher,” and “counselor” all seem to fit what Madondo does and how he is described, and they would indicate a value-driven leader (Daft 122).

Madondo seems to lead by example and based on the staff bios and architecture of the program, he likely practices a form of moral leadership. The work he does is based on values and social good, and the staff he has brought together is comprised of former students and young men and women who credit some form of education as a means of helping them reach their current status (“KYP Leaders”).

Thulani Madondo is a well-deserved recipient of a leadership award because his leadership style is based on values, including the value of people. He appears to be a leader who leads by example and who has a number of leadership traits one would need to do well with an organization like the Kliptown Youth Program.

Works Cited

Daft, Richard L. The Leadership Experience, 5th edition. New York: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

Den Hartigh, Wilma. “Thulani Madondo: A South African Hero.” SouthAfrica.info. 8 October 2012. Web. 1 October 2013.

“KYP Leaders.” Klipton Youth Program. N.d. Web. 1 October 2013.

Toner, Kathleen. “Helping ‘Kliptown’ Kids Take Control of Their Future.” CNN. Turner Media. 12 July 2013. Web. 1 October 2013.

“Why Kliptown Needs KYP.” Kliptown Youth Program. N.d. Web. 1 October 2013.