Invictus (2009) - Leadership and Inspiration

What an honor.

I am so excited. Thank you
for coming all this way to see me.

Yes, Sir. Thank you for inviting me.
Mr. President.

Do, tell me, Francois,
how is your ankle?

- My ankle?
- I was told it was hurt. Has it healed?

The truth is, Sir, you never really play
at 100 percent. No matter what.

Yes. In sports as in life, eh?

- Yes. Sir.
- Please, sit.

Take this one.
Looking into the light hurts my eyes.

Mrs. Brits,
you are a shining light in my day.

Yes, Sir.

Mrs. Brits, this is Francois Pienaar,
captain of the Springboks.

Shall I pour, Sir?

No, no. I would prefer to do it myself.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Brits.

How do you like your tea, Francois?

Just milk, please.

The English have given us many things...

...including rugby.

But afternoon tea,
that is the greatest.

There we are.

Thank you, Sir.

You have a very difficult job.

I do?

I have a trading business.

Captain of the Springboks.

A very difficult job.

Well, not compared to yours,
Mr. President.

Well, no one is trying to tear my head off
while I'm doing mine.

Yes, Sir.

Tell me, Francois...

...what is your philosophy on leadership?

How do you inspire your team
to do their best?

By example. I've always thought
to lead by example, Sir.

Well, that is right.
That is exactly right.

But how to get them to be better
than they think they can be?

That is very difficult, I find.

Inspiration, perhaps.

How do we inspire ourselves to greatness,
when nothing less will do?

How do we inspire everyone around us?

I sometimes think it is
by using the work of others.

On Robben Island...

...when things got very bad...

...I found inspiration in a poem.

-A poem?
-A Victorian poem.

Just words.

But they helped me to stand
when all I wanted to do was to lie down.

But you didn't come all this way
to hear an old man talk...

...about things that make no sense.

No, no, please, Mr. President.
It makes complete sense to me.

On the day of a big match, say, a test...

...in the bus on the way to the stadium.
Nobody talks.

- Yes. They're all preparing.
- Right.

But when I think we're ready,
I have the bus driver put on a song.

Something I've chosen. One we all know.

And we listen to the words together.

And it helps.

I remember when I was invited to
the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Everybody in the stadium
greeted me with a song.

At the time, the future...

...our future, seemed very bleak.

But to hear that song in the voices
of people from all over our planet...

...made me proud to be South African.

It inspired me to come home
and do better.

It allowed me to expect more of myself.

May I ask, what was the song, Sir?

Well, it was "Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika".

A very inspiring song.

We need inspiration, Francois.

Because in order to build our nation...

...we must all exceed
our own expectations.