184 REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP
housed the great king, who rolled the dice of life and death. What more
exciting game could there be?
With all these enticements, the royal kraal attracted a large number
of people in search of power, honor, fame, glory, and wealth. People of
rank did not have to till the land or take care of cattle; on the contrary,
they were taken care of at state expense. They were often shown enor-
mous generosity by the same regal hand that meted out death. Shaka
shared with his favorites of the moment the bounty that came to him
through raids and the cattle that were seized at the executions of the less
fortunate.
Furthermore, Shaka was leading his people on a glorious adventure.
There was terror, yes — but the tedious herding of cattle or cultivating
land were no longer the on ly options. Freeing them from pett y concer ns,
Shaka gave his men exciting roles in a great historical drama; he led
them into battle and brought them out again victorious. Dangerous as
war is, it appeals to basic human motivational needs. Being part of a
regimental structure gave the struggling Zulu people a sense of purpose
and meaning, a reason for living. Fighting for an imagined just cause,
they rose above the trivia of daily existence. They experienced comrade-
ship and sexual adventure, and they felt alive. Marching against an
enemy created a sense of righteousness and dispelled any sense of aliena-
tion that individual warriors may have felt. The young men felt good
knowing that they were on the side of the angels, that they were superior
to the enemy, with its deceitful, treacherous behavior.
Wa r a l so prov ided Sha ka ’ s warriors with an ideal outlet for their
aggression; the ultimate defi nition of manhood, it tested their mettle.
Flexing their muscles both literally and fi guratively gave them a collec-
tive (and addictive) euphoria. Allowed to engage in the most violent acts
without consequences, they explored their capacity for evil — a capacity
that lies barely submerged in all of us. They experienced a godlike power
over life and death and found it extremely seductive. They could spare
lives or take them, with honor rather than guilt.
Furthermore, Shaka ’ s men were granted sexual liberty. Like many
conquering armies throughout history, they were given permission to
rape. Relatively chaste at the kraal, they were allowed to have full sexual
intercourse after battle, to ward off any negative effects associated with
killing. Participating in rape and massacre created feelings of group soli-
darity among the men; they shared a collective complicity that negated
alienation and contributed to nation - building.
Shaka ’ s men had been trained for killing from youth. Although
Shaka set the process of leadership by terror in motion, he had willing
followers in his warriors, who had been schooled in war during their