Martin Luther King: Exploring His Leadership Style and Societal Role

Martin Luther King Jr. was a social activist who played a major role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until the day he was assassinated in 1968. He felt strongly about fighting to achieve equality and human rights especially for the African Americans population in America. He also sought equality to those who are economically poor and all victims of injustice by protesting peacefully (Hitendra Wadhwa, 2016). Due to the historical march in Washington to support the Montgomery Bus Boycott, he insisted the government to amend the laws and thus creating a new version of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. In 1964, King earnt his highest achievement where he was awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize for all his efforts in trying to strive for a better condition for the people. In honor of his works, the country decided to remembered him by giving every year as Martin Luther King Jr. as a U.S federal holiday since 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia and his father was a pastor while his mother used to be a school teacher. King attended segregated public schools and since he was a gifted student he was admitted to Morehouse College at the age of 15 where he studied medicine and law. He never intended to become a pastor following his father footsteps but due to the influence of his college’s president Dr. Benjamin Mays, he was interested in becoming an advocate for racial equality. Despite of his racial background, he managed to won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president for his senior class where the majority of the students are Caucasians. He earned his doctorate in systematic theology in1955 when he enrolled in Boston University. Later on, he and his wife had their wedding in 1953 in Alabama and he became the pastor in the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

He was chosen as a protest leader and official spokesman for a rally that boycotts Montgomery busses. This incident sparks the interest of the American since Rosa Parks an African American woman, who was the secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had refused to give her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus and later was arrested. The boycott had continued for 381 days which causes a severe economic strain on the public transportation system and business owners. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the predominant leader in the Civil Rights Movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in America during the 1950s and 1960s and a leading spokesperson for nonviolent methods of achieving social change. His eloquence as a speaker and his personal charisma, combined with a deeply rooted determination to establish equality among all races despite personal risk won him a world-wide following (Benjamin R., 2012). He was arrested over 20 times and his home was bombed. Ultimately, he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of a motel where he was staying in Memphis.
CHARACTERISTICS The ability to lead others is not a skill that everyone naturally possesses, however people have the ability to have a positive effect on others and within their organization. Leadership refers to how an individual managed to influence others to share and carry a common vision (Northouse, 2016). Leadership style is not conform on one specific approach since leaders are individuals who comes from different walks of life, with abundant of experience and insight that influence their decision making process. Usually there is one person within a group that is willing to take charge and lead. Being a good or bad leader is something that is subjective since it relies on people’s perception but most importantly is a leader need to strive to be the best for his followers. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was famous for being persistent in using peaceful measures in his efforts to achieve equality (Hybels B., 2002). His actions were influenced by the beliefs that were portrayed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or famously know as Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was known throughout the world for using nonviolent civil disobedience to strive for changes in India. King’s adoration towards Gandhi’s beliefs in fighting violence with peace were further strengthen by Gandhi’s previous success in winning the concessions for Indian immigrants living in South Africa’s apartheid system. It was believed that both King and Gandhi had gone through similar experiences in achieving their cause as both of them had been repeatedly arrested and ultimately were assassinated by a fanatic. Even though, Martin Luther King was being opposed and confronted by using violence from those who was afraid of the changes that he brings, he never once opted to react violently. Even if he and his supporters were beaten, sprayed with high-pressure water hoses, tear-gassed, and attacked by police dogs and there were also serious incidents that took the lives of his supporters both black and white, the movement still stay strong. Since King was adamant in not resorting to violence, this eventually managed to attract more supporters especially those who are not actually African American to join his movement.

This can be seen during the march in Washington, D.C where King was the most prominent leader in the drive to register black voters in Atlanta which drew a quarter-million participants. His peaceful beliefs also extended when Vietnam War escalated, King spoke out against America’s involvement in the conflict. His anti-war position was an outgrowth of his belief in nonviolence. He was smart to learn and apply the same peaceful approach that Mahatma Gandhi had used in his efforts in India which was a success (Hackman M, Z. & Johnson C, E, 2004). He saw that was the only way for and oppressed people to gain freedom through Gandhi’s vision of non-violence. His message had successfully moved beyond African Americans and was drawing supporters from all segments of society, many of them appalled by the violence they saw being conducted against peaceful protestors night after night on television news. He received many criticism from the members of the Civil Movements who thought he was moving too slow which reflect that he was weak and needed to take more aggressive action to get his message across. As a leader in any given situation, being intelligent is crucial within an organization since the leader is expected to know and understand a lot of things. The subordinates or followers look up and seek the leader if they faced difficulties in continuing their work. Leaders should always remember that continuous learning process is crucial in order for them to maintain and enhance their intellectual capabilities. It is important to educate oneself either formally or informally, so that he or she can educate the supporters. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was acknowledged by all as a successful leader of the African American civil rights Movement in the United States since he was able to lead African Americans in a nonviolent way to the advancement of civil rights. He was able to strategically plan on where to hold protests and rallies and rather than shy away from the risk, he focused these rallies in areas of greatest agitation and where the suffering of the African American was more apparent.

Dr. King was an educated individual, receiving his Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University. Therefore, since he is aware of his abilities, he uses it to his advantage. Having strong verbal ability, perceptual ability, and reasoning appears to make one a better leader. King had used his intellect and academic skills to compose incredible speech, which was apparent in his “I Have a Dream” speech which was delivered during the march on Washington where he called for an end to racism (Bbc News Website, 2003). Over 40 years later the powerful speech lives on and his speech managed to inspire many. He also had once wrote an article and had used references to Greek philosophers in his message which portrays how vast his knowledge. Possessing self-confidence is also a major trait for a leader to possess. Self-confidence here refers to how a person believe in his own self, where he knows that he can create something phenomenal with his skills and capabilities. The process of gaining other people trust him will be easier without any difficulties since the leader will have no problem in portraying how confidence he feels about his ability to lead (Adam Toren, 2016). Someone who is unsure about himself will absolutely fail to motivate others to follows and adhere to his guidance as it allows the followers to feel doubtful on the leader’s skills and knowledge. As a leader, they must be confident in themselves to make the right decisions at the right time. Dr. King’s confidence and poise drew followers. He was confident in his abilities to lead the African American community to one day be treated equal. If Dr. King lacked self-confidence he would not have been able to change the lives of the African American people. Dr. King did not let any negativity against him stop him from achieving greatness. In order to successfully inspire and motivate others to follow and apply whatever the leader is preaching about, he needs to first believe it in him. Whatever the vision that the leader has for the future, he has to be confident in order to inspire others. Dr. king had an unwavering view of the future as he called for equality amongst all humans, and he believe and held this vision since an early age and never once gave up on his desire to achieve it. Since people truly believe that King was confident in himself that he could create the change that they desired, millions of people quickly supported his vision. This vision was clearly seen in his “I Have a Dream” speech where he outlined his desire to live in a world where his children would not be judged by the color of their skin but rather on the quality of their characters. Lastly, the level of determination will reflect how good a leader.

Determination is the desire to get the job done (Northouse, 2016). Dr. King was determined to fulfill his dream of one day seeing the African American community to be given the same freedom as other American and also be view as equal. Others are willing to follow his every footstep since they are inspired with his drive and passion, even when times were rough and he was put into prison, he still did not give up. He continued his nonviolent journey to have a better future for the African American people and he constantly put himself in dangerous situations for his people and he gave his all. His movement still stands strong despite the entire backlash that they receive because they are greatly influence by his perseverance. In the end, he paid the ultimate sacrifice as he fought for freedom as he was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite the turmoil that he faced, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His achievement and contributions have been honored with a national holiday, schools and public buildings named after him, and a memorial on Independence Mall in Washington DC. It will be impossible for Dr. King to have his achievements if he does not have a strong mindset. Over the eleven years of his involvement in the Civil Right Movement, Dr. King has traveled over six million miles and spoke at over twenty-five hundred occasions. While he was travelling across the United Stated, he also had written five books and many articles to reach out to a wider audience in order to share his messages. This shows how determine he is in pursuing and achieving his goals so that he is able to ensure that American especially African American are able to grasp and support his movement. Since he was determined in his efforts to achieve equality, he was able to establish the trust of the people and through this trust; the people would follow him even when they are unsure of his direction. This sense of trustworthiness was a result of his strong determination as the people feel that he really believe in what he is going for and he truly does do it for the sake of the people.

Leadership Style

Martin Luther King JR’s traits made him not only a great leader but also a transformational one. He had the ability to provide inspirational motivation to his followers, for example in his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King JR appeals to his followers using symbols and emotional appeals to focus group members’ efforts to achieve more than they would in their own self-interest Gardner, H. & Laskin E., 1996). “People who exhibit transformational leadership often have a strong set of internal values and ideals, and they are effective at motivating followers. He challenged the existing state of segregation and injustice, suggesting a new pathway to democracy and racial justice (Rhondajaipul, 2013). He forced the nation to see through his eyed the struggles of the everyday African American man and woman and asked them to come together to fight for the same cause. He was also a charismatic speaker who not only inspired his followers by being a great orator but a great role model as well. Robert House (1977) stated that charismatic leaders are those who affect their followers to an unusually high degree. This means that their followers will perceive the leader’s belief as correct and accept him without questions. His speeches were exceptional and many people viewed him as someone who is able to inspire others. As stated by Divine Agodzo (2015), throughout his fight for racial justice he refused to stoop down and fough violence with violence against his oppressors. He believes in getting your point across and gets what you wanted by portraying high moral and ethical standards of conduct to achieve it, and he definitely led his followers with strong sense of ethical values. His followers deeply respected and trusted him to do the right thing which allowed him to provide a vision and a sense of mission for them to work towards peacefully (Northouse, 2016). He was a man who displayed many leadership theories in his style and I believe one of the most relevant is Servant Leadership.

According to Northouse (2016) Servant Leadership is where the leader naturally have the instinct of wanting to serve others first, meaning that he will put other people’s as a priority first before himself. When the leader understands this, it will influence on how he make conscious decision in leading his followers. A servant makes sure that the feelings of others are considered first, which is exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. had done. There are ten main characteristics of a Servant Leader and they include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship and committing to the growth of people (Northouse, 2016). He displayed and actively embodied each of these traits, day after day to their full ability. He was a man who wants to initiate change and sought it out, for the betterment of the people he protects. He made a difference across the United States and in the immediate lives of many. He educated many individuals who share the same purpose but unable to seek it since they lack the understanding on what can they do to make a difference. Dr. King had no issues with seeking and implementing change as it was something that he truly believed in. He listened to what others had to say and he genuinely felt empathy toward what many individuals were going through. With this, he was persistent in his efforts to heal the pain that many people felt and he understood and wanted to make everyone aware of his beliefs and why they were the best to believe in. The most important thing to remember is that Dr. King knew that his journey would be a difficult one yet stood by it until the very end. He wanted people to remember him for the differences he fought for and the justice he wanted and not recognized and remembered for the awards he was honored with. He cared more about the cause he was fighting for and the individuals who were affected by it, than for any reward who could have ever earned. For these reasons alone, I believe he is the perfect example of a more modern day Servant Leader. Dr. King proved to be a very strong leader on many levels. He was a man of his word, cared more about others than himself and wouldn’t stop until he made a difference.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood the value of trust and building relationship with the community and this is a key goal for many leaders regardless who they lead, since in order to build positive culture a leader need to build trust with everyone. Dr. King strongly holds in the value if you are unhappy with something and wants it to change; the change should come first from within yourself. Meaning that a person have to take action if he or she wants to make a difference. Dr. King was a strong and confident man who managed to empowered a generation and he is a kind of leader who make things happen. This can be done if the leader has the ability to act quickly and wisely and these skills come from having the experiences and intellectual capabilities. Most importantly, every leader needs a clear vision in what they want to pursue. In the case of Martin Luther King, his vision was not only clear but it was a vision that was shared by many members of the society which he embodied passionately in everything that he does. Therefore all leaders who want to create change or institute a vision, they need to be passionate about the idea and model the vision for everyone else. Not everyone has the natural ability in leading others but it does not stop them from making a positive change within their organization. One can possess different leadership traits that will help them to be effective leaders within their organization. Dr. King was the one person within his group of African Americans to take charge. He excelled in every aspect to lead his people to being treated as equal. The leadership traits that he possessed allowed him to fulfill his dream. Dr. King showed that he was the best leader that he could be. Even though he is no longer alive, his legacy lives on.