The Effective Leadership Style of Martin Luther King Jr.

631 Words2 Pages

Our world is filled with many successful leaders. The gift of being a leader can be learned; however some individuals have a natural born talent to be a leader. Each leader has his or her own unique leadership style. The gift of being a leader can be learned. Certain individuals are born with a charismatic style and can easily be a leader. A successful leader is one who can inspire and motivate people towards a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual with a born gift to lead people. The following paper will discuss how Martin Luther King Jr. was able to inspire and motivate people with his effective leadership style.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership style

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) is most known for his efforts for the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership style is best described as charismatic. Charismatic leadership style is one based on personal qualities such as charm, persuasiveness, personal power, self-confidence, extraordinary ideas, and strong convictions ( Decker & Sullivan, 2009). MLK was one who could inspire, empower, an...

Show More
Related

  • The Effectiveness of Martin Luther King Jr, as Opposed to Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois and Malcom X

    2037 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Influence of One Man After slavery was abolished, African Americans worked to integrate into mainstream American society. During the twentieth century, many African American civil rights leaders led the African American civil rights movement. All of them had different ideas and approaches to further improve the status of the African American individual in an attempt to gain civil equality. The pioneer civil rights leaders of the twentieth century were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois. Their respected ideas were known to have contradicted each other.

    Read More

  • Exodus And Exodus Similarities

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr was an African American activist, American Baptist minister, and he led the African-American Civil Rights Movement from the mid-1950 until his death by assassination in 1968. He is kind of a Moses-type figure because he talked about seeing the promise land like Moses did, and King leads his people or the African American people to the so called, “promise land,” just like the acts of Moses in the “Book of Exodus” on how he lead his people the Hebrew/Israelites to the promise land away from the bondage of slavery from the Egyptians. An example, of a Moses-type figure is he too, led the African American people to successfully end the legal segregation of African American’s in the South, and other parts of the

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr Allusion

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was an excellent speaker and activist during the civil rights movement throughout 1954-1968. The civil rights movement was a time of racial injustice and unfair treatment towards people of different races. During that time many African Americans boycotted and protested against the unfair treatment in America at that point in time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of these people who protested to create a difference in the community. The goal of these marches and protests that he led were to change the feelings of the government and the people’s feelings about racial injustice. However, Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 because he stood up for what was right. He was though able to do many

    Read More

  • We Didn T Start The Fire By Martin Luther King

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    had become a leader, and he had found his group of supporters, or in other words, his social group. In this case, my formula only works because of the parentheses surrounding the first three parts of the equation. From my perspective, Martin Luther King Jr. became a symbol of a general group of African American Civil Rights Activists, before they found him as an actual leader. While others may figure that there is more than one specific leader that had an impact on the Civil Rights Movement, I really cannot deny that way of thinking, rather I can only say that it is of my belief that he was the most important of all in this process. Others may also present the counter argument that there may have been more than one leader and that all of them were equally important in the process of this. I cannot deny that opinion either, as it is valid. I can present my opinion and only my opinion here, which presents that Martin Luther King Jr. deserves to be the leader of all leaders. Possibly, the best example of his leadership came on a day in August, at “The March of Washington,” when he presented a speech of dynamic poetry. My favorite lines from this “I Have a Dream Speech” go, “I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” (King Jr. 5) After this line, the audio recording presents the roar of the crowd. In my opinion, it was not just the words of this speech and this specific quote that made him a leader. I perceive that words are just words, as they need substance, this substance is created with a charismatic attitude. Martin Luther King Jr. had this, and it is possibly the biggest indicator that he was a leader of his group. It is possible that there were other

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Drum Major Analysis

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King was a drum major for justice, for peace, for freedom of equality. Many believe that leaders are made, I disagree Dr. King was born a leader, and he used his leadership skills and abilities and power to accomplish great things, even though he was considered a controversial leader as well. How will you use whatever power you acquire? Will you make a difference or will you just conform. “Let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance… We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade… It’s a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. (Dr.King “the Drum Major Instinct

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King's Acceptance Speech Analysis

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. is considered the formative figure in the modern fight for the civil rights movement and fought for racial equality with something much stronger than tolerance. He fought for the equal rights for all people of every background. Being a leader of racial equality and spoke up for the wrong doing of society, but also the peoples' actions towards making America a better place and equal opportunity. The reason he is so unique is because he was non-violent in his goals. King had great moral and philosophical purposes by speaking out in the public of the conflicts that was going on during that time and finding ways to overcome those conflicts in a peaceful

    Read More

  • If Martin Luther King Were Ali

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King was such an inspirational leader because he appealed to not only the black population, but he appealed to all people who believed in equality and freedom. He was viewed as a clean cut, all round good man, and unlike other leaders in the movement for racial equality, did not have un-orthodox, radical views. Since people did not see him as a threat, but as a peaceful man, leading a movement, he was easy to support. For example: People are more likely to agree with a man who explains something in a non-violent, nice way, than someone who uses mud slinging, name calling, and violence to express a view.

    Read More

  • Interview With a Human Resources Manger

    2809 Words  | 6 Pages

    The leadership is a result of a combination of traits, with special emphasis on the personal qualities of the leader, which he should possess certain personality traits that would be special facilitators in leadership performance. This theory shows that leaders are born as such, there is no likelihood of 'making' them later with personal development techniques.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King's Leadership

    4987 Words  | 10 Pages

    One of the world’s best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies, Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), synthesized ideals drawn from many different cultural traditions. Recent studies of him emphasize the extent to which his ideals were rooted in African-American religious traditions which were then shaped by his education. The image of a social activist and leader was the result of extensive formal education, strong personal values and licit ethics. This excellence in leadership can be traced to his character which is shaped by his moral values and personality. We look at MLK and these traits to reveal the rationalization of his rise to transracial leadership in our society. Through studying the life and example of Martin Luther King, Jr., we learn that his moral values of integrity, love, truth, fairness, caring, non-violence, achievement and peace were what motivated him. King is not great because he is well known, he is great because he served as the cause of peace and justice for all humans. King is remembered for his humanity, leadership and his love of his fellow man regardless of skin color. This presence of strong moral values developed King’s character which enabled him to become one of the most influential leaders of our time. Integrity is a central value in a leader’s character and it is through integrity that King had vision of the truth. The truth that one day this nation would live up to the creed, "all men are created equal". No man contributed more to the great progress of blacks during the 1950’s and 1960’s than Martin Luther King, Jr. He was brought up believing "one man can make a difference", and this is just what he did. Integrity has a large effect on what we think, say and do, it is through King’s thoughts and actions that enabled so many people to have trust and faith in him. Through King’s integrity he believed that America, the most powerful and richest nation in the world will lead the way to a revolution of values. This revolution will change the way society views itself, shifting from a "thing-orientated" society to a "person-orientated" society. When this occurs, King believed that racism will be capable of being conquered and this nation will be "Free at last." King’s unconditional love for all humans was another value that strongly influenced his character and allowed him to have such excellent leadership ability.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King's Successful Philosophy

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nearly three centuries ago, black men and women from Africa were brought to America and put into slavery. They were treated more cruelly in the United States than in any other country that had practiced slavery. African Americans didn’t gain their freedom until after the Civil War, nearly one-hundred years later. Even though African Americans were freed and the constitution was amended to guarantee racial equality, they were still not treated the same as whites and were thought of as second class citizens. One man had the right idea on how to change America, Martin Luther King Jr. had the best philosophy for advancing civil rights, he preached nonviolence to express the need for change in America and he united both African Americans and whites together to fight for economic and social equality.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Martin Luther King Jr.

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. was the most influential leader of the American Civil Rights Movement as he fought for the freedom of African Americans. King’s most influential speech is his “I Have a Dream” given on August 28, 1963.1 King himself was a man whom thousands of people admired. Martin Luther King Jr. uses an expressive tone in his speeches by using verbal powerful imagery toward his audience, reminding them of the challenges facing them and defeating racism. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired others to take action, lead by example, as shown in his speeches and promoted non-violence as a method for change.

    Read More

  • A Leader, By Warren Bennis 'On Becoming A Leader'

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book On becoming A Leader was written by Warren Bennis who was an American scholar, author and widely known pioneer of leadership studies. This book was published in 1989 by basic books but revised in 2003 by Perseus Publishing in Cambridge, MA. This book states the many traits, qualities and factors of becoming a leader. Bennis showcases the depths and heights of how leaders drive their followers in different situations. This book emphasizes on theories of becoming a leader, it is not a “how to” book by any means. Bennis states how leaders contribute to society and how crucial they are along with the characteristics that come along with being a leader. He provides intriguing insight about leaders and emphasizes the integrity and authenticity such people carry.

    Read More

  • Personal Leadership Statement

    2266 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even though our world is constantly changing as shown in the video, “Did You Know?”, the way our leaders lead has been fairly constant. The traits and qualities past leaders such as Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King had are the same traits the leaders we look up to today have. Good leaders are aware of our continuously shifting world and have learned to adapt to what works best for those around them. The book, Learning as a Way of Being, discusses how as leaders we must be prepared for the changes that are constantly occurring in our society. We need to always be open to learning new things and how to best adapt to the environment around us. The more experiences we deal with in the past, the more prepared we will be for the changes in the future.

    Read More

  • Personal Leadership Statement

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perhaps the most important qualities of a leader are passion and motivation. Especially when leading a group for a particular cause, a leader must be personally attached to that cause. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, is a legendary leader because he fought for a cause that directly affected him. had he not been pushing for a personal reason, his actions would not have been as passionate. This would have caused a lack in motivation, another essential leadership quality. A leader faces many roadblocks and opposition and thus, must be motivated to continue fighting and leading. A leader’s attitude and opinions are valued by the group and therefore, if a leader is motivated, the group will be, too. The continued actions and successes, no matter how small, which move the group closer to its goal also help its motivation and drive.

    Read More

  • Personal Leadership Reflection

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    Leadership is trait that is extremely important in any society. Leadership is known as the way people attempting to make a difference in a situation. However, I believe that it is better said to be a way of influencing others actions. Leadership is usually connected to a great leader that affected his or her followers in a dynamic way. Throughout the semester for my leadership class, I have expanded the knowledge in numerous ways. I now have fully understanding of the purpose and process of leadership to a society. Being a leader one must maintain an image of being the role model. I believe that this is leader should be who is someone who has the ability to influence, encourage, listen, and nurture. They are able to inspire, stimulate, persuade, shape, and have an effect on others.

    Read More

More about The Effective Leadership Style of Martin Luther King Jr.

Open Document