Influence Comparison Essay: Martin Luther King Jr.
I included this paper in my essay because Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential leaders that I have studied in my lifetime.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders in history. His leadership during the civil rights movement was impeccable in helping African Americans gain equal rights in America. In the early 1960s, King led a nonviolent movement, taking direct action, by gathering people for the movement and performing nonviolent acts such as sit-ins and marches. The goal of these acts was to, “dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored” (Letters From a Birmingham Jail, King). The issue in this case was widespread racism and inequality throughout not only Birmingham, but throughout the nation. King went to Birmingham first because this was the town in which African American inequality was the worst. King mentioned that, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King). According to King, stopping the injustice in Birmingham would make long strides in halting the injustice in the nation.
King demonstrated many different types of leadership in obtaining his goal of getting African Americans equal rights. First, King was a democratic leader. King led his people with excellent communication and was truly a people’s person. He listened to his followers and they truly respected and trusted everything about King. He was also a citizen leader. Through the struggle, King never really put himself above any of his followers. He truly felt that everyone was equal. Looking at the two styles of King’s leadership, it is easy to see why King was such a great leader during this movement.
During the Civil Rights Movement, King also displayed some key significant traits and skills that a great leader typically shows. King displayed integrity. Even though some of his demonstrations were considered being against the law, King followed his own moral beliefs in deciding whether to obey or disobey a law. King mentioned the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. He stated that he would break unjust laws every single time if it meant he were doing something positive according to his moral beliefs. It is this type of consistent integrity that helped his followers to gain an unwavering trust of King. A large skill that King displayed is his leadership during this time was communication and intelligence. The fact that King was a great and articulate speaker made it easier for his thoughts to come across not only to his followers, but also to those he advocating against. His visions came across clear and concise and that went a long way in his dream becoming realized. King was also a very task oriented leader. Many of those that were arguing against King told him that equality would come with time. He argued that action must be taken as soon as possible because injustice isn’t acceptable anywhere. King worked hard, quickly, and diligently to help gain equality for African Americans.
Many things can be taken from King’s leadership styles and concepts to learn more about how to be an effective leader today. The fact that King followed his own moral beliefs and stuck to them made a big difference in the amount of respect his followers had for him. If one keeps their integrity in their leadership, followers will be more trusting of them. In addition, it would be wise for a leader to be able to communicate as well as King did. One can have all the ideas in the world but if they can’t communicate it to their audience then it isn’t good for much at all. Last, it would be smart to learn from King’s ability to be task-oriented, getting the job done. Leaders have to have the ability to stay on track and realize their goal in a diligent and hard-working fashion. This helps the goal to be achieved much faster and with more quality.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders in history. His leadership during the civil rights movement was impeccable in helping African Americans gain equal rights in America. In the early 1960s, King led a nonviolent movement, taking direct action, by gathering people for the movement and performing nonviolent acts such as sit-ins and marches. The goal of these acts was to, “dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored” (Letters From a Birmingham Jail, King). The issue in this case was widespread racism and inequality throughout not only Birmingham, but throughout the nation. King went to Birmingham first because this was the town in which African American inequality was the worst. King mentioned that, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King). According to King, stopping the injustice in Birmingham would make long strides in halting the injustice in the nation.
King demonstrated many different types of leadership in obtaining his goal of getting African Americans equal rights. First, King was a democratic leader. King led his people with excellent communication and was truly a people’s person. He listened to his followers and they truly respected and trusted everything about King. He was also a citizen leader. Through the struggle, King never really put himself above any of his followers. He truly felt that everyone was equal. Looking at the two styles of King’s leadership, it is easy to see why King was such a great leader during this movement.
During the Civil Rights Movement, King also displayed some key significant traits and skills that a great leader typically shows. King displayed integrity. Even though some of his demonstrations were considered being against the law, King followed his own moral beliefs in deciding whether to obey or disobey a law. King mentioned the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. He stated that he would break unjust laws every single time if it meant he were doing something positive according to his moral beliefs. It is this type of consistent integrity that helped his followers to gain an unwavering trust of King. A large skill that King displayed is his leadership during this time was communication and intelligence. The fact that King was a great and articulate speaker made it easier for his thoughts to come across not only to his followers, but also to those he advocating against. His visions came across clear and concise and that went a long way in his dream becoming realized. King was also a very task oriented leader. Many of those that were arguing against King told him that equality would come with time. He argued that action must be taken as soon as possible because injustice isn’t acceptable anywhere. King worked hard, quickly, and diligently to help gain equality for African Americans.
Many things can be taken from King’s leadership styles and concepts to learn more about how to be an effective leader today. The fact that King followed his own moral beliefs and stuck to them made a big difference in the amount of respect his followers had for him. If one keeps their integrity in their leadership, followers will be more trusting of them. In addition, it would be wise for a leader to be able to communicate as well as King did. One can have all the ideas in the world but if they can’t communicate it to their audience then it isn’t good for much at all. Last, it would be smart to learn from King’s ability to be task-oriented, getting the job done. Leaders have to have the ability to stay on track and realize their goal in a diligent and hard-working fashion. This helps the goal to be achieved much faster and with more quality.