Every society needs a leader who influences them to take an action and act towards achieving a common purpose. A leader is a motivator, a pioneer, and someone who inspires the people in a community. People think leadership happens as you gain rank, however, leadership is a choice to look after those around us. We know many people who sit at the highest levels of companies, who have authority, but they are not leaders. We do as they tell us because they have authority over us, but we would not follow them.
And one of the biggest mistakes in most organizations is that people do not teach others how to be leaders but it is a skill and requires education. Some of the leaders act as a coach, give advice, and motivates the community, on the other hand, some of them are role model for a group of people. At this point, we believe Martin Luther King is one of the most successful leaders in humankind’s history.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a social activist who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. Martin Luther sought equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and all victims of injustice through peaceful protest. Martin Luther was always an influential figure around the world. His steady leadership during the challenging times of the civil rights era was transformational for the people who served. Having self-confidence is a major trait for leaders to possess.
If you are confident in your actions, then you will gain the trust of your followers. 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 equally even though having a black president seemed like a fantasy in the 1970s in the United States of America.
Some of the skills to be an effective leader are; technical, conceptual, interpersonal, social intelligence, and emotional intelligence. Leaders have to be relationship-focused since the most important things in leadership are inspiring and motivating people to take action. Martin Luther comes forward with his empathy skills by talking with those who he represented regularly. His efforts to understand the life of those he was leading went more than what people would think is acceptable. He was spending lots of individual time with people who believed him to learn about their needs and weaknesses. What Martin Luther stand out above the rest was not only that he was heard and understood by his followers, but also his listeners felt his words and deeply understood him. Martin Luther was also a relations-oriented leader which makes him a considerate leader. He created an environment of emotional support, warmth, and trust. In one of his speeches, he touches on the importance of a person-oriented society by saying; “I am convinced … we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” Another important point about Martin Luther is that he had a charismatic behavior that leads to a novelist and appealing vision, the increased his follower’s growth, led the community by example, and had a socialized power orientation. His vision was a society in which race is not an issue in how people are treated. Martin Luther also adds emotional appeal to his values with the words; “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Martin Luther became a transformational leader by willing to put his ideal, character, and reputation in his body on the line. Transformational leadership starts with the development of a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert potential followers. Martin Luther’s capacity to address huge, candidly charged groups while encouraging them to peace is remarkable. Another factor was his level of education which qualified him as a respected leader since many African-Americans were not even graduating from high school at the time. For him to have a PH.D. from Boston University gave him an extra level of credibility and aliveness among both whites and blacks.
Furthermore, ‘communication’ is the golden key for a successful leader. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most eloquent speakers ever. He was able to inspire millions through his speeches. King was so well speaker to motivate and inspired people for more than fifty years. Dr. King was also a simple speaker, which means, he was straightforward and delivered his message directly. Nobody questioned his dreams For instance, in his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial, King used metaphors that were fun for every American.
Lastly, Martin Luther’s career has influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was also a key figure in protesting racism in South Africa and colonial rule in India by using nonviolent opposition. A demonstration of the progressive intensity of peacefulness, Gandhi’s way of approach directly influenced Martin Luther, who argued that the Gandhian philosophy was the “only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.”
To conclude, societies choose a leader to solve their problems or to overcome the difficulties they do not see themselves. Dr. King was one of those leaders. He protested peacefully, not just for African Americans, but for an unjust social order. Today, humanity acknowledges that Martin Luther King, Jr is a charismatic leader. Furthermore, Dr. King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and the gospel teachings to show the world which characteristics need to be a good leader, technical, conceptual, interpersonal, social intelligence, and emotional intelligence. All in all, Martin Luther King, Jr’s life teaches us to how to solve pressure and inequality in life with self-confidence.
Every Society Needs a Leader. (2022, Apr 25). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/every-society-needs-a-leader/