The Drum Major Instinct By Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful speaker, and he spoke with emotion and feelings. His actions, thoughts, words, and experiences shaped him to become the idol and role model that he was. In an article called “Heeding the Call,” Diana Childress wrote about Martin Luther King Jr. and his life.

In Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr, Martin describes the weather and also implies that the civil rights movement were like the severe weather in 1962-63. He compared the harsh weather with the discrimination that black people were trying to overcome. In addition, black people were facing judgment, unfairness, poverty and lack of education. However, today black people often can get what they want and they come together and fight for their freedom and justice.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” John C. Maxwell

“We are inevitably our brother’s keeper because we are our brother’s brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” This is a highly influential quote by Martin Luther King Jr. This inspirational man was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, into a loving home. His father was a minister and he had two siblings.

Peaceful resistance has been society's way of respectfully bringing to light grievances or injustices they believe have occurred. More often than not these grievances involve some sort of social issue, whether it be under-representation or inequality, as was the case with African Americans during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, or something more like Constitutional Rights, such as the right to vote as women. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., in their lifetimes, both fought hard for opposite ends of the 'rebellion' spectrum, protesting racism and segregation in their own unique ways. Malcolm X preached violence, using angry, fiery rhetoric to sway the public into following him into livid retaliation. Martin Luther King Jr., on the other hand, expressed

Another piece of literature that explains leadership in a fantastic way would be the move, We Were Soldiers.¨ There was at least one example of leadership in each clip. Col. Hal Moore was a loving man who had high hopes for his troop. He led his men into war with plans that he spent days on, the thought of his family on his mind, and the goal of returning home soon. Col. Moore left his family in the middle of the night to report to base. This describes leadership more than anything. Family usually means a lot to most people, and Col. Moore sought his troops as his family just as much as his wife and kids. Col. Moores wife stated, ¨… tell the taxi company next time to just bring them to me.¨ She recited this when letters and sad news began to pour in. Passing out the yellow envelopes, not knowing if her husband´s name would be next, demonstrated to the other wife's leadership from home. She stood tall next to the heartbroken ladies and family members as if she wasn't worried at all. Mrs. Moore also lead the army wives group at her house. She gave as much advice and inspired the ladies to keep a positive outlook. It took a lot for Mrs. Moore to stand up and take charge while in the back of her mind she was as lost as the next

On February 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech called, “The Drum Major Instinct.” In this speech, he explains how instinct is just a desire to be or do something and is an impulse that we carry throughout our lives. Instinct is what deep down we want and know we can trust. It can be found in different kinds of forms; whether it be a book, real-world experiences or even something we’ve listened to, it’s always there. Instinct can be described as many kinds of things but out of all of them it can be agreed that instinct is just a desire we have and that is what causes us to do certain things that can’t be stopped because of the impulse it brings.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a leader well known for his bravery wanted equality between people of all races. In the passage “Heading the Call”, Diana Childress writes about his experiences when he was young. These experiences shaped his beliefs and actions as an adult.

Martin Luther King’s work, “Why We Can’t Wait,” describes the struggles of being an African American in the United States in the 1960s. He opens the book with a brief comparison of two young black children, a boy living in Harlem, New York, and a girl living in Birmingham, Alabama. Both children live in poverty and in a world with limited opportunities. By drawing this comparison, King confirms that racism is a national problem and not only a problem present in the South. King illustrates throughout the book that racism and discrimination not only affects African American families, but also white families. He describes opportunities that both races miss because of discrimination. The missed opportunities include: park closings because of the refusal to abide by a court ruling to have them integrated, baseball teams disbanded instead of letting black players join, and lastly, an orchestra refusing to come to Birmingham to perform for a segregated audience. Two very important themes that are illustrated throughout the book are hatred and moving forward. These themes are expressed and examined by King throughout the book and provide insight on the damaging effects of racism and what Americans should do to improve these conditions.

In the narrative Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr., published in 1964, King describes the struggles African Americans faced to receive equal rights. During the 1960s the Civil Rights movement was in full swing. The year 1963 is referred to as the beginning of the “Negro Revolution”. In the introduction of this narrative King compares the lives of two African American children. By using one child from Harlem, New York and one from Birmingham, Alabama, King explains how they faced similar battles of poverty with limited opportunities. This showed how this problem was a national problem and not one that was just confined to the South. King used descriptive examples to explain the Civil Rights movement throughout this narrative. The two major themes throughout Why We Can’t Wait are racial discrimination and the use of nonviolence.

Good leadership is effective when the leader has a quality of fighting for his or her rights and has self-confidence. Martin Luther King Jr is known for his momentous “I have a Dream” speech that was made for the civil rights movement given during the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” in 1963. In the speech, his main message was to let everyone know that all people are created equal and they should abolish segregation and discrimination against African-Americans. King effectively persuades his audience by using many of the literary devices comprised of figurative

In Leadership 101 by John Maxwell, the author uses practical application points to give guidance on what it takes to be good leader. The book is divided in three parts, linking the development, traits and impacts of a leader, with a series of questions that the author answers. He also uses real-life stories and quotes from leaders such as the McDonald brothers and Princess Diana, to demonstrate leadership principles. The author also uses these examples and a detailed framework to help the readers enhance the leadership abilities they already possess. Maxwell suggests that in order to be a successful leader you need to; Follow your vision and bring others with you, produce a lasting legacy, grow the loyalty of your followers, make continual

In his book “Start With Why,” Simon Sinek describes the difference between leaders that inspire and those who simply delegate; he encourages readers to look at leadership with a new outlook, and he motivates people to act upon his vision: start with ‘WHY’ instead of ‘HOW.’ He supports his advice with anecdotes of events inspired by real people like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Write Brothers. He realized that these individuals all had similar leadership techniques, which happen to be the exact opposite of what other, less successful, leaders do. Sinek calls his formula “The Golden Circle” (Sinek, P.37), which provides insight for how people can be inspired, movements can be prompted, and organizations established. Upon finishing his book, I conclude that Sinek is onto something with his theory; in order to be an extraordinary leader, one must start within.

Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.

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.