Transformational Leadership : Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King was a honourable leader during his time he was famous for his speech “ I had a dream’ In this speech he calls for an end to racism in the United States and preaches his vision of a society in which race was not an issue in how people were treated or in how they were allowed to live their lives. Because of this speech the Negros respected him. He said this speech in front of millions who came to listen and for that he is a very brave man.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a brilliant man who preached non-violence to his followers during the fight of equality in deeply

Martin Luther King Jr. is renowned as the leader of the great Civil Rights Movement. Throughout his letter from Birmingham Jail, King employs pathos, ethos, and logos to persuade his audience to join forces in order to overcome the physical and mental barriers of segregation.

This paper will analyze and study the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and how leadership skills helped him in accomplishing his goals. The characteristics that made Dr. King a great leader will also be addressed. By studying great leaders, insight can be gained into what qualities they possess.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a well known and an inspiring man to all cultures of the world. King was and still is one of the most influential heroes. King 's views and believes helped African Americans through the 50 's and 60 's to the rights and liberties that was their right. King faced many obstacles on his journey, things like jail and even assassination attempts. Despite these obstacles, he became a successful leader during the Civil Rights Movement and after his death, by guiding African Americans in a non-violent and positive direction for the fight to secure rights and equality for blacks.

African American people have come a long way from the illiterate slaves, who were once picking cotton in fields, to powerful political leaders. A prime example would be President Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States of America. But first we must ask ourselves, how did this occur? Who lead African Americans to better living standards? Civil rights leaders, such as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks, just to name a few. However, among these great names in history, there is one that stands out, and that man is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King gave hope to those in need with his awe inspiring sermons he performed at the church his grandfather founded. He changed foes to

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.

‘Nothing mattered more to king than being an outstanding preacher. Martin Luther King had an exceptional personal some state. He was a very proud and an outspoken man. He had been ‘conditioned’ from the mere age of nine and ordained in a black church for later life purposes (1). At a young age racism surrounded him and was affected first hand. He was abused by a white mill owner purely on the colour of his skin. He also witnessed other black people suffering from violence when he saw a white mob attack and barbarically murder a black man. King was a very opinionated person and became a lead figure head publicly known on a national scale. This came to be

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., embodied many of the attributes that we look for in Army leaders today. Dr. King lived a life characterized by moral courage, selfless service, respect for everybody, honor, and integrity. During his time as the de facto leader of the civil rights movement, he was motivated by the plight of blacks throughout the South, both during his own time and for generations before him. Dr. King writes in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (1963) of his frustration over a gamut of issues: simple but persistent issues like the constant disrespect and taunting that black people faced on a daily basis; issues that affected his own family, like having to explain to his young daughter why he couldn 't take her to a local amusement park; and darker issues like vicious beatings and unprovoked lynchings and murder. His sense of empathy ran deep, for their struggle was his own.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was a true servant leader, because he actually did possess the characteristics of empathy, commitment, and the building community. Dr. King was an educated, resourceful, talented leader and he earnestly strived to understand and empathize with others by having compassion, responsiveness, identification, and a brotherly love for all other people in the world. Dr. King was deeply committed to the personal, professional, and spiritual growth of every single individual in the human race and he cared for everyone as if they really were his own friend and relative. Dr. King was committed to positive, social, nonviolent

MLK is described as a man who was generally quiet and listened attentively as others talked. Ling (2002) states, “King had a remarkable ability to get people who would otherwise be constantly feuding to work together”. The key to a successful leader is bringing people together. King was able to bring people together and work together for an achievable goal. He could quiet crowds and calm them down to be more peaceful. He spoke on nonviolence as the better resolution. According to Ling (2002), “For King, leadership meant standing up for what he believed in and being a drum major for justice”. A leader is also one who can relate to people. King was able to relate to the people who spoke to therefore African Americans were more likely to listen and follow what King had to say. King was a leader because he challenged the status quo. He had the courage to stand up for what he believed, the rights of all people to fair and equal treatment.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an astonishing activist that inspired a numerous amount of people with his speech. Dr. King was great because he displayed some traits. Some of the traits that he possessed were leadership, determination, and bravery. He was a man that preached about justice and wanted peace. Everyone can make a change and keep the dream alive by doing what Dr. King wanted. Which was to allow freedom to ring and to all come together as one.

Douglass's courage, intellectual honesty and independence propelled him from slave to orator, editor and intellectual leader. Average leaders focus on results, and that's it. Good leaders focus also on the actions that will get the results. And great leaders focus, in addition, on the reactions that will drive these behaviors. One emotion that shapes our behavior is anger, and Martin Luther King Jr., knew of the power that came packed in this emotion. King had reason enough to be aggravated, time and again. He was physically threatened and attacked by prejudiced people, repeatedly jailed by state authorities, sometimes on trivial traffic violations, harassed by the FBI, and even criticized by fellow black leaders who favored more violent forms of resistance. Peter Ling studies King's leadership role during his fight for harmony and justice and states, “There were many leaders in the civil rights struggle, but Martin Luther King was more than just the most conspicuous and eloquent among them” (Ling).

During his lifetime, Martin Luther king dared to not only dream about a better future but also fight for it. He was not afraid from having confrontations in order to promise a change. We can see his decisiveness when his arguments for stopping discrimination against black were not enough to change the situation. He decided to make a direct action in order to make society confront the issue.

Martin Luther King was a powerful speaker. He has a voice that makes everyone to listen. His message is very clear and powerful in every sentences. The quote “America has given its colored people a back check, a check that has come back