Martin Luther King Jr Leader Analysis

When the name Martin Luther King Jr. is mentioned, there are a few things that may run through a person’s head such as “inspirational,” “change,” “commitment,” and certainly “leadership.” In his involvement in the American civil rights movement of the mid 20th century, MLK Jr. excelled in influencing positive change in the society and culture around him and proves to be a worthy leadership example for now and the future generations. There are a few way’s that it is clear to see that King was able to lead and these also contribute to the elements of his leadership style. One of the most obvious characteristics about King was that he truly knew and lived his vision. As Komives points out, this is part of the threefold process of relational …show more content…
To lead people to do something or go somewhere, one has to already be embodying the passion for that end state. This embodiment of the vision was one of King’s greatest and most obvious strengths. This relates to his ability to effectively communicate the vision so that people desired to follow him and people knew what they stood for when they followed him. King’s passion for the cause was certainly important to this communication of it. His oratorical and writing skills also helped him in accomplishing this effective communication. In addition to communication (and passion) being an important part of Kouzes and Posner’s first and second practices of exemplary leadership, George Barna lists effective communication as one of the competencies of a leader. , Another quality was his ability not only to work towards change and inspire others to do so, but his identification of it. The ability and willingness to work towards change is an important part of the Komives definition of leadership, and is a strength of MLK’s leadership. Up until MLK the fight against segregation had mainly been consumed by violence and confusion, so King saw that a …show more content…
The accomplishments and influence of the SCLC, including numerous marches and protests across the south and laying the groundwork for two Acts of Congress being passed, are substantial. In addition to this, King’s “inner circle” of advisors and friends who were under his leadership also moved on to be considered “giants” in civil rights influence. The success of these two groups in carrying on the vision of Martin Luther King, indicates his capability of obtaining followers and enabling them to act, which is another practice of exemplary leadership according to Kouzes and Posner. Even though all of the information mentioned so far contributes to the effectiveness of King’s leadership, there may be a couple of weaknesses that he also