Dr. King is a prime example of Heifetz and Linsky’s concept that to lead is to live dangerously. They point out that if one is a true leader they lead people through difficult change that challenges their strongly held views and beliefs. This is what makes leadership of this type dangerous, and many times the actions of the leader are nothing more then possibilities in the future. He had the ability to get this nation to confront the discrepancies between its stated values and the daily effects on the lives of people, particularly the poor and discriminated. One of the hallmarks of leadership is the ability to create a vision of the future that is shared and understood by many (Kotter, 1996). This ability was the basis for all of Dr. King’s actions.
In looking a Dr. Kings life, it seems as if the Rosa Parks case was a major event that moved him from a person behind the scenes to a person with a very public presence. He became the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 which lead to a court case that end racial segregation on all Montgomery AL buses. This event, which lasted for 385 days, allowed Dr. King to test his underlying values of non-confrontational resistance to serve as a model for his future activities. He sought to overcome racial strife and divisiveness that permeated our nation.
When one thinks of the enormity of the task he set out to do, failure was always part of the equation. Although things have greatly improved, none of us can say we have fully lived up to Dr. King's vision of a land where each person would be judged by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin. Whether it was being thrown in jail or his followers not living up to his ideas of non-violence, Dr. King always seemed to have the propensity to be focused on the outcomes of the vision.
King called upon Americans to use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty, and to make it possible for all of God's children to have the basic necessities of life. He found success in some ways. But although African-Americans may be able to sit at the lunch counter with whites, what good does it do if they can't afford a hamburger?
In this area King failed. And, I suspect, he probably knew he would. Calling on a consumerist culture to change its ways, to redistribute the wealth, to care for the least of these, leads to two places: failure and death. One cannot confront the bedrock of a nation without that nation's leaders taking notice. King knew that.
King's quest at that time was ultimately a futile, for it called for an end to oppression, the abolition of all slavery and the uplifting of the poor. Ironically, Jesus too called for turning the establishment on its head. Like Jesus, King too was assassinated by a political machine that didn't blink twice to do so.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s story was the story of risk for the sake of justice. King, risking his life in service of his ideals was worth it because for him, life wouldn’t be worth much if he allowed the daily comforts to take precedence over the larger purpose. For King it was the understanding, deeply imbedded in his soul that we are all in this life together. One world. One People.
Heifetz, R. and Martin Linsky (2002). Leadership on the line: Staying alive through the dangers of leading. Boston. MA: Harvard Business School Press
Kotter, J. (1996) Leading change. Boston. MA: Harvard Business School Press
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Some basic ingredients of leadership include a guiding vision, passion, and integrity (Bennis, 2003). Without a vision, it is difficult for leaders to lead. They need to have expected outcomes before motivating others. With a vision, there needs to be a purpose. Martin Luther King Jr. knew that our society needed to change and used his role in the public to motivate others. A leader also needs to be passionate about their vision. If a leader strongly believes in something and does so with integrity, others will follow.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. and Oprah Winfrey are both leaders that display these leadership ingredients. They have displayed their vision to their audiences with passion and integrity. Even though Martin Luther King Jr. is not around today, his words still have the ability to reach his vision even in death.
Bennis, W. (2003.) On Becoming a Leader. New York: Basic Books.
Hello Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI cannot think of a single leadership quality that does not apply to Dr. King. I agree with Gayle's assessment that he held many basic ingredients of leadership. He took on this role reluctantly; I am sure it was more than coincidence that he was at the right place at the right time to be a leader for civil rights.
As much as I agree that all of our group's leaders define what a leader should be, I also remind myself to be cautious about how one's memory of events of any particular time can become a kind of mythology. Rosa Parks is a case in point: she did not seek to become a hero. She did not set out that day to be a civil rights activist. As she put it, she was just too damn tired to move to the back of the bus, tired both physically and emotionally. Nevertheless, I do consider her a leader. If this incident gave courage to Dr. King to move forward as a leader, then it worked! I doubt Dr. King fully comprehended the difference he was making, as is often the case of our best leaders.
Hi Dawn
ReplyDeleteDr. King certainly had a vision for the future which is imparted to many people through his speeches. He was an exceptional role model and leader. He used his leadership qualities to try to bring about change in the lives of people who faced hardships and discrimination.
Randy Pausch was an educator who used his promoter leadership style to create an exceptional presentation for his audience. With the use of the Internet, his lecture was shared with many others. He explained how they could achieve their own childhood dreams. Fullan (2001) noted the characteristics of an effective leader as hope, enthusiasm, and energy. These were qualities which described Randy and the way he lived his life.
References
Fullan, M. (2001). Leadership and Sustainability. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from Center for Development and Learning Web Site: http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/ldr_sustainability.php