Marching with Dr. King Jr. in 2023
We always love a good story of the past of our leaders. We lift them up to a level where they are untouchable and psyche ourselves out to think that we would be right with them if we lived when they did. I love a different question. Not what would we do if we lived with them, but what would they do if the led here today with us. The first person I’d love to take a look at is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of those historical figures that transcends history. No matter what age over the past fifty years you have learned in school about Dr. King and his role in the civil rights movement. He is one of the most influential people in the 20th century and even has his own federal holiday. Let’s take a quick look into his biography:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Jim Crow South and was by all accounts a young genius. Starting college as a teenager at Morehouse College and finishing his doctoral degree in his early twenties he was brilliant! After college he took a position as a minister in Montgomery, Alabama. It was here that he began his work in Civil Rights joining the Montgomery Bus Boycott started by Rosa Parks act of defiance. Afterwards he joins with other leaders and starts the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) to help local organizations carry out civil rights activities in the South. He moved to Atlanta in 1960 to co-pastor his father’s church and began his rise as the spokesperson for the Civil Rights movement.
As a leader of the Civil Rights Movement he led a nation into a better place for all people. He helped to organize marches, boycotts, and political conversations around the country in the name of equality. His leadership is a style to study, understand, and replicate today! What type of leader was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? He was a Voice leader. With his ability to mobilize people, fight against the system, and be the spokesperson for a global movement he is the face of this leadership style.
Let’s talk about some of the strengths he showed as a Voice leader.
Eloquent Speaker - Dr. King might be the most famous speech giver in modern history. His ability to take complex topics like race relations and simplify them with a poetic flair was incredible.
Dreamer - Dr. King dreamed of a world where race wasn’t a barrier to equality. This world was far different than his own and required him to hope, against all odds, for a better future.
Group Thinker - Dr. King valued the ideas and thoughts of the people he led. He often helped to organize roundtables and open discussions to organize the next move of the movement.
Let’s evaluate some of the weaknesses he displayed as a Voice leader.
Unclear Destination - Dr. King wanted integration but didn’t quite know what that would look like. One of his most famous quotes, “I fear that I’ve integrated black America into a burning house,” shows that truth.
Anti-Establishment - Dr. King was fighting against the status quo the entirety of his leadership journey. Many don’t know that by his assassination he was on the FBI’s Most Dangerous List and banned from the White House.
Low Ability to Self-Care - Dr. King took horrible care of himself. His wife and children attempted to get him to slow down from his intense speaking and traveling schedule but he felt called to be everywhere he could.
What kind of leader would Dr. King be today?
Would his leadership style work today?
Would you follow him if he was around today?
Stay tuned for the next blog post dropping next Tuesday!
