When looking for leaders to learn about and emulate, look no further then Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King, as he is often affectionately called, is considered a phenomenal leader and the face of the civil rights movement from the early 1950s until his death in 1968.
So how does one man bring a community together and overcome racism and hate to unite a nation? Martin Luther King Jr. became dedicated to a cause and devoted his life to it through servant leadership. The term “servant leadership” wasn’t even coined until after Martin Luther King Jr’s death in 1970 by retired AT&T executive Robert K. Greenleaf. Greanleaf defines servant leadership as: “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”[4] In recent years this leadership style has been viewed as an ideal from of leadership.[5] Martin Luther King Jr. filled this definition with exactness and didn’t even know it. During his time at Morehouse College he felt the need to serve and stated, “My call to the ministry was not a miraculous or supernatural something. On the contrary it was an inner urge calling me to serve humanity.”[6] As Martin Luther King Jr. served in the ministry at Dexter Avenue Baptist church, he aspired to lead and joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as well as the Alabama Council on Human Relations. He shortly found himself elected to the office of vice president for the Councilin the fall of 1955. In December 1955 the Rosa Parks bus incident happened and the rest is history as he became the leader and face of the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King Jr. used all of the ten characteristics of a servant leader found in Larry Spears article, On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders. The first characteristic is listening. Spears states that, “Leaders have traditionally been valued for their communication and decision making skills. Although these are also important skills for the servant-leader, they need to be reinforced by a deep commitment to listening intently to others. The servant-leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps to clarify that will. He or she listens receptively to what is being said and unsaid. Listening also encompasses getting in touch with one’s own inner voice. Listening, coupled with periods of reflection, are essential to the growth and well-being of the servant-leader.”[7] Martin first focused on listening and periods of reflection while in college. He used to meditate for an hour and appreciate God’s creations on the edge his nature filled campus. He then used this skill when the state president of the NAACP came to him after the Rosa Parks incident and said they need to boycott the buses. He then clarified with a fellow pastor to determine the will of the group then he proceeded to organize the boycott.[8]
The second characteristic is empathy. A servant leader with empathy strives to understand and identify with other people and recognize and accept them for the unique people they are.[9] Martin Luther King Jr. did just that as he identified with the African American people and the way they were being treated because he was being treated the same way.
The third characteristic is healing. Spear states this about the healing trait, “The healing of relationships is a powerful force for transformation and integration. One of the great strengths of servant-leadership is the potential for healing one’s self and one’s relationship to others. Many people have broken spirits and have suffered from a variety of emotional hurts. Although this is a part of being human, servant-leaders recognize that they have an opportunity to help make whole those with whom they come in contact.”[10] Dr. King knew the healing power of love and knew he had to employ it at all times if he was going to use it for transformation and integration. In one of the rare times he became angry he stated, “…I knew that this was no way to solve a problem. You must not harbor anger, I admonished myself. You must be willing to suffer the anger of the opponent, and yet not return anger. You must not become bitter. No matter how emotional your opponents are, you must be calm.”[11]
The fourth characteristic is awareness. Robert Greanleaf observed, “Awareness is not a giver of solace it is just the opposite. It is a disturber and an awakener. Able leaders are usually sharply awake and reasonably disturbed. They are not seekers after solace. They have their own inner serenity.”[12] During the bus boycott things started getting very difficult for the African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. had just been arrested for no reason and he started losing his courage. He had a moment where he found that inner serenity that Greanleaf spoke of. Dr. King states, “The people are looking to me for leadership and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.” He continues on saying, “It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying: Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you. Even until the end of the world.”[13] At that moment he was strengthened and knew he could carry on as a leader of his African American community.
The fifth characteristic is persuasion. This characteristic is a big distinction from the traditional authoritative model or transactional leadership where you coerce individuals to comply. Instead, using this trait, the leader is very effective at persuading or building consensus within a group.[14] Again, as the bus boycott raged on some individual began to lose hope and Martin Luther King Jr. had to be persuasive and inspire people to keep boycotting peacefully. He reassured people of the meaning of the boycott saying, “There are those who would try to make of this a hate compaign. This is not war between the white and the Negro but a conflict between justice and injustice. This is bigger than the Negro race revolting against the white. We are seeking to improve not the Negro of Montgomery but the whole of Montgomery.”[15] By using this trait and persuading people to stay the course the bus system was finally desegregated November 13 1956.
The next two characteristics are conceptualization and foresight. These two are closely related in having the ability to foresee the outcome of a situation and the ability to dream great dreams and make them a reality.[16] Dr. King fully embodied these characteristics by famously exclaiming, “…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character….” [17] This truly was his dream and he poured his heart and soul into it and eventually gave his life for it.
The eighth characteristic is stewardship. Having stewardship over something or someone means committing to serving the needs of others and holding something in trust for others as well.[18] As a pastor, Dr. King was a steward over his congregation, entrusted with the spiritual well-being of his flock. As time went on and he became more involved in the civil rights movement he became steward and leader over the community entrusted with the goal of ending racism.
The ninth characteristic is commitment to the growth of people. A servant leader is deeply committed to the growth of people and recognizes their value.[19] This is what Dr. King was all about. Anyone that has heard of Martin Luther King Jr. knows this was his sole purpose; to nurture the growth and development of the African American people. He saw people as people and not just a race and he wanted justice and equality for all.
The tenth characteristic is building community. This means those servant leaders want to build the community around them and rally with other servant leaders to help build up the organization or community they are serving.[20] Martin Luther King had many associates, other pastors and friends that he worked closely with to build up the African American community and make his civil right dreams become a reality.
I feel like Martin Luther King Jr. is the perfect example of what a true servant leader is. He embodied all the characteristics that Spears put forth in his article about the characteristics of servant leadership. His life could be a case study of how to implement servant leadership. Dr. King, arguably, did some of the greatest things for mankind. If we had more people like him in the world, it would be a much better place. So, as you embark on your journey in leadership, I challenge you to study the life of Dr. King and apply some of his characteristics so you can continue to make the world a better place.
Notes
[1] Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York Boston: Grand Central Publishing. 1998.
[2] Ibid., 7.
[3] Ibid., 40
[4] Spears, Larry C. “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders.” The Journal of Virtue and Leadership 2010. 52.
[5] Ibid., 52
[6] Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York Boston: Grand Central Publishing. 1998. 13.
[7] Spears, Larry C. “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders.” The Journal of Virtue and Leadership 2010. 53.
[8] Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York Boston: Grand Central Publishing. 1998. 51.
[9] Spears, Larry C. “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders.” The Journal of Virtue and Leadership 2010. 53.
[10] Ibid., 53.
[11] Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York Boston: Grand Central Publishing. 1998. 70.
[12] Spears, Larry C. “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders.” The Journal of Virtue and Leadership 2010. 54.
[13] Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York Boston: Grand Central Publishing. 1998. 77.
[14] Spears, Larry C. “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders.” The Journal of Virtue and Leadership 2010. 54.
[15] Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York Boston: Grand Central Publishing. 1998. 80.
[16] Spears, Larry C. “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders.” The Journal of Virtue and Leadership 2010. 54.
[17] Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York Boston: Grand Central Publishing. 1998. 226.
[18] Spears, Larry C. “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders.” The Journal of Virtue and Leadership 2010. 55.
[19] Ibid., 55.
[20] Ibid.,55.