Martin Luther King Servant Leadership

What is leadership? Researchers cannot seem to agree on any one answer. Defining the indescribable is a task that no one definition has seemed to prove victorious. Each definition has its own bias or implications that does not capture the full concept of what leadership truly is. Rost, an academic in the study of leadership, reviewed 221 different definitions to make the point that there is no common definition, and would reach the conclusion that “Neither scholars nor the practitioners have been able to define leadership with precision, accuracy, and conciseness so that people are able to label it correctly when they see it happening or when they engage it.” Understanding that there is no perfect way of defining or pin pointing leadership

This practice of servant leadership can be examined for its strengths and weaknesses and see how his leadership style produced change and generated a followership. James Perry, an editor for Huffington Post defines servant leadership as, “one who offers an inclusive vision; listens carefully to others; persuades through reason; and heals divisions while building community.” Through the life of King, America can see what servant leadership can do to change a nation. One important aspect of being a good leader in any method is model the way. Kouzes and Posner will posit that one of the major aspects that a leader needs to possess is to, clarify values. Martin Luther King Jr. clarified his values and shared his values with many people. During his “I Have a Dream” speech Martin Luther King Jr. clarified his goals and values and established his desires on how to solve the issue that was at hand. This desire and value was not one that he was alone on, but as a good leader King collaborated with his followers and together they came up with shared values such as equality for all people. James Sipe and Don Frick in, Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership, present that there are seven different vita aspects that compose a servant leader. One of these “pillars” is compassionate collaborator. This pillar is said to have three sub-characteristics: expresses appreciation, builds teams and communities, and

May group would rise up in disfavor of his non-violence. King instead of shifting his beliefs and molding his leadership to best fit the followers, he would continue on to do what he believed to be the best way of approaching the issue. King would continue this belief to his death bed. This characteristic flaw could be seen as both a strength and a weakness, but due to the fact that this characteristic flaw led to his death the conclusion may lead to a fatal weakness. Martin Luther King Jr. a great leader of his time. With his powerful influence up to his death King had started the movement that now allows African American to be equal citizen of the United States. Through King’s strengths of compassionate collaboration, and his weakness of persistence to death. King used servant leadership to bring unity amongst his followers and eventually to the whole