Historical Leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Historical Leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Introduction
Leadership can be constructed and conceptualized in many ways. For example, it can be regarded as the capacity to translate intentions into reality. Leadership also entails exercising power to influence and inspire followers’ commitment. The many conceptualizations of leadership emanate from the many theories and perceptions of leadership. Similarly, different leaders display different characteristics and traits, as explained by multiple theories. The focus of this essay is to discuss a historical leader in terms of what they did, leadership theories and perspectives used by the leader, and the leader’s success in using the specified theory. The selected leader is Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), who characteristically displayed servant and charismatic leadership to immensely contribute to the fight against social injustices.
Background to MLK
MLK can be considered one of the most outstanding moral leaders in the history of the United States. He lived in an era of violent oppression and racial segregation overseen by such figures as Jim Crow and a Supreme Court that ruled for a system of “separate but equal” (Gushee and Holtz 2018, 299). MLK was a leader of the civil rights movement in the United States. He was also a political activist, orator and writer, and clergyman. Due to his contributions, 20th January has been celebrated annually as MLK day since 1986, a public holiday (Adi and Sherwood 2003, 107). His biography reads that MLK was born on 15th January 1929 as Michael King junior in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second child and first son of Rev. Michael King Sr and his wife, Alberta Williams King. MLK was locally educated until 1944, when he attended Morehouse College, Atlanta. During this time, he developed his sentiments toward social justice. He undertook his journey of using the social gospel to preach peaceful defiance, following the principles of such leaders and theologians as Gandhi and Walter Rauschenbusch.
MLK is mainly remembered for his famous speech on “I Have a Dream,” which laid the foundation for what he envisioned for the formerly enslaved African Americans. However, his actions also spoke volumes about what kind of a leader MLK was, mainly due to his bravery. MLK led one of the biggest riots in the History of the United States – the Montgomery bus boycott, which was sparked partly by the segregation rules and partly by the arrests of black Americans who violated the segregation laws (Balci and Balci 2011, 321). The boycott lasted 13 months and ended with a Supreme Court ruling that segregation was unconstitutional. Therefore, MLK is the most outstanding leader in the civil rights movement era. His achievements have laid the foundation for the progress that civil rights activists and movements have achieved thus far.
Leadership Theories and Perspectives
Several leadership theories and perspectives can describe MLK as a leader. Among the theories that MLK seemingly used are trait theories, situational leadership, and transformational theories. Additionally, such perspectives as servant leadership and charisma, leadership strengths, and power and power have all been displayed. Trait theories illustrate that qualities or traits make a successful leader (Bolden et al. 2003, 6). For example, constancy and discipline are vital traits that make an excellent military leader (Taylor 1977, 2). Others include good speechmakers, a characteristic that was displayed by MLK on multiple occasions when he used his oratory skills to solicit mass following. Other traits that MLK displayed include determination, self-confidence, and intelligence. For an African American in a society where education was a privilege for the whites, it can be argued that MLK was brilliant compared to other African American leaders of the civil rights movement.
Situational leadership is another theory that was manifested in MLK’s leadership. In any case, the fight for civil rights was characterized by unrest among the oppressed, which meant that the masses needed a competent leader to lead the fight. The leadership style of MLK was arguably dictated by the situation, considering that the African Americans needed to be inspired and motivated to continue the fight despite the dangers. The rationale is that different situations require different leadership styles and approaches (Bolden et al. 2003, 6). In this case, MLK emerged to fill gaps and help steer the masses that needed a leader with the right skills and competencies. Lastly, transformational leadership entails striving for change. MLK could not accept the status quo and believed American society needed to change its core values and systems to accommodate equality for formerly enslaved people.
Other leadership perspectives include those aspects that define leadership outcomes. Competence is often associated with effective or successful leaders. This is especially so for the type of leaders categorized as heroic due to their display of compassion and competence in rebelling against tradition and authority (Burns 1978, 1). These perspectives define MLK since he competently steered the country into one whi...