To honor Martin Luther King, I wanted to write something to highlight who he was and what he did as a leader. This is my personal account of what I’ve noticed from reading about him.
- He was willing to sacrifice whatever it took for black rights, and he did end up paying the ultimate price; his life.
- He didn’t have a title, but he was a true leader. If you’ve read Mark Sanborn’s book, You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader
you know what I mean.
- He was able to inspire, motivate, and rally people to stand up for black rights. This goes back to my post about Winning People to Your Cause
- He was extremely skilled at build friendships and rapport with people of all races. One of the reasons he had such a significant impact was that he learned to develop relationships with many people.
- He worked harder than an ox. In an eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968 he traveled over six million miles and spoke over 2,500 times. If there was injustice, protest, or advocacy for black rights, Martin was there.
Martin Luther King stands as the true test of what a leader is. The five points I’ve labeled above are great leadership traits and attributes, but Martin is a true leader because his legacy lives on.
He is a legend to this day and will always be remembered by people of all races.
