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Martin Luther King Jr.: Servant Leadership

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Servant leadership is desire of someone to serve one another through certain principles. Greenleaf, Senge, Covey, and Spears (2002) identifies servant leaders as those work are doing the utmost best for their community. A civil rights activist and leader, Martin Luther King Jr. embodied the aspects of servant leadership. Martin Luther King Jr. is committed to the growth of the community, a dedicated servant leader who inspires followership and has many qualities to emulate.
Principles of Servant Leadership Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) exemplified servant leadership through his work as a pastor and a civil rights activist against social injustices (Peake, 2013). As a servant leader, King was committed to the growth of his community and the development of others. He was a servant to people, committed to the work of his community. Additionally, he was empathetic to his cause (Peake, 2013). This empathy showed that his leadership was for others and that he understood how others felt being discriminated against. Lastly, as a pastor, he considered himself a servant for God’s work (Peake, 2013). King fulfilled his calling to serve God and enabled others to stand up for their rights.
Examples
Servant leadership was shown through MLK’s multiple acts of service. In 1963, …show more content…

First, he was committed to cause of social injustices (Peake, 2013). As a servant leader, being committed to a vision is priority, as Martin Luther King Jr. was. He felt he was called to be the leader and took initiative for his cause. Another admirable trait was his humility. MLK was not boastful and led by supporting others to support civil rights (Peake, 2013). It is astonishing to see King’s legacy as a leader for justice. He shaped his community to serve others and empathized with his community and their civil rights. A leader who is supportive, strong, and committed is someone who can be admired for their leadership

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