Thoughts on MLK and Leadership

By: Brian Redmond, PhD

I often take Martin Luther King Jr. Day to reflect on the concept of leadership. Quite obviously on the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself as he is typically regarded as one of the greatest American leaders of all time, if not the world.

There are many reasons for him to be seen as a great leader. Many are familiar with his great oration skills that millions of people around the world have been able to see in action thanks to the beauty of the internet. Others have pointed out his grand vision that he was able to communicate, thanks to being a great orator, that reached a global audience reaching the very powerful as well as those in need of lifting up. Others have pointed to his great work ethic (he actually wasn’t a natural orator but knew that it was essential to his success and practiced for hours and hours on end to hone the skill). While others still have pointed out his charisma that attracted followers. Others yet have pointed to his resilience, he faced dangers almost everywhere he turned once he became a national force, but he kept giving speeches even knowing that there were people trying to assassinate him.

But the thing that I want to point out that is the relationship between being a radical and death and how that impacts the message. During his time, Dr. King was not popular in America as a whole. His approval ratings, particularly among whites, was really low. Even among many liberals. He was seen as a “radical” who was upsetting others around him. The FBI was attempting to dig up dirt on him as an example. But it wasn’t until he was assassinated that people started to change their mind with regards to him.

Once Dr. King was killed, people took at closer look at him. It was in his brutal death that that people (mostly white people) finally started to pay attention to his message and see the brilliance in it and started changing their mind. To the point, that nowadays he is seen as almost godlike.

My point isn’t that he shouldn’t be recognized that way, but rather that we waste a lot of time in life not paying attention to important messages from great leaders. Imagine if Dr. King wasn’t assassinated. He would be 99 years old. Potentially 50-60 more years of great leadership if he hadn’t been gunned down in his prime. If we had just listened to his message before someone thought him too “radical” to go on living. So what great leader, right now, aren’t we listening to that could go ignored because no one saw fit to murder them? What great leader right now aren’t we listening to because they are “radical”?