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Martin Luther King Servant Leadership

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Leader who Embodies Servant Leadership A servant leader is someone who puts others first. This is a leader who serves their follower but leads at the same time. This sounds contradictory, however, it can be a very effective way. Especially in certain situations that call specifically for a servant leader. A famous leader who embodies servant leadership was Martin Luther King, Jr. He put the needs of other citizens before his own. He did not always want to be a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, but knew he had to stand up for equality (Perry, 2010). King displayed servant leadership behaviors such as putting followers first, helping followers grow and succeed, behaving ethically and was empowering.
Putting Followers First King put followers needs before his own, which is a behavior by servant leaders. He did not plan on being a leader of the Civil Rights Movement as mentioned previously. It all started when boycotters approached him to endorse the boycott against Montgomery buses. Instead, he decided to offer the basement of his church to the boycotters while he went out to speak at a meeting about the equality problem. He put followers first by going against his own comfort to be the leader people needed. He became their …show more content…
There were other followers who took more dangerous, aggressive routes such as Brown v. Board of Education. Martin wanted to help his followers grow into better Christians. He wanted to teach them they could stand up for what they believed in without being violent. He knew violence and aggression was not the only way to succeed. He proved to them that an individual or group of people can succeed by being nonviolent, ethical and Christian like. He not only taught his followers how to grow successfully during the Civil Rights Movement, but for future problems as well. His ideas, suggestions and behaviors are still utilized

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