leadership styles of two historical leaders, Martin Luther King Jr and Winston Churchill

leadership styles of two historical leaders, Martin Luther King Jr and Winston Churchill

From the fundamental unit of a family to large organizations or nations, effective leadership is an indispensable element required for the achievement of their goals. Leaders influence the behavior of their followers, aligning it towards the success of the set goals. In the course of history, there have been great leaders who have inspired major transformation that people still benefit from today. There has also been a share of poor leaders who have led nations into massive destruction. Either way, these leaders were able to influence people to behave in a certain way that either led to positive or negative outcomes. This paper will analyze the leadership styles of two historical leaders, Martin Luther King Jr and Winston Churchill, who effectively influenced their followers and led them towards achieving their goals.

Martin Luther King Jr was a Christian minister and activist who vehemently fought for civil rights of the black community that was experiencing racial injustices. He became one of the greatest voices to speak against racial injustice in America. He still influences people today to embrace equality and to reform systems that foster equal rights for everyone. Martin Luther King Jr was a transformational leader who influenced people to embrace his vision of an America where everyone enjoyed equal rights.

A transformational leader effectively communicates his vision to his followers, making them envision the great future they will enjoy once they achieve their goals. Martin Luther King Jr is the perfect embodiment of a transformational leader as he is famously remembered for his historic speech, “I have a dream… “. In the speech, he precisely articulates his dream of a future united America, where everyone is treated with dignity and accorded their human rights. By creating a clear picture for the future he desired for the people, he influenced them to embrace his vision and to fight for civil rights.

Jackson (2013) contends that Martin Luther King Jr effectively influenced his followers by persuading them to take up his dream of a positively transformed America that was free from racial injustice and to fight for it. He challenged the status quo of racial discrimination and influenced people to adopt new ways of doing things. For instance, he influenced the black community to demonstrate and not to accept the racial discrimination they were facing. He also influenced them to boycott buses that were segregating them and to embrace other means of transport such as shared taxis.

Given the enormous impact he had in America, Martin Luther King Jr will always be remembered as the transformational leader who championed civil rights in America for the black community and prompted reforms to end racial injustice. On the third Monday of January, Americans observe Martin Luther King Day, which is a national holiday when they remember him and honor his exceptional leadership in fighting for equal rights.

Winston Churchill was a British prime minister whose significant achievement was leading Britain into victory during the Second World War. He embodies a charismatic leader who was a man of the people. His persuasive communication and dominant personality enabled him to effectively encourage people to remain hopeful and valiant during the tough time of war. Just like Martin Luther King Jr, he gave inspiring speeches that influenced people to be brave and fight for victory. More so, he shared with them his vision of preserving Western civilization and free governments against the dictator, Adolf Hitler, who was influential in Nazi Germany and was determined to conquer Britain.

The effectiveness of a charismatic leader is mainly based on the trust that people have in their leader. At the crucial time of the Second World War, the British trusted Winston Churchill to lead them into victory (Cohen, 2012). By trusting in him, Churchill’s followers believed in his vision of defeating Adolf Hitler and were inspired to fight for victory courageously. Their leader thought they could and would win. Consequently, they also believed it because they trusted him to lead them into success. His followers viewed their charismatic leader as a hero who would achieve the victory he promised.

Charismatic leaders are bold and decisive. Winston Churchill exhibited these traits by boldly declaring that Britain would defeat the invading Nazis. He then strategically guided his people towards victory. In addition to that, Winston Churchill used his appearance to appeal more to his people. He always had a spectacular appearance and stood out with tall hats, bow ties, and cigars. Such an appearance increased his charismatic appeal making him more credible to his people.

Winston Churchill positively influenced his people by successfully leading them during the Second World War. He inspired his soldiers to fight courageously during the war by assuring them that they would win. He will always be remembered as the great leader who protected his people from an invasion and won the Second World War against Nazi Germany.

The two great leaders are very similar because a transformational leader is often successful if he or she is charismatic. People are more likely to buy into the transformative vision if their leader’s personality appeals to them. Both Martin Luther King Jr and Winston Churchill influenced their people by giving inspiring speeches where they articulated their ideas for the people to also take them up as their visions. They were both great communicators who could give powerful speeches and appeal to people’s emotions. Besides that, both of these leaders exhibited great courage. Winston Churchill stood up against the then indomitable Adolf Hitler while Martin Luther King Jr stood up against the authorities that were perpetuating racial injustice.

The leadership styles of Martin Luther King Jr and Winston Churchill differ based on the fact that Martin Luther King Jr’s leadership was mainly focused on transforming or changing things in America regarding racial injustice. Winston Churchill, on the other hand, was not attempting to change the status quo but only leading his people in the war against an invader.

Besides being a transformational leader, Martin Luther King Jr can also be considered a servant-leader. He selflessly committed himself to serving others and put the needs of others ahead of himself. He always accompanied his people during demonstrations and faced the same danger they faced. His servant leadership was particularly evident when he was jailed in the state of Alabama for protesting against the treatment of black people in the state. Although he was not from that state and things were not as bad at his state, he courageously went to the state of Alabama to protest for other people and ended up in jail for it. He asserted that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere and was ready to fight for justice anywhere in America.

Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr were both great leaders who set great examples that current leaders should emulate. The quality that stands out for both of them is their ability to articulate their visions and persuade people to believe in them. They were great leaders because they had visions that they made their followers personalize as their own. As a result, they were motivated and acted accordingly to achieve the articulated visions.