Martin Luther King, Jr. On Leadership Provides Common Sense Insights on Leadership

Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips (ISBN 978-1-60024-801-6, Hachette Audio), does more than share the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. In Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership, Donald T. Phillips gets to the core of Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership abilities and style. Phillips isolates the principles that made Martin Luther King, Jr. a leader who gave momentum to the social reform inherent in the Civil Rights Movement and put Martin Luther King, Jr. into the history books.

In Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership, Donald T. Phillips starts with a humble Martin Luther King, Jr., a reluctant, but resolute leader who responded to a need. Martin Luther King, Jr. was willing was serve, but he also realized he didn't know everything and made it a practice to listen to his mentors, listen to those with more experience and to listen to those he sought to lead. Martin Luther King, Jr. realized that in being a good listener he built trust and rapport.

Martin Luther King. Jr. based everything he did for the Civil Rights Movement on three basic values-faith, integrity and non-violence. More than a few times, his demeanor, fearlessness, and actions calmed a volatile situation. He worked for dialogue rather than confrontation, but did not back down on principle. On those he remained firm.

Involving others and innovation also were leadership principles Martin Luther King, Jr. built upon as he put together the coalition for the Civil Rights Movement. He recognized people were more willing to support organizations in which they had a stake, a say and helped create. King always tried to involved others in the mission, focus, goals and actions of the Civil Rights Movement organizations.

From Christianity and Ghandi he learned that peace and love, in the long run, works better than force and violence. But peace isn't pacifically. It meant that one stood for principle, right and truth, but did so without aggression. He would compromise where he could, but not when compromise betrayed the core goals of the Civil Rights Movement. As Donald T. Phillips points out in his audiobook Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a humble man who stood for principles of freedom for all and refused to back down. He used a great many methods to achieve the goals of the Civil Rights Movement, but was not afraid to change and refine techniques that did not prove effective. King didn't lock himself in to one way of moving the Civil Rights Movement forward.

Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership reveals important King principles of creating an overall vision backed up with clearly defined goals and proper planning. Donald T. Phillips shares in Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership not only did Marting Luther King, Jr. develop goals to attain, he also recognized the Civil Rights Movement, and anything a person or organization seeks to accomplish, is best accomplished in small, simple steps.

Martin Luther King, Jr. involved others by sharing stories. He used simple themes that he continued to repeat. He used slogans and debunked myths. He brought together a diverse group of individuals and groups, uniting them with an overall vision. And, he sought to keep them in the loop. He was inclusive, not exclusive. Martin Luther King, Jr. was careful with his words. Donald T. Phillips in Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership shows how Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired with his actions as much as with his words. He didn't sit behind in a fancy office directing the Civil Rights Movement. King was on the front lines.

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in giving credit when things when well and in taking the blame when they didn't. He was a leader who inspired a whole nation by his drive to achieve, willingness to sacrifice for the Civil Rights Movement and what he believed in, willingness to be real, be vulnerable, and to stand for principle.

In Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership, Donald T. Phillips, talks about how King would take a negative situation and work to turn it around to make it work for the Civil Rights Movement in a positive way. His attitude and actions drew others to him, because he did not hog the spotlight. King knew how to listen and how to delegate.

Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips highlighted some basic Martin Luther King, Jr. leadership qualities. He made sure to keep focus on the overall vision by placing events in context. He took the "high road," appealing to ethics and morality and the virtue of the purpose for which they sacrificed. He advocated for truth., was an encourager and always tried to set a good example. Most of all, he knew how to move forward, maybe in small steps at times, but always forward. While Martin Luther King, Jr. lived and breathed his principles, he cared about others, found ways to inspire, encourage and involve them, recognized the most import thing about leadership-- reaching goals is a shared victory. .

Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips reveals Martin Luther King, Jr.'s very real leadership skills, but does so against the backdrop of a man willing to sacrifice it all for freedom. America, the world, needs more leaders like Martin Luther King. Jr.