On the surface, Martin Luther King, Jr. seems like the prototypical Charismatic leader. He was an extremely skilled public speaker who motivated millions of people during a time of oppression. However, I was surprised after reading these two articles that this was not necessarily the case. It was shocking to read about MLK\u2019s flaws; it always seemed like he was this untouchable idol, but learning that he was unfaithful to his wife and struggled with self-confidence, he became more human. Carson also points out that King\u2019s prestige was more of a force than the power he actually had, which goes along with the idea that appearance is more important than reality in the case of a Charismatic leader.<\/p>\n
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Regardless of his flaws, King possessed many of the traits of a Charismatic leader that we discussed in class, the two most important being style of communication and emotional intelligence. Carson explains that King\u2019s delivery method when he was speaking was like a pastor in church, but the ideas he was communicating were rebellious and non-traditional. This provided King\u2019s audience with a sense a comfort, allowing King to pass along his message without immediately being met with resistance. Carson also describes how King was able to reach both black and white audiences effectively. Obviously, this was a difficult task given the social climate at the time, and it shows how emotionally aware King was of who was listening to him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the surface, Martin Luther King, Jr. seems like the prototypical Charismatic leader. He was an extremely skilled public speaker who motivated millions of people…<\/p>\n