Martin Luther King Day is a great time to reflect on the\nwords of one of the greatest orators in modern history and draw inspiration\nfrom his many speeches, including, of course, his famous \u2018I Have A Dream\u2019\nspeech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
King was unquestionably a great leader, and there are few\nbetter sources of inspiration to draw from. \nHere are just a few of the most important lessons you can draw from the\nman\u2019s words, and how they can be applied to managing your business:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unflinching, Unwavering Honesty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n King lived and spoke during a time when African Americans\nwere still marginalized and facing a great many struggles. He didn\u2019t shy away from speaking about those\nhard truths, even though hearing some of his words made many uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In business, we often face rocky, uncertain futures. The best managers will speak frankly and\nforthrightly about the challenges and struggles ahead and not sugar-coat the\ntruth. Unflinching honesty is hard, no\ndoubt, but it is necessary and in the end, always appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inspiring<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While King opened his most famous speech by outlining the\ndaunting challenges faced by African Americans living during that time, he did\nso not to depress his audience, but to inspire them. The next part of his speech was filled with\nsoaring rhetoric about what was possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you\u2019re not a master orator, you can still inspire\nyour employees by speaking with passion about the brighter, better future that\nawaits if everyone stays the course and overcomes the challenging obstacles\nthat lay before you. Vision is\ninspiring, and if you want your employees to follow you and to give their all,\nyou have to give them a vision worth getting excited about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Urgent Calls To Action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not enough to outline the current reality in stark,\nuncompromising terms and offset this with a bold vision of the future that\u2019s\npossible. Getting to that point requires\nconcerted action in the now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one person can make your vision a reality. It requires sustained effort by everyone in\nyour organization, and that sustained effort needs to begin immediately. King understood this, and if you want your\ncompany to thrive, you must understand it too, and instill a sense of urgency\nand immediacy in your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acknowledgement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, King was quick to acknowledge the sacrifices others\nhad made in pursuit of the goals he was trying to achieve. He didn\u2019t make it all about him. He didn\u2019t hog the spotlight and downplay the\ncontributions of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This too, is a critical skill all managers should seek to\nembrace. It\u2019s your company, but it\u2019s not\nall about you. Your company lives or\ndies based on the contributions and efforts of the employees who work for\nyou. Recognize them. Acknowledge them. Reward them, and they will reward you with\neven more action, effort and sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King was a great, inspiring leader. While you may never match his level of\nrhetorical mastery, you can take the lessons gleaned from his speeches to heart\nand make them an integral part of your managerial style. If you do, you\u2019ll become a better, more\ntrusted, more inspiring leader, and that\u2019s a very good thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Martin Luther King Day is a great time to reflect on the words of one of the greatest orators in modern history and draw inspiration from his many speeches, including, of course, his famous \u2018I Have A Dream\u2019 speech. King was unquestionably a great leader, and there are few better sources of inspiration to draw […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-employee-engagement"],"yoast_head":"\n