Conviction Over Conformity

The power in building a consensus

One of the greatest embodiments of servant leadership was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose dedication and sacrifice made the world a better, more just place. While he did not intentionally set out to lead the civil rights movement, his strong desire to solve social problems and philosophical beliefs in love and nonviolence served as a guiding force in his life. A sense of moral obligation is what drove him to take a stand and serve his community, and those morals anchored his decision-making and leadership style throughout his career. 
 

But a movement cannot take place on the strength of one man alone. In a time of great uncertainty and fear, King was able to summon passion and support through decisive communication. A highly skilled orator, his words struck a balance between being militant enough to keep people aroused to positive action, yet moderate enough to keep the fervor within the Christian doctrine of love. His “I Have a Dream” speech from the 1963 march on Washington is one of the most iconic speeches in American history and continues to inspire people today. And at the time, it galvanized an oppressed community to rise up and advocate for equal rights, for overdue change.

However, King’s devoted following can be attributed to more than his powerful words. True to the tenets of servant leadership, he put his followers ahead of himself. His own life was immensely burdened, yet he stayed the course. He was put behind bars 19 times and the FBI recorded more than 50 death threats against him. He survived multiple bombings and was placed under continuous surveillance—and even blackmailed—by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. And despite growing criticism from more aggressive members of the civil rights movement, he never wavered from his position of peace and instilled confidence and self-esteem in those around him. Consequently he channelled a great deal of pent-up rage into nonviolent action. This empowered his followers to take their lives into their own hands.

Throughout his steadfast conviction to nonviolence, King was flexible in the means he employed. Over his career he used boycotts, marches, protests by children and clergy, open letters, refusing or accepting bail, flooding jails with arrests, using black gangs as parade marshals to keep them from violence during marches, and building relationships with political leaders. These methods earned both loyalty and criticism, the latter stemming from impatience at the pace of change. Some viewed King as too soft and too accommodating. Some warned him that he risked losing touch with people in the ghetto and his views on nonviolence were out of step with the times. Yet he doubled down on his position and stated that he was more interested in molding consensus, rather than seeking out an already-formed consensus.

Getting a large group of people to agree is a challenge, especially when the stakes are high. Building a consensus is a continual process, not an end goal, and a strong leader helps guide the group toward a common solution rather than attempting to achieve unanimity.

Jan-Benedict Steenkamp is the Knox Massey Distinguished Professor at Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of Time to Lead: Lessons for Today’s Leaders from Bold Decisions that Changed History. Visit www.jbsteenkamp.com  Connect Jan-Benedict Steenkamp