Knock at Midnight: Inspiration From

¶ … Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. is perhaps known as the world's greatest modern leader. He changed the face of American society by spearheading an initiative towards civil rights for African-Americans.

Dr. King's leadership style was developed through his education as a Preacher and within his sermons he states that his "first calling and greatest commitment" was to be a preacher of the gospel.

King's leadership style is to use his personal presence and public speaking ability to draw in large audiences. Then he combines a strong and aggressive personality with his passion and beliefs to make him a very respected and powerful leader. His greatest strength is his speaking ability, in which he can utilize his oratory skills to convince millions of people of his ideas. Another underrated ability is his personable attitude and ability to communicate one on one with individuals.

Dr. King's greatest impact on modern leaders is his commitment to nonviolent protesting. This philosophy, adopted from Ghandhi allowed him to advance the cause of civil rights through the arena of politics rather than through violence and civil upheaval. The ultimate result is that it has left a legacy of discourse for current leaders who wish to instill change.

The reason that he is such a great leader is that he was able to unite so many disparate people into common causes. This is evidenced by the fact that he united many different divided churches into one progress unit during the early stages of the Civil rights campaign, as well as unite many different protest groups that would ultimately turn into the NCAAP.

In Their Time: The Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)

The greatest leaders of the last past hundred years have greatly transformed the face of America and the world. This book focuses in on many of these figures who will transcend time to become major figures within history.

Sam Walton is one such leader that has redefined how leadership is portrayed and the unique skills that a leader within the modern era must possess.

The authors argue that Sam Walton posses an "contextual intelligence," which is defined as the ability to "read and understand the context of the times and seize the unique opportunities within them" (NOTATION).

Walton's leadership style is very subtle, he relies on his core integrity and solid beliefs to promote value within his employees and gains the trust of his customers. Sam Walton's stores never had more than 20% mark up on products, because he believed so strongly in the core of providing and integrating value.

Walton has greatly influenced current leaders, because his company has become the model company that values ethical and value oriented concerns as well as profit. Walton's strong belief in giving back to society for instance, has created a culture where Wal-Mart now demands that all of its manufacturers use "green" methods of production to preserve the environment.

The reason that Walton was such a great leader was that he always stayed true to his foundational values, instead of pursuing greater wealth. As a result, his integrity created a strong respect within others that allowed both employees and customers to feel strongly connected to him and increased their willingness to follow him.

Leaders and People in Biblical Stories (Paperback) by James a. Fischer

This book details the rise of many biblical leaders, chief among them Moses.

Moses was a great leader because he was able to inspire an entire people to rise up against their suppressors. His leadership style was a combination of his oratorical strength and his strong personal character.