The Leadership of Martin Luther King

MLK’s Style
Martin Luther King used ethos, logos and pathos in his Letter from Birmingham Jail by appealing to an ethical justification for his stance, making an emotional appeal, and making an appeal to logic. From the standpoint of ethos—or ethics—King states that he is there in Birmingham “because injustice is here” (King, 1963). As a Baptist minister and a leader of the civil rights movement, he feels he has duty and moral responsibility to be Alabama. He notes, moreover, that he did not show up uninvited but rather that because of “organizational ties,” he was asked to come and represent his organization, which had chapters all over. Thus, King was not an outsider inserting himself into regional politics but rather a concerned leader of a group that was directly impacted by the racism in Birmingham and thus he had a moral responsibility to take ownership of the issue.
King used logos—or logic—to make his argument by pointing out all the conditions of the people in Birmingham that virtually called out for demonstrations in the first place. He indicates that he was not making a fuss over nothing but that the “white power structure” actually was a problem there and that since negotiations with the city’s leaders had failed, his people had no choice but to protest (King, 1963). His stance is thus shown to be rational and the result of a logical sequence of actions.
Finally, King uses pathos—an emotional appeal—to convince the reader of his good intentions. He likens himself to the Old Testament prophets who went against the norms of their times to call attention to problems that the people had to face. He likens himself to Socrates, who attempted to teach the Greeks about truth and self-betterment and faced opposition for it. By bringing up these historical figures, King uses the emotional resonance that their stories summon to make his own more compelling.
King’s style of leadership is essentially grounded in the servant leadership style—i.e., in putting the needs of others before his own. He risks imprisonment that others might have a voice. He suffers abuse and criticism that his people might better their own lives. He serves their needs, not his own self-interest. He is also charismatic in his leadership, and draws upon all the tools of rhetoric to enhance his message—ethos, pathos and logos. He uses his charisma to generate a following and get people interested in what he is doing. For that reason, he is both a servant leader and a charismatic leader. These styles are similar to my own, as I also find both to be effective forms of leadership. Effective leaders from MLK to Richard Branson have valued both (De Vries, 1998), and I try to follow in their footsteps to put the needs of my people first.
To increase my own capacity as a leader, I could incorporate what I have learned about ethos, pathos and logos and become more influential as a leader by emphasis ethics, reason, and emotion whenever I am trying to stimulate a change. Ethics or ethos is important first of all because it grounds the change in a moral duty and shows that one has a moral responsibility to embrace the change as it corresponds with the core values of one’s organization. Second, logos or logic could be applied in my approach to appeal to people’s reason: people want to know what the rationale for change is, and if you cannot give them a good reason then they do not see the purpose of altering their ways. So using logic is very important when it comes to being a good leader and making a compelling case. Finally, making an emotional appeal is also helpful as a I leader and I could do this by cultivating a community that honors past leaders and workers who have excelled and shown how to be great.

References
De Vries, M. F. K. (1998). Charisma in action: The transformational abilities of Virgin's
Richard Branson and ABB's Percy Barnevik. Organizational Dynamics, 26(3), 7-21.
King, M. L. (1963). Letter from Birmingham jail. Retrieved from
http://www.bu.edu/irsd/Ec326_2004/material_2004/Letter%20from%20Birmingham%20Jail.htm