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Sometimes as an engineer we think of things only in terms of engineering. A tool isn't limited to a chisel, or a linter. Other types of tools include algorithms, economic theories, coping mechanisms, and strategies. When I think of a tool..ok, after I am done thinking of some PHBs I've had and some current political candidates, after that..I think of a thing that facilitates performing some activity for yourself or for others by making it some combination of easier, faster, cheaper, better performing. The 'for others' part is critical, because that is big part of leadership, in my mind. With that in mind, was Dr. Martin Luther King a tool builder? His area of focus that he's most known for is civil rights. He created, and taught, strategies for non-violent protest, strategies for bringing disparate communities together so they had a louder collective voice. He crafted speeches that inspired people of all walks of life at the time, and continue to inspire 60 years later (His 'I have a dream' speech was in 1963), and I think will inspire people at least another 60 years. He treated all people equal. In his later years he spoke out against the Vietnam War. and called for a bill of rights for all Americans. The very pattern of his life is a tool, a model for young men in how to behave, how to protest, how to live. While many, many people worked toward this goal - a great portion of the credit goes to Dr. Martin Luther King for the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. I would count myself as have lived a great life as a leader if at the end I have achieved a tenth of the tool building Dr. Martin Luther King did. |