Leaders are guided by certain traits and characteristics, which helps to overcome some of the challenges they face in the leadership activities. The leaders are bold people and they not always conduct their operations because of the material benefits they get. The concept of nonprofit and public leadership can be explained by the political leaders who guided people to fight for their rights. In the case of John Lewis, for example, an ethical leader who believed in fighting for the welfare of the people despite the opposition he would come across. Lewis even risked his own life as he fought for the civil rights of the people (Editors, 2018).
The leadership theory that describes the style Lewis used is the transformational approach. A transformational leader is the one who works in collaboration with the followers so that they can create change for the benefit of all. The transformational leader is guided by various skills, traits and behaviour. They have the ability to pass a point and convince the followers that it is the right thing to do (Shelton, 2012). These leaders are a servant, and they thus lead by example. They are involved in all the operations of the servants, such as the field operations. It helps in understanding what the followers are going through thus helping them by improving their life.
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There are lots of characteristics which exhibited Lewis as a transformational leader. In 1960, Lewis joined other leaders during the fight for the civil rights, and they formed the “Big Six” to gain more strength in achieving a better life of the African Americans. Lewis grew up when racial segregation was taking place in 1940, and he thus understood the negative effects that were associated with it. He knew the harm it caused to the black people, and he wanted to create a difference. To do so, Lewis joined the Civil Rights Movement, through the inspirations of Martin Luther King Jr. Lewis could be referred to as a freedom rider, an indication that he participated in all the movements that were taking place so that he could support groups that were fighting for the rights of the black people. In the American Baptist Theological Seminary, Lewis learnt the nonviolent way of protesting and assisting organizations to fight for the rights of the black people. He, therefore, led many nonviolent demonstrations which guided people in doing the right way by not engaging in violence as they would end up hurt. As the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Lewis was able to use the power of speech to convince people of the political, social and economic changes the black people required in their society and it was their duty to fight for it.
The leadership style of being an example to bring change reflected by the transformational theory in several ways (Shelton, 2012). Lewis led by example through participating in the demonstrations that the African Americans held so that they could fight for their right. At some time, Lewis was elected in the Congress, and he was able to represent the segregated people, thus achieving one of the leadership goals of ensuring political representation for these people. Lewis was an ethical leader who was not guided by any individual needs but the fight for the rights of the African Americans who were discriminated against and required a change.
Reference
Editors, B. (2018, January 19). John Lewis Biography. Retrieved from Biography: https://www.biography.com/people/john-lewis-21305903#synopsis
Shelton, E. J. (2012). Transformational leadership: Trust, motivation and engagement. [Bloomington, Indiana]: Trafford Publishing.
