Three Things You Should Do About Martin Luther King Day

Three Things You Should Do About Martin Luther King Day

Why You Should Care: You might feel no enthusiasm for MLK Day, unless you have an extra holiday off from work. Yet a careful study of the man and his work would help you in your own daily activities.

The Civil Rights Museum: A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. Honestly, I wouldn’t have bothered unless a colleague had dragged me to the center. We had worked a long day and all I wanted was to return to the hotel and crash. Yet I’m so glad that he brought me along. The entire museum is well interpreted and engrossing, but it was the cell where Martin was jailed after the Birmingham march that drew me in.

MLK and Conflict: King had attempted to obtain a permit before he and his followers marched in Birmingham but had been unable to do so. He decided to march anyway. The authorities threw him in jail where he wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” In the museum, you can sit on the bed in the actual cell while a recording of his voice reads the letter.

I put my hands on the bars and could feel the vibration of his words. The letter brought tears to my eyes. A group of white Christian pastors had written King before the march, and urged him to forgo the event, arguing that he should wait for a better time. King’s response in his letter was to point out the obvious: that African Americans had waited two hundred years to receive the same rights as white Americans. They had waited long enough.

I don’t know about you but if I’d just been thrown in jail, I would probably be crying and trying to call my Mom, not writing a civilized and persuasive letter to those with whom I was in conflict.

What Should You Do?

Look for Models: In my books, articles and presentations about conflict I write and speak about the need to look for models of effective conflict management. See the links below. Resolving conflict is difficult and tiring, looking at the way others have managed helps keep us encouraged. Certainly, MLK can be one of the most inspiring.

Want to Resolve a Conflict Fast? Here’s How to Settle a Dispute Like Herb Kelleher

What Are the Two Most Important Skills Leaders Need to Resolve Conflict?

What’s the Surprising and Most Effective Way to Resolve Conflict at Work?

Educate Yourself and Others: A good place to start for you and your staff is a recent Podcast from the Apollo Theater, The Strategic King: Martin Luther King’s Visionary Leadership.

MLK did more than inspire, he also crafted a strategy that helped him leverage the media, politicians and citizens to move civil rights and lead a generation. Many of his strategic moves can help any leader with her goals.

Assume Leadership in Conflict: In the Birmingham struggle, it would have been easy for any leader to collapse in his jail cell and do nothing until his release. Yet that wasn’t the MLK strategy. He always looked for ways to resolve conflict with his non-violent methods and bring others along. You can do the same.

What Do You Think?

What are the most effective workplace conversations you’ve experienced or witnessed? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com