“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!…I still have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream – one day this nation will rise up and live up to its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream…” — Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963
These words, excerpted from King’s speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington, are the heart of one of the greatest speeches of the 20th Century. Ironically, “I have a dream,” was an extemporaneous addition to his prepared remarks. The gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, stood behind him and as King was approaching the end of his speech said, “Tell them about the dream, Martin.” So he set aside his prepared remarks and concluded his speech with a riff that he had used before in his preaching and speaking. It is the riff, more than the prepared section that propelled his speech to immortality. What is it about dreaming that proved to be so stirring?
Pragmatism is one of the defining attributes of American culture. Phrases like, “So what?” and “Prove it” are hallmarks of life here, especially in business. Ideas, theories, and especially “dreams,” invite attack. Envisioning the future is especially risky. Woody Allen brimmed with irony when he said, “I have seen the future. And it is very much like the present, only longer.”
The night before the speech, one of King’s advisers, Wyatt Walker, told King, “Don’t use the lines about ‘I have a dream…It’s trite, it’s cliché.” King’s speech met with only mild approval in editorials immediately after. Others were less impressed. Anne Moody, an activist from Mississippi, wrote, “I sat on the grass and listened to the speakers, to discover we had ‘dreamers’ instead of leaders leading us. Just about every one of them stood up there dreaming. Martin Luther King went on and on talking about his dream. I sat there thinking that in Canton we never had time to sleep, much less dream.” ((Both quotations are from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/martin-luther-king-dream-speech-history)) Malcolm X wrote in his autobiography: “Who ever heard of angry revolutionaries swinging their bare feet together with their oppressor in lily pad pools, with gospels and guitars and ‘I have a dream’ speeches?” Within five years, King’s movement, based on nonviolent resistance to racism, had been marginalized by race riots, black radicals, and a drifting mission: King’s opposition to the Viet Nam War and his advocacy of guaranteed incomes cost him the support of political moderates and conservatives.
Yet over the ensuing years, the “I Have a Dream” speech gained iconic status. Some would attribute this to King’s oratorical skills. King anchors his plea to end racism in quotations from sources guaranteed to move the emotions of a broad spectrum of listeners: the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and the Constitution. Like an Old Testament prophet, he seems to speak for a people and their destiny. Simple phrasing and the use of repetition ensure the grasp of his essential points. And his baritone voice conveys authority.
But rhetorical devices alone don’t explain the significance of the speech. Its power lies in the word, “dream.” In it, King expressed a vision of a better world, a vision that gained traction and unarguably changed attitudes and government policies. In this, there are lessons for business students and professionals.
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The first task of a leader is to shape a vision toward which others can strive. Leading is about galvanizing people—but around what? “Where there is no vision, the people perish” says the proverb. ((Proverbs 29:18)) If you intend to lead, you must have a dream or vision. Otherwise, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there,” as Lewis Carroll wrote. America may have a pragmatic culture, but pragmatism without dreams is rudderless.
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The dream comes from looking over the horizon. Former business professor Theodore Levitt once said, “The future belongs to people who see possibilities before they become obvious.” Business marketers understand this intuitively. But there is a critical nuance here: visionary leadership is not opportunism. A naïve reading of the biography of Martin Luther King or of other transformational leaders such as Gandhi, Mandela, Walesa, and Gorbachev, might lead one to conclude that “circumstances changed; he saw his chance and took it.” No, we respect these leaders because they changed the circumstances by virtue of a courageous look at the way things might be as opposed to the way they are.
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Not just any dream: the vision must be compelling enough to withstand challenges, discouragements, and obstacles. King and his compatriots faced laws, jail, police dogs, fire hoses, beatings, and pepper spray—yet they persisted. And the dream must be actionable, such as advocating the repeal of segregation laws and restrictions on voting rights. Dreams without a touch of pragmatism are effete. Ultimately, the dream must entail a call to action: “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
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Business needs dreamers. Think of Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Edwin Land, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison and the host of creative people who imagined fantastic alternatives to the way things used to be. Martin Luther King shows us that imagining an alternative to the way things are is foundational to creating a better world. Business is a necessary part of creating that world. Dream about a better world and then shape a vision for others to follow. Do you value a clean environment? Safety and peace? Equal opportunity? Abundant food and shelter? Health and well-being? Employment for the willing? A good standard of living? Freedom? … Dream on and shape a vision for leadership.
This is my last blog post as Dean of Darden in which I celebrate the life of Martin Luther King (for earlier items, see this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this). Why have I done this? Why bother? First, Martin Luther King Day is a wonderful teachable moment in which to reflect on leadership. I believe that business education should, first and foremost, aim to develop a new generation of leaders (not merely technicians!) to tackle the new problems that come along. King’s life helps us envision the leadership we need. Second, I value norms of tolerance and respect for diversity in society and therefore hope to promote these norms. Needless to say, the growing diversity of American society demands such tolerance and respect in the rising generation of business professionals. Schools that ignore diversity and inclusion do a disservice to their students. The Darden School itself is a work in progress: the high quality of our educational experience depends importantly on our inclusion of diverse students, or, as Darden Professor Martin Davidson says, “embracing the weird.” Finally, I draw strength for my own work as a leader from the example of Martin Luther King. My 33 years as a teacher lead me to conclude that you become the examples that you study. I have a long way to go to become like King, but as he would say, I’m keeping my “eyes on the prize.”
Pause for a moment this Martin Luther King day to reflect on his example and how you might benefit from it.