The success of a 21st century leader requires having strong leadership acumen. Some of the traits, which make good and effective leaders, include risk taking, self-control, caring, modesty, resilience, motivation, and sense of humor. Congressman John Lewis has shown effective leadership in Georgia’s 5th district since 1987. John Lewis demonstrated high level of cultural intelligence, resilience, decisiveness, unselfishness, tact, courage, enthusiasm, and loyalty to his course, which have made him the greatest leader and inspiration he is nowadays https://essay-edge.net/

Introduction

To become successful in this globalized working environment, the leaders must show effective leadership styles. Moreover, an effective leader must show basic leadership characteristics, such as risk taking, self-control, caring, modesty, resilience, motivation, and sense of humor. John Lewis has shown traits of an effective leader throughout his career as an activist and politician representing Georgia’s 5th district. Specifically, the respective characteristics that him an effective leader for multicultural settings, such as Georgia’s 5th district, include high level of cultural intelligence, resilience, decisiveness, unselfishness, tact, courage, enthusiasm, and loyalty to his course of ensuring a just community devoid of ethnic and racial segregation.

Background

John Lewis was born in 1940 in Try, Alabama, during the time when serration was a problem in the United States. Congressman John Lewis joined congress in 1987 to continue championing for the rights of people, which he started during the civil rights movements of 1960. During his early days, he was against social segregation. The Sermons of Martin Luther King Junior played a critical role in influencing and shaping the life of Congressman John Lewis.

After attending the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Tennessee, he acquired knowledge about peaceful and nonviolent protests, which enabled him to organize sit-ins during lunch hours. Later in 1961, he participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961, where he challenged the segregated facilities counted in the south, including the interstate bus terminals.

John Lewis’ actions have contributed to explaining the kind of a leader he is currently. Moreover, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating committee elected John Lewis in 1963 to be their chairperson. During this time, he was able to organize and lead a march of Washington, where he was one of the young speakers. During this time, he was under pressure and reorganized his speech in a way that other organizers of the event could be pleased. However, he continued to deliver a powerful speech, which reiterated the need for social, political, and economic changes. He told the masses and the people that it was their responsibility to introduce these benefits. During this march, Civil Rights Act became law, thereby highlighting some of John Lewis’ achievements. However, the black Americans did not have permission to vote in the south. Consequently, he led another march in Alabama, which turned violent after being ambushed by the state troopers. The violence during that event was extremely great to be ignored and subsequently, the Voting Rights Act was made into law, adding to the achievements of John Lewis.

Lewis has held high profile leadership positions since 1981, when he first ran for office. After getting into House of Representatives, he has gained respect as one of the most articulate and visionary leaders in Georgia’s 5th district. As a Congressman, John Lewis has managed to encourage changes, reforms, and improvements in the healthcare. Furthermore, he has led committees, which have achieved multiple renewals of Voting Rights Act.

Organization

Congressman John Lewis currently represents Georgia’s 5th Congressional district. Georgia’s 5th district is a thriving and growing region, including parts of Fulton, and Clayton counties. Other important cities included in the 5th district include College park, east point, Lake City, Brookhaven, South Fulton, Morrow, and Hapeville. According to the most recent estimates presented by the bureau of statistics, almost 750,000 people live in the 5th district. African-Americans comprise about 58 percent of the 5th district population, whereas the Whites consist one-third, and the remaining 5 percent are Asians. In addition, the median household income in Georgia’s 5th district amounts to $48,000, which is slightly higher than the average household of entire Georgia State. However, this number is lower than that of the national household average income, which is estimated to stand at $56,000. This shows that as compared to other congressional states, the household average income of Georgia’s 5th district is below average.

According to Peebles, about 1 in every 6 persons in this district lived in poverty in the previous year. In 2015, census bureau estimated that 8.2 percent of Georgia’s 5th district population was unemployed, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 6.3 percent. One important achievement of this district is that nearly 9 out of 10 people living in Georgia’s 5th estate had high school certificates or education beyond high school, with at least 4 out of 10 Georgia’s 5th district residents possessing a bachelor’s degree. In addition, the district boasts of the headquarters of Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola Company. However, the largest sector, which employs people, is the construction industry with over 12 percent of the Georgia’s population depending on this business. Management and remediation services employees involve 11.9 percent of the population, while 11.8 percent of the inhabitants are employed in the management of companies and enterprises sector.

Although the crime rate in Georgia’s 5th estate has generally subsided over the past decades, there have been requests for creation of a gun violence task force in order to solve cub problems of homicides. However, the rise in the number of homicides in this district is in proportion to the current national trends in major cities across the United States, the latter being in Texas City.

Leadership characteristics and philosophy

Leadership traits are corresponding characteristics or the personal features, which shape an individual. Over the years, Congressman John Lewis has managed to show some characteristics and personal qualities, which have shaped and defined his leadership traits and philosophies.

Decisiveness is one of the string characteristics, which describe John Lewis’ leadership style. Over the past years, Lewis has made certain decisions, which, despite leading him into jail, many times have managed to build his profile as a determined and visionary person.

It is beyond any doubt that Lewis is tacit, and this has been portrayed in his ability to deal with people in a manner that improves good working relationships and avoids problems. Furthermore, John Lewis has strong initiative characteristics, which have helped him to be the leader he is today. As a representative of 5th district, he has managed to initiate many decisions, which have contributed to better healthcare and lower crime rate in Georgia’s 5th district.

The enthusiasm John Lewis has shown over the past few decades is tremendous, and this has defined his current leadership philosophies. It is worth noting that due to John Lewis’s enthusiasm to change the current social segregation status in Georgia and in America, many African Americans can enjoy their human rights and freedoms.

John Lewis has shown over the past years that he is unselfish person. In addition, he reported that he had been hand cuffed almost 57 times and spent time in jail for many years in order to eliminate social segregation. Moreover, if he had been a selfish person, he could have not sacrificed his life for others by leading demonstrations in the front. As a leader, he showed Loyalty to his course. There is no politician who has the level of endurance, which John Lewis has shown over the past years. Courage, being an understatement, is one of the anchors of John Lewis’ leadership philosophies.

Why Congressman John Lewis is effective in a multicultural Setting

To be successful in this 21st century, the effective leaders must show certain multicultural leadership acumen in order to be able to deal with and lead a diverse community or working place. Georgia’s 5th district is a diverse community, but John Lewis has shown that he can lead this group after successfully representing the district for the past 2 decades. One of the primary tenets of a good multicultural leader, which John Lewis has continued to demonstrate, is his high level of cultural intelligence. John Lewis has been aware of the diversity in Georgia’s 5th district communities and has fought for their inclusion in major social services without discrimination.

Considering the facts presented above, John Lewis is an effective leader for a place, such as Georgia’s 5th district, which is a multicultural settings. His personal traits, which helped him to become a leader, include his high level of cultural intelligence, resilience, decisiveness, unselfishness, tact, courage, enthusiasm, and loyalty to his course of ensuring a just community devoid of ethnic and racial segregation. John Lewis has managed to represent Georgia’s 5th district for the past 20 years as a result of showing good leadership acceptable to all the communities living in the district.