Barak Obama

Speech in Cairo&

Comparisons to MLK

Transformational Leadership

Style of leadership in which the leader identifies the needed

change, creates a vision to guide the change through inspiration,

and executes the change with the commitment of the members of

the group.

Transformational Leadership

Individualized ConsiderationIntellectual StimulationInspirational Motivation

Transformational Leaders

They identify themselves as change agents.

They are courageous individuals.They believe in people.They are value-driven.They are lifelong learners.They have the ability to deal with

complexity.They are visionaries.

Obama’s Leadership Style

Find examples from his speech in Cairo to demonstrate his leadership style and his beliefs on what it takes to make change.

Do any of these examples sound like transformational leadership?

Building Consensus

Find examples in the text where Obama is trying to build consensus, and/or point out similarities between seemingly disparate groups to bring people together.

In doing so, does Obama work to create a shared vision?

Cross-Cultural Communication

Find examples in the text to demonstrate Obama’s ability to identify with and/or demonstrate his understanding of other cultures.

What effect does this have on followers?

Lessons Learned from MLK

Find examples in the text that reflect lessons learned from MLK (specifically in “Letters from a Birmingham Jail”) about leadership and creating change.

Similarities with MLK

Martin Luther King, Jr. made his “I have a dream” speech on August 28, 1963. 45 years later, to the day, Barak Obama made his acceptance speech as the first African-American president of the United States.