Dr. King’s dream inspires us to have equal rights for women to lead

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday honors the minister, civil-rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose accomplishments have continued to inspire generations of Americans. Dr. King’s philosophy and leadership style continues to inspire WINGS leadership.

WINGS CEO and Founder, Varsha Waishampayan, left a successful career on Wall Street to start a women’s leadership development non-profit when her father echoed Dr. King’s sentiment. Her father told her,

“You should give back with what you have learned. There is never a bad time to do good; it’s just a matter of priorities.”

Chairperson of the WINGS Board, Dr. Bob Eng wishes men, women, and children across the country and around the world celebrating Dr. King’s birthday: “WINGS joins like-minded men and women around the globe to advance the cause for a more just world…much remains to be done to reach Dr. King’s dream.”

Dr. Eng adds, “A visionary and leader who fought for a more just world, he is a towering role model for all of us. Many of his words ring as stirringly today as they did when he spoke them. ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’”

For the WINGS team, Jan 20 this year is not just a day to celebrate the phenomenal Civil Rights activist’s life and legacy, it is also a day to reflect on his leadership style that continues to inspire. The WINGS 2019 cohort mentees are inspired by Dr. King’s leadership style. R&D leader, Dr. Dilek Uzunalioglu, says, “Leadership is about developing a purpose, explaining it clearly and further building it by listening and asking questions, finally motivating the crowd to accomplish the purpose successfully. I believe the following quote from Dr. King says it well: ‘A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.’”

Dr. King’s leadership style was truly transformative. WINGS Mentee and Consultant Senior Project Manager, L’Oreal, Santhi Nithi continues to be motivated by his vision. She says, “I believe in Dr. King’s transformational leadership that sets a vision to the team, makes the team believe in their capabilities, dream big on what is possible, and make their work fit in the broader company strategy by empowering them and giving them authority to take actions on what they believe in.”

Dr. King placed emphasis on character and lived his life with courage and integrity. Dr. King wrote, “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” We at WINGS believe that integrity is an important aspect of a mentee’s character and is worth striving for. Leaders with integrity help build trust and strengthen businesses as they are able to attract investors, customers and talented professionals.

As we commemorate this special day, the WINGS team would love to hear about what inspires you most about Dr. King’s leadership style.

About the Author:

Sheeba Madan Loewinger is the Business Manager at Little Silver Foot Care. She has a multi-faceted background in marketing and communications. She is a mentee of the WINGS Signature Program 2019 cohort.