Marcus Garvey’s Leadership Principles for Modern Enterprises

Garvey’s movement gained international renown and fervor following World War I. He advocated for Africa, supported Ethiopia’s resistance against Italian aggression, and delivered speeches at Speakers Corner and Birkbeck College in London.

In 1916, he moved to America in order to meet Booker T Washington and promote black self-sufficiency. Upon arrival he established two organizations; Negro Factories Corporation and Black Star Line Shipping Services.

1. Intensity

Intensity is a leadership value that involves projecting an attitude of “CAN DO,” inspiring followers to perform better. Similar to passion, intensity entails driving toward specific results rather than striving to meet overall organizational goals.

Garvey’s tireless campaign attracted a considerable following. His dramatic rhetoric articulated the inner thoughts and triumphs of Negro society with vivid detail while promising blacks a future of pride and destiny.

His success attracted an array of opponents. Garvey clashed with European governments and integrationist organizations such as the NAACP (dominated by whites ), as well as African American civil rights leaders who advocated racial integration (including W. E. B Du Bois). Furthermore, Garvey became embroiled in an argument with the Ku Klux Klan over Black Star Line shipping and passenger company founded by him to connect North America to Africa to facilitate African-American migration there.

HR managers must monitor leaders who project an intense attitude that may become overbearing or demanding, especially those displaying overly demanding or controlling tendencies. HR managers must watch out for leaders allowing their intensity to become out of hand; otherwise it can quickly derail organization effectiveness and undermine trust with leaders. Such incidents often stem from stress or personal issues the leader may be dealing with at home.

2. Vision

Garvey made his greatest mark through his ability to articulate and communicate a vision of black self-determination. A master orator, he combined Jamaican peasant aspirations for economic independence with American gospels of success to craft an inclusive vision of racial pride. He extolled great statesmen such as Alexander, Charlemagne, Hannibal, Genghis Khan and Napoleon while encouraging black readers to read major white writers (Elbert Hubbard, William Ernest Henley and Robert Browning among others).

Garvey was described in the UNIA stock prospectus as someone who “expressed with clear articulation the secret thoughts of Negroes,” promising them that skin color should no longer be an excuse for shame but instead become an instrument of glory. Garvey attempted to put this philosophy into action by founding several businesses – Black Star Shipping Line and Negro Factories Corporation were among his ventures – however due to difficulties caused by African government regulation, colonial policies in Americas, and American racism, these endeavors proved in vain.

Garvey advocated participation in local politics, yet was wary that political offices were white-dominated and that involvement could divert blacks from their ultimate goal of reclaiming Africa as an independent nation. Garvey criticized Haile Selassie’s Ethiopian government and eventually moved to London where he continued working towards his goals until his death on June 10, 1940. Although his movement eventually faded in America, UNIA survived in Jamaica and Canada while his ideas continue to influence movements such as Rastafari and Nation of Islam.

3. Commitment

Commitment is an invisible quality that’s hard to see but very real. Leaders who foster commitment can harness it as an asset to get things done even during difficult times, especially by rewarding and acknowledging people’s efforts through gifts or rewards for effort or achievement, upgrading equipment, offering training sessions, sharing new perspectives or simply sharing knowledge among team members. A key to commitment lies in appreciating people’s efforts. Leaders who recognize this can create a culture of appreciation within their group by giving gifts or rewards in appreciation of individuals’ efforts as part of building commitment – such as gifts or rewards given as part of commitment efforts by acknowledging and rewarding people’s efforts through gifts or rewards or recognition when awarding people’s efforts are recognized or appreciation; leaders who foster it can mobilize a team effort when things need to get done through challenging circumstances – this creates loyalty among members to facilitate this in exchange of providing training or sharing of information between colleagues – as this type of appreciation creates lasting commitment within any group or organization by sharing knowledge between members – creating appreciation among participants by showing appreciation through gifts or rewards given out at intervals during efforts or rewards given out at regular intervals recognizing efforts when recognized recognizing or rewarding achievements or upgrading equipment upgrades or providing training, upgrading training opportunities or offering new perspectives being provided with sharing informational exchanged among themselves within this way sharing of appreciation among their colleagues within.

Garvey was convinced of the need to form a pan-African national organization similar to American Civil Liberties Union or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People after experiencing life in America firsthand. He started speaking publicly and working in print shops for support; trips back home reinforced this need. Trips to England (his “mother country”) and Costa Rica reinforced his views regarding black independence from white control while Duse Muhammad of Egypt, editor of African Times and Orient Review became his friend.

Garvey’s life demonstrates how a compelling vision can galvanize a group. Leaders must communicate this vision clearly to everyone involved, making clear they want their time, talent and heart invested into its realization. Furthermore, leaders need to fully commit themselves to this vision if they wish for people to believe what they preach – those that inspire this type of commitment from followers are most successful leaders.

4. Integrity

Integrity is an essential trait of leadership that includes honesty and fair dealing. Leaders with integrity can convey to followers that they can trust them, encouraging them to follow in their direction and take risks with greater ease (Meyer et al. 1995). Integrity also gives followers confidence that things will work out in the end (Meyer et al.).

Garvey first came to prominence on the African American scene in 1916 when he came to Harlem, New York City, to promote his ideas of black self-sufficiency and return of descendants of slavery to Africa. He quickly established a sense of black pride while emphasizing their historical dignity.

Reeves also sought economic independence from white-dominated societies and established businesses such as the Negro World newspaper and Black Star shipping line to link North America and Africa and enable mass migration of blacks to Liberia. His efforts met considerable resistance, especially from black leaders such as social-democratic trade unionist A. Philip Randolph and African Blood Brotherhood founder Cyril V Briggs; negro publishing magazines Chicago Defender and Crisis also waged campaigns against his separatist agenda.

Garvey attempted to revitalize his following through Black Man magazine during this period and by undertaking speaking tours around North America and the Caribbean; between 1936 and 1938 he held annual conventions in Toronto where he instituted his school of African philosophy.

5. Flexibility

As a leader, you must adapt to change as it arises – an ability our research has highlighted as essential to developing leadership competencies. Being quick and flexible when responding to new situations quickly is one of these competencies that you should nurture as part of a leader’s skill set.

Flexibility is an essential quality for leadership, helping you maintain productivity even during times of change and uncertainty in the work environment. Furthermore, flexibility enables leaders to adapt various leadership styles as per the needs of their team or situation.

To cultivate flexibility, try understanding your natural communication style using an assessment tool such as Everything DiSC or MBTI (my preferred choice). Pay particular attention to how you react in high-stress situations as this may reveal which leadership style best demonstrates flexibility.

Emotional flexibility is another crucial aspect of being flexible, helping you adapt your approach to transitions that include feelings of change. Leaders who possess emotional flexibility know how to listen and respond appropriately when their team members express concerns; they use decision-making frameworks such as pros and cons or cost-benefit analysis when considering various options before reaching a decision; they tolerate ambiguity as they recognize that not every problem can be solved immediately; finally dispositional flexibility enables leaders to balance optimism with realism for greater resilience when dealing with challenging circumstances.

6. Accountability

Accountability is one of the key traits leaders need to hone. An accountable leader accepts responsibility for mistakes, provides full transparency on future plans and actions, and encourages his or her team to do the same. For instance, when software development firms fall behind on important projects, their CEO may make public apology statements, offer overtime work arrangements or set clear and quantifiable targets for future milestones as a sign that his/her leadership needs work on progressing more rapidly.

Garvey was born into a middle-class Afro-Jamaican family in Saint Ann’s Bay. At 14 years old he left school and apprenticed himself in print trade before joining Jamaican nationalist organizations. Later traveling through Costa Rica, Panama and England before returning home where he founded UNIA (Unified Native African Network in America) with its primary purpose being the spiritual unification of Africa.

Garveyism, as his movement became widely known, caused division among black communities due to his militant racial stand and demand for an African Orthodox church which left him alienated from traditional black religious denominations. Garvey was strongly opposed by prominent leaders including A. Philip Randolph of Socialist Labor Party and Cyril V Briggs from African Blood Brotherhood respectively and W.E.B DuBois who saw Garveyism as segregationist movement.