Maynard Jackson
When many think of Atlanta, Georgia they think of peaches, hot weather, and southern hospitality. So one might wonder how does a city that started off as a railroad city become home to the 1996 Olympics and the World’s Busiest Airport? Mayor Maynard Jackson played a big part in making those things happen. Through his visionary leadership, change management approach, ethical leadership & critical thinking methods, Maynard was able to transform a little southern town into a world class city. Moreover, the positive qualities of Jackson can be directly tied to my own experiences as a leader in the Air Force.
Visionary Leader
Born in 1938 in Dallas, Texas, Maynard Jackson was no stranger to visionary leadership. His maternal …show more content…
One of those events was establishment of the neighborhood planning unit (NPU) system of public involvement for city residents. Established in 1974, the NPU system was created to provide a mechanism for citizens to participate in planning initiatives, receive information from all levels of city government, and provide input on city plans and proposals (Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr., (n.d.). Due to its post-Antebellum and Civil Rights history, Atlanta’s racial divisions were the norm. African Americans were disenfranchised and were not given opportunities to have input on any issues their communities faced. In order to implement a mechanism to put an end to this practice, Maynard used critical thinking to establish the NPU system. According to Lesson CF03-Critical Thinking (2014), one of the characteristics of a critical thinker is one with an independent mind or a free thinker (p. CF03SG-4). Maynard did not conform to the status quo by continuing with the same manner of engaging citizens. His independent thinking allowed him to be open to new ways to empower African Americans, similar to what his grandfather did with the founding of the Atlanta Negro Voters League. No other mayor before him was more empathic to the needs of the African American community. Through the use of critical …show more content…
Eight months later my flight was the best in the maintenance group and I was able to generate 18 A-10 aircraft in 10 hours (remarkably better than the previous subpar of six A-10 aircraft in 12 hours). In this instance I learned that you have to explain your vision to your subordinates if you want change. Once you have the buy-in of your vision from your team, you can move a mountain, which is what we did. Using transformational leadership inspirational motivation I empowered my team, improved performance, and they put in the extra effort to go the extra