For this project, you are to choose a leader from any field (e.g., business, education, religion,
military). The leader may be alive or dead. The leader may also be from any “level” (e.g.,
international, national, state, community). Your task in Project 1 is to study the leader and
describe them from the perspective of the first chapters of the textbook. In other words, you
will describe the leader’s development (how did they get to be a leader?), the leader’s methods
of influencing others, the leader’s values, traits, and behavior. [The Follower/Situation Paper –
Project 2 will require you to analyze the followers, situation, and their interactions with the
leader].
Topics to Cover
1. Setting/Leadership Development (This topic is introductory and should be limited)
a. What is the leader’s educational background and work history?
b. How did this history influence their development as a leader?
c. How does the leader demonstrate an ability to learn from experience?
d. Give a brief description of the followers and environment in which the leader
acts.
2. Definition of Leadership (This topic is introductory and should be limited)
a. Who are the members of the organized group being influenced?
b. How is the leader’s influence evident in the followers (i.e., what changes are
observable)?
c. What are the group’s goals (i.e., their direction and purpose)?
d. How is the process of influence observable as enacted by the leader?
e. How did this person end up in a leadership role? How were the criteria by which
they were selected (formally or informally)?
f. How is leadership success defined around this person?
3. Power and Influence (This topic is a major topic and should be expansive)
a. What are the primary sources of power used by this leader?
b. What are the primary types of influence tactics used by this leader?
4. Values (This topic is a major topic and should be expansive)
a. What are the primary values driving the leader?
b. How has the leader confronted tough ethical dilemmas?
c. Has the leader made any sort of effort to include people of different
backgrounds in the group’s progress?
5. Traits (This topic is a major topic and should be expansive)
a. What are the leader’s personality characteristics (use the Five Factor Model or
OCEAN as a framework)?
b. How would you describe the leader’s intelligence (use the triarchic approach as
well as the emotional approach)?
6. Behavior
a. Where does the leader fall on “The Leadership Grid”.
b. Does the leader engage in any self-defeating behavior (or does he/she
specifically avoid them)?
c. Is there any evidence that the leader changes his/her behavior (e.g., according
to the situation or according to the followers)? Note that this final issue sets up
Project 2.
You should not simply rely on your “impressions” as you answer these questions. You should
have evidence or specific examples whenever possible.
Specific Details on Paper
1. Paper must be 8-10 double-spaced pages (not including cover or work cited pages.
Papers too short or too long will result in a 6 point deduction per page over or under
the required pages.
2. Paper should be completed in a Word Processing software. Font should be 12-point
Times New Roman or a similar font and have one-inch margins all around. Failure to
meet these criteria will result in a 20-point deduction.
3. Proper Citations is required for this paper. APA, MLA and Chicago Citations Styles
are all acceptable. Please pick the system you are most familiar with and use it
throughout your paper.