Leadership Assignment

Leader Profile

Many argue that the single largest variable in organizational success is leadership. Effective leadership can transform an organization and create a positive environment for all stakeholders. In this assignment, you will have the chance to evaluate a leader and identify what makes him/her effective.

Consider all the leaders who have affected your life in some way. Think of people with whom you work-community leaders, a family member, or anyone who has had a direct impact on you.

• Choose one leader you consider to be effective. Write a paper addressing the following:

1. Explain how this leader has influenced you and why you think he/she is effective.

2. Analyze what characteristics or qualities this person possesses that affected you most.

3. Create a leadership scorecard to assess this leader. You decide what scores to include (e.g., scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest) but be sure to assess the leader holistically across the critical leadership competencies you feel most important (e.g., visioning, empowering, strategy development and communication).

4. Critique this individual's skills against what you have learned about leadership so far in this course.

o How well do they meet the practices covered in your required readings?
o How well have they adapted to the challenges facing leaders today?
o If you could recommend changes to their leadership approach, philosophy, and style, what would you suggest? Why?

• Using the module readings, the Internet including general organizational sources like the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, or Harvard Business Review, build a leadership profile of the leader you selected. Include information from personal experiences as well as general postings on the selected leader from Internet sources like blogs. Be sure to include 2-3 additional resources not already included in the required readings in support of your leadership profile.

Write a 5-7-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.