Leadership Essay

27 August, 2020

12 minutes read

Author:  Richard Pircher

As a college student, you must write essays on a regular basis since the latter is one of the most common types of home assignments. All this means is that in order to get good grades and be successful with writing the papers, you need to have a sound understanding of the structure. Additionally, what you should never neglect is the variety of essay types. Indeed, your essay will significantly differ from one type to another: description essay will most likely have a structure that is slightly different from an argumentative one.

Leadership Essays

What you may have already encountered in your academic life is the work on a leadership essay. Although it sounds pretty complicated and vague, it is mostly possible to master an essay on leadership. Below is a guide for you to get an insight into this particular essay type.

What is a good leadership essay?

A good leadership essay is the one in which the essay writer has fully covered the topic of leadership and understood its core ideas. More specifically, to end up with a flawless leadership essay, you will need to indicate what makes a person a good leader. For achieving the latter, you will most likely need to conduct research and trace how a particular person reaches his or her goals. In other words, the task is to discover which actions the person undertakes, what their followers say about him or her, and how the person organizes the work. So, a leadership essay implies providing real-life success examples and further revealing them.

Above all, a good leadership essay is the one that follows a precise, clear, comprehensive structure. Structuring your essay about leadership in the most coherent way leads to a win-win situation: you have fewer troubles and barriers to writing a brilliant essay, and your teacher is able to comprehend the essay easily. This guide is what you will need to refer to to get an insight into how the flawless structure for a leadership essay looks like and how it will let you take a benefit.

How to write a Leadership essay?

To write a leadership essay that stands out, you first need to brainstorm all the ideas that you have and come up with a topic for your essay. If you are struggling with this step, you may think of some of the most influential people, read about them, and find out what makes them unique. Or, you can pick any topic which is mentioned at the end of this article. After you have chosen an issue, it is time to structure your essay appropriately.

how to write a leadership essay example

As you already know, an essay constitutes three essential sections: introduction, main body, and conclusion. Below is the more detailed description of each of the parts.

Introduction

Of course, your leadership essay introduction will always vary depending on the topic of the essay. However, you can always begin by stating your vision of leadership regardless of the topic. Additionally, to motivate the reader and instantly catch his or her attention, you may use a quote of a famous leader, or simply a quote which you find relevant to the topic. Be aware that you should avoid outlining the essence and the role of the leadership in your introduction; leave it for the body paragraphs.

What you may also do in your leadership essay is ask a question, which will most likely intrigue the leader. Or it will at least give your reader an overview of what you will dwell on  in your essay.

Body Paragraphs

You will need to divide the main body into 3-5 paragraphs to make the structure more comprehensive. What you have to do at this point  is  give your reader a sound understanding of your ideas. Therefore, try to fit each idea in a single body paragraph so that you do not confuse your reader. Do not hesitate to indicate your examples to strengthen your arguments. For instance, you may explain a fact that makes a particular person you are writing about a real leader.

Also, always stick to your thesis statement and don’t forget that the body paragraphs should reveal the parts of your thesis statement.

As you may already know, you need to restate your opinion and briefly summarize all the points from the main body in conclusion. For instance, if you wrote your essay on qualities of an effective leader, state the most fundamental qualities and indicate why they matter the most. Besides, try not to copy what you have already written in the body – it is better to restate your opinion using different words. And, of course, beware adding any new and extra information; indicate only those points that you have already outlined in the text. Finally, keep in mind that it is always favorable to keep your concluding remarks short.

leadership essay

Leadership Essay Examples

Writing a leadership essay requires some research and time. In case you feel the necessity to go through an essay example, below is a leadership essay sample you can refer to.

Is leadership an inborn or an acquired feature?

Is everyone capable of becoming a leader, or is this ability innate? A lot of researchers have been struggling to answer this question. One assumption about leadership implies that the leader is the person who possesses particular characteristics. Another assumption claims that leaders are capable of acquiring specific features over their life span. As the evidence shows, leaders own many features that distinguish them among others and make more and more people become their followers. These might be cognitive abilities, psychological traits, professional qualities, and a lot more, and all of them will be either acquired or innate. Based on the importance of leadership qualities, such as commitment, stress resistance, and the ability to make quality decisions, it is reasonable to claim that leaders are made, not born. 

One can deem commitment as one of the top fundamental qualities of the leader. In essence, such a feature indicates that a person is passionate about the common goal, strives to be a team player, and makes every effort to reach a shared goal. As the history shows, none of the successful companies was uncoordinated by an influential, committed leader: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft – all of these companies are examples of dominant teams led by a dedicated leader. A committed leader also inspires his or her team to achieve common goals and put more effort into the shared activity. Besides, commitment is unlikely to be an innate feature; it instead comes with experience. This is so, since commitment implies dedicating oneself to the shared task, and one can reach it only via learning and continuous self-improvement.

Stress resistance is another incredibly important feature that every good leader should possess. This is because only a stress-resistant leader has sufficient capabilities to overcome any complexity and not let the anxiety and stress prevent him or her from making proper decisions. Besides, such a leader will most likely have a positive influence on the team, as long as leading by example will motivate the team members to attain the same emotional stability. What is so far familiar about stress resistance as an effective leader’s feature is that it can be either innate or attained. However, although some researchers admit that emotional stability is something one is born with, it is not entirely true; many people still put a great effort into self-improvement, changing the attitude to unfortunate situations, and so on. Therefore, being resistant to stress can be mostly attributed to a personality.

An ability to make high-quality decisions most likely determines the chances for an enterprise’s success. In particular, such quality is incredibly fundamental for a company of any size and professional orientation. Additionally, it is one of the top tasks of a good leader to make final decisions. What he or she should do implies brainstorming, discussing various opinions in the group, making forecasts, analyzing all the pros and cons. However, the leader is the one to make a final decision. Thereby, he is in charge of researching the market, discovering all the hidden truths, and analyzing the organization’s potential and capabilities to result in the most effective decision. As it flows logically from the latter, an ability to make sound quality decisions is purely a professional quality. This leads to the conclusion that one has to work hard to become a genuine leader and master the skill of making effective decisions. 

Overall, the leader may possess a multitude of different skills and master them perfectly. However, what has so far become transparent is that any leader, regardless of which team he leads, must possess three essential qualities. These qualities are commitment to the common goal, ability to handle and resist stress, and, finally, an ability to make effective decisions. All of the three qualities are most likely to be acquired over a lifetime. The statement below leads to the conclusion that even though some qualities can be innate, most are not the ones that leaders are born with. Hence, this answers an essential question: leadership feature is acquired, and not necessarily inborn.  

20 leadership essay topics

When coming up with your next leadership essay topic, it is imperative to brainstorm ideas and think of what leadership might be related to. If you are struggling with a topic of the importance of leadership essay or any relevant type of essay, you may quickly take a look at some of the possible topics we prepared for you:

  • What are the main qualities of the leader?
  • Successful Time Management as a feature of an effective leader
  • The role that rhetoric plays in leadership
  • The most exceptional leader in the history of the 20-th century
  • The role of female leadership
  • What are the challenges of the leader of the 21-st century?
  • How college helps students develop leadership skills?
  • Qualities of the leader that motivate people to follow them 
  • Top things to avoid doing to become a team leader
  • Examples of effective and ineffective leadership in the history
  • Top techniques for developing leadership skills
  • The interconnection of creativity and leadership 
  • Is a university’s role fundamental in developing leadership skills?
  • Dictatorship as an anti-example of leadership
  • Liberal vs Authoritative leadership: which one works better?
  • The influence of the leader’s role model on the followers’ mindset
  • Main difficulties that the new leader may face in a new team
  • Leadership of today vs leadership of the past: what has changed?
  • Reasons why I want to become a member if the leadership program
  • The role of cognitive abilities for the leader 

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Writing a research paper on ethics is not an easy task, especially if you do not possess excellent writing skills and do not like to contemplate controversial questions. But an ethics course is obligatory in all higher education institutions, and students have to look for a way out and be creative. When you find an […]

Art Research Paper Topics

Art Research Paper Topics

Students obtaining degrees in fine art and art & design programs most commonly need to write a paper on art topics. However, this subject is becoming more popular in educational institutions for expanding students’ horizons. Thus, both groups of receivers of education: those who are into arts and those who only get acquainted with art […]

MIT Libraries home DSpace@MIT

  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • Graduate Theses

Leadership development and its effects on organizational performance

Thumbnail

Other Contributors

Terms of use, description, date issued, collections.

  • Published December 1, 2023
  • 9 Minute Read

12 Characteristics of a Good Leader

What Are the Characteristics and Qualities of a Good Leader?

Leaders shape our teams, organizations, communities, and world.

We need good leaders to help guide us and make the essential decisions, big and small, that keep things moving forward.

Our society is usually quick to identify a bad leader, but how can you identify a good one? What would most people say are the qualities of a good leader?

What Good Leadership Looks Like

Based upon our decades of research and experience working with leaders at thousands of organizations around the world, we’ve found that the best leaders consistently possess certain fundamental qualities and skills. Here are 12 essential leadership traits.

12 Essential Leadership Qualities

  • Self-Awareness
  • Communication
  • Learning Agility
  • Collaboration

TIP: Download an action guide & summary of these essential characteristics of a good leader in PDF format to keep this list of leadership qualities at your fingertips as a reminder.

Infographic: 12 Characteristics of a Good Leader. 1. Self-Awareness. 2. Respect. 3. Compassion. 4. Vision. 5. Communication. 6. Learning Agility. 7. Collaboration. 8. Influence. 9. Integrity. 10. Courage. 11. Gratitude. 12. Resilience.

1. Self-Awareness

While this is a more inwardly focused trait, self-awareness and humility are paramount qualities of leadership. The better you understand yourself and recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, the more effective you can be as a leader. Do you know how other people view you and understand how you show up at work and at home? Take the time to learn about the 4 aspects of self-awareness and how to strengthen each component.

Treating people with respect on a daily basis is one of the most important things a leader can do. It helps ease tensions and conflict, fosters trust, and improves your effectiveness.  Creating a culture of respect  is about more than just the absence of disrespect. Respectfulness can be shown in many different ways, but it often starts with showing you truly value others’ perspectives and making an effort to build belonging in the workplace — both critical components of supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion.

3. Compassion

Compassion is one of the most powerful and important acts of leadership. It’s more than simply showing empathy or even listening and seeking to understand — as compassion requires leaders to act on what they learn. After someone shares a concern or speaks up about something, they won’t feel truly heard if their leader doesn’t then take some type of meaningful action on the information, our researchers have found. This is the core of compassionate leadership , and it helps to build trust, increase collaboration, and decrease turnover across organizations.

Motivating others and garnering commitment are essential parts of leadership. Purpose-driven leaders ensure they connect their team’s daily tasks and the values of individual team members to the overall direction of the organization. This can help employees find meaning in their work — which increases engagement, inspires trust, and drives priorities forward. You’ll want to communicate the vision in ways that help others understand it, remember it, and go on to share it themselves.

5. Communication

Effective leadership and effective communication are intertwined . The best leaders are skilled communicators who can communicate in a variety of ways, from transmitting information and storytelling to soliciting input and using active listening techniques . They can communicate well both orally and in writing, and with a wide range of people from different backgrounds, roles, levels, geographies, and more. The quality and effectiveness of communication among leaders at your organization will directly affect the success of your business strategy, too.

6. Learning Agility

Learning agility is the ability to know what to do when you don’t know what to do. If you’re a “quick study” or are able to excel in unfamiliar circumstances, you might already be learning agile. But anybody can foster and increase learning agility through intentional practice and effort. After all, great leaders are really great learners.

7. Collaboration

The most effective leaders can work with a variety of colleagues of different social identities , locations, roles, and experiences. As the world has become more complex and interconnected, good leaders find themselves spanning boundaries and learning to work across various types of divides and organizational silos. When leaders value and embrace collaboration, whether within their teams or cross-functionally, several benefits arise — including increased innovation, higher-performing teams, and a more engaged and empowered workforce.

8. Influence

For some people, “influence” may sound unseemly. But as a leader, you must be able to influence others to get the work done — you cannot do it all alone. Being able to persuade people through thoughtful use of appropriate influencing tactics is an important trait of inspiring, effective leaders. Influence is quite different from manipulation, and it needs to be done authentically and transparently. It requires high levels of emotional intelligence and trust.

9. Integrity

Integrity is an essential leadership trait for the individual and the organization. It’s especially important for top-level executives who are charting the organization’s course and making countless other significant decisions. Our research has found that leader integrity is a potential blind spot for organizations , so make sure you reinforce the importance of honesty and integrity to managers at all levels.

10. Courage

It can be hard to speak up at work, whether you want to voice a new idea, provide feedback to a direct report, or flag a concern for someone above you. That’s part of the reason courage is a key leadership trait — it takes courage to do what’s right! Leaders who promote high levels of psychological safety in the workplace enable their people to speak up freely and share candid concerns without fear of repercussions. This fosters a  coaching culture that supports courage and truth-telling . Courage enables both team members and leaders to take bold actions that move things in the right direction.

11. Gratitude

Being thankful can lead to higher self-esteem, reduced depression and anxiety, and better sleep. Sincere gratitude can even make you a better leader. Yet few people regularly say “thank you” in work settings, even though most people say they’d be willing to work harder for an appreciative boss. The best leaders know how to show frequent gratitude in the workplace .

12. Resilience

Resilience is more than the ability to bounce back from obstacles and setbacks — it’s the ability to respond adaptively to challenges. Practicing resilient leadership means you’ll project a positive outlook that will help others maintain the emotional strength they need to commit to a shared vision, and the courage to move forward and overcome setbacks. A good leader focuses on resilience, both taking care of themselves and also prioritizing leading employee wellbeing , too — thereby enabling better performance for themselves and their teams.

Characteristics of a Good Leader download cover

Download a PDF action guide and summary of these characteristics of a good leader, so you always have a visual reminder available of these 12 qualities of good leadership.

Develop the Characteristics of a Good Leader in Yourself & Others

Our 3 core beliefs about leadership & leadership development.

At the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)®, we’ve been researching the qualities of a good leader and the role of leadership for over 5 decades. Here are 3 of our core beliefs about good leaders and effective leadership.

Good leaders are made, not born.

First, we believe that leaders are made, not born. Put another way, leadership is a skill that can be developed . Good leaders are molded through experience, continued study, intentional effort, and adaptation. So you can strengthen any of these 12 characteristics of a good leader, if you’re open to growth, use your experiences to fuel development , and put in the time and effort toward self-improvement.

Similarly, organizations can help their people hone these top leadership qualities by providing ample opportunities for training, offering support for learning from challenges, and providing access to coaching and mentoring programs .

Leadership is a social process.

It’s also essential to recognize that  leadership is less about one strong or charismatic individual, and more about a group of people working collectively to achieve results together . If you demonstrate several of the characteristics of a good leader, but fail to grasp this key point, chances are you won’t get very far on your own. You may be well-liked and respected, but it will be challenging to accomplish team or organizational goals. At CCL, we like to say that the  outcomes of leadership are about creating direction, alignment, and commitment, or DAC , within a group.

Good leadership never stops.

Also, we believe that leadership isn’t a destination, it’s a journey   — it’s something that you’ll have to work at regularly throughout your career, regardless of what level you reach in your organization or what industry you work in. Different teams, projects, and situations will provide different challenges and require different leadership qualities and competencies to succeed. So you will need to be able to continue to apply these leadership characteristics in different ways throughout your career. Just continually keep learning and growing, and you’ll be an agile learner with a long career .

We Can Help You Develop the Qualities of a Good Leader

Organizations can strengthen leadership qualities and foster deeper levels of engagement at work through providing a variety of on-the-job learning experiences, mentoring, and formal development opportunities. At CCL, we have many award-winning leadership solutions with clients around the world, and we’d be honored to work with you and your organization as well.

But individuals don’t have to wait to begin strengthening these leadership characteristics within themselves. If you decide you want to work proactively on developing your leadership qualities and skills,  download our action guide & visual summary  of this content. And get our tips on how to  convince your boss to make an investment in you  and your future. We’re here to support you every step of the way on your journey to becoming a better leader!

Ready to Take the Next Step?

After you download the 12 Characteristics of a Good Leader , keep on learning and growing: never miss our exclusive leadership insights and tips — subscribe to our newsletters to get our research-based articles, webinars, resources, and guides delivered straight to your inbox. 

Keep these qualities of a good leader top of mind in the future: download a PDF summary of this article as an action guide and visual reminder of the leadership qualities to nurture in yourself, on your team, and at your organization in the future.

Leading Effectively Staff

This article was written by our Leading Effectively staff, who analyze our decades of pioneering, expert research and experiences in the field to share content that will help leaders at every level. Subscribe to our emails to get the latest research-based leadership articles and insights sent straight to your inbox.

Table of Contents

Don't miss a single insight! Get our latest cutting-edge, research-based leadership content sent directly to your inbox.

Related Topics

What to explore next.

good leadership thesis

With over 30 pages of insights gleaned from our research, this collection of resources includes actionable tips and team discussion questions to help you become a (better) leader with a focus on compassion, wellbeing, and belonging.

good leadership thesis

This introduction to our leadership philosophy explains how direction, alignment, and commitment (the elements of our DAC framework) are key in how leadership works, connecting exponential potential with collective progress.

Want to set yourself apart as a leader? Arm yourself with these 6 essential skills. Our global research study found that organizations will need these 6 key qualities that their leaders presently lack.

Do you know how to effectively communicate at work? It's the core of everything we do, and yet many of us have significant room for improvement. Get our top tips for leaders.

Stepping into a management role requires a fundamental shift of identity. Learn how to be an effective boss and succeed in your new role with our leadership tips for first-time managers.

Related Solutions

good leadership thesis

Learn more about our flagship Leadership Development Program (LDP)®, the most widely known and longest-running leadership development training in the world.

good leadership thesis

Professional leadership coaching deepens and sustains leadership development. Learn more about our world-class leadership coaching services.

good leadership thesis

Learn more about our leadership training courses, which are targeted to develop the skills leaders need to succeed at all levels of your organization.

good leadership thesis

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)® is a top-ranked, global, nonprofit provider of leadership development and a pioneer in the field of global leadership research. We know from experience how transformative remarkable leaders really can be.

Over the past 50 years, we’ve worked with organizations of all sizes from around the world, including more than 2/3 of the Fortune 1000. Our hands-on development solutions are evidence-based and steeped in our work with hundreds of thousands of leaders at all levels.

Center for Creative Leadership

A Full Guide On How To Create Good Leadership Essay

Guide On How To Create Good Leadership Essay

Attempting a leadership essay isn’t such a daunting task, provided you have a grasp of the necessary information needed for a leadership paper. To write this special essay, you’ll need to redefine what exactly an essay on leadership is, how to choose the perfect topic, what should be in the content, and how to organize and structure the paper. Let’s delve deeper!

What Is A Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay is a well-formatted, organized and specialized type of formal writing which elaborates on a generic leadership topic or a superior human figure exercising a great influence on people and transmitting desire and optimism to achieve goals.

What Makes A Good Leader Essay?

There are some peculiarities needed to infuse in your write-up if, for example, you’re trying to learn how to write a leadership essay about yourself.

Also, if you’re just trying to produce leadership essays for college, then you’d first and foremost, learn  how to structure an essay , among other skills needed for this type of essay. Here are some qualities which can be found in a good essay about leadership.

  • Choose a creative topic
  • Avoid the passive voice (the active voice sounds stronger)
  • Search for and study leadership essay examples
  • Follow the appropriate essay style
  • Focus on the essay structure
  • Review the essay

How To Choose A Topic And Make A Great Title?

To choose a topic for a paper on leadership, you need to do some research on the concept of a leader (whether in the corporate industry, political society or even in the criminal world). You have to know the current leadership tendencies in organizational groups or society. You can choose to make a leader the point of your reference by explaining the consequences of their leadership abilities or inabilities.

In the body of your essay, don’t forget to mention several types of leadership styles and point out which one the subject portrays. Finally, you should not rule out making comparisons of famous leaders in the modern world or in history. An example of a great prompt for a leadership essay that deploys the comparison technique would be the leadership styles of President Trump and The Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte as both leadership styles have been subjected to political reviews in recent times since their emergence as president of their respective countries.

Outline For A Leadership Essay

When writing a college or professional essay such as -long and short essays on leadership, planning is the key to perfection. The general outline for any essay, including leadership papers, include an introduction, the body paragraphs (which must be properly linked with transition words and/or phrases) and a recapitulating or finding-based conclusions. Here’s what your outline should look like:

Introduction

Knowing how to start a leadership essay depends on your introduction writing ability. The introduction is the gateway to the essay. Aided by punchy opening words, which are the hook, the purpose of the introduction is to draw the reader’s attention. The introduction presents the thesis statement and leaves the body paragraphs to sustain the reader’s interest.

Body Paragraphs

Having informed the readers of the topic of the essay in the introductory paragraph(s), the body paragraphs follow immediately.

Here, you can elaborate on the concept of leadership and do a meaningful interpretation of the subject – the topic or the thesis statement. Don’t forget to talk about your leadership philosophies and leadership experience in whatever capacity you might have found yourself in. Remember, people are more interested in personal experiences. They are great in helping to sustain readers’ attention.

Remember to state a thesis or hypothesis in the opening paragraphs – which is the intro. In each of the body paragraphs of the essay, try to relate your points to the thesis and use each point to prove its validity.

The conclusion is the end part of any well-structured essay. Its purpose is a no-brainer. You don’t want to leave your reader hanging by ending the essay cold turkey. Any standard essay without a conclusion is just as useless as an essay with no purpose. However, be careful not to present new ideas not mentioned in the body.

As mentioned, the conclusion serves to summarize the developed points, restate the thesis and/or present the findings. It is your last opportunity to create an impression on the reader, and this is where they take the message away. If your conclusion is weak, then we might say the essay’s objectives are not achieved.

What To Include In A Leadership Essay?

Here are some tips on what your leadership essay should include.

Your Definition Of A Good Leader And Why He Or She Is Important

Since your essay revolves around leadership and the traits of a good leader, you’ll need to define what it takes to be one. You may also take this opportunity to trash some common myths on what a leader is (i.e., a manager being confused for a leader).

For reference purposes, the concepts of leadership and being a good leader are explained:

Leadership is the quality of a leader and is that person capable of exercising a great influence on people and transmitting desire and optimism to achieve goals. A leader is a guide; someone with ideas and goals that can spread to a large group of people who still believe he or she can lead them in the right direction.

There are many types of leaders and therefore, of leadership since people generally always look for a person or group that shows them a direction to follow. You can find religious, political, social, or philosophical leadership. Leadership can be exercised in a traditional way. In many countries, there is a monarchy. The king or queen is a leader with limited political power, at least in western democracies, but still have the respect and consideration of the people. Their words continue to be heard and taken into account, especially in problematic times. There are other types of leadership that are not given by birth, such as legitimate leadership exercised by, for example, political leaders freely chosen by their people, or charismatic leaders.

In a way, charismatic leaders are what many understand as leaders since they are people who, by their way of behavior and characteristics, get many people to follow and adhere to their ideas. Some charismatic leaders can become legitimate leaders if they choose the path of politics. A traditional leader can also be charismatic. There have always been kings loved by his people more than others. But it can also be a person who prefers independent movements outside of power.

Charisma is the personal magnetism a person has. It is something very difficult to define but makes one capable of convincing others without too much effort, making people follow and trust the leading figure. Charisma can be used positively or negatively. The leaders of the most destructive sects are very charismatic people that are capable of convincing their followers of the eeriest ideas, including donating all their belongings or committing collective suicide.

Examples Of Your Leadership Style

In the content of your essay, you may consider giving an interpretation to your (or your chosen leader’s) leadership traits. Below are some examples of leadership qualities that separate a good leader from a bad leader.

What qualities are necessary for leadership

  • Communication
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Strategic thinking
  • Commitment and passion
  • Knowledge and experience
  • Leading by example
  • Active listening
  • Ability to enhance talent
  • Setting goals and expectations
  • People investment
  • Discernment
  • Concentration
  • Positive attitude
  • Problem-solving
  • Self-discipline

Leadership Essay Example

To know how to do essay fast, you’ll need some ready-made essay examples for the sake of guidance and inspiration. You may find below a leadership essay written by Oliver Smith useful in your leadership paper.

Writing a leadership essay should be easy. A good essay on leadership starts from the hook, and the thesis statement in the introduction. The points developed in the body paragraphs help affirm the hypothesis. Finally, the conclusion offers the reader a summary through the restatement of the essay’s main idea.

As required for every essay type, your essay on leadership has to follow a definite style and format. Examples are MLA, APA, Chicago and AP styles. Take your time in choosing a creative but new topic and also in writing the content. By following this guide, everything should be as perfect as possible.

Don't waste time

Get a professional assistance from certified experts right now

Menu.

  • How It Works
  • Prices & Discounts

How to Write Leadership Essay in College

Adela B.

Table of contents

If there is one skill that is revered across educational institutions and organizations, it is leadership.

Being the boss or in a position of power is not enough to make you a good leader. Effective leadership comes from the impact you have on people, the respect you garner, and how you manage to walk the talk.

Owing how important the role leadership plays in our personal and professional life, it’s no surprise that students are asked to write leadership essays in college.

The purpose of this assignment is to get them to understand the concept of leadership, reflect on their own experiences, or even assess the leadership style of a prominent leader. Apart from writing skills, this assignment also puts students’ critical thinking skills to the test.

This article will tell you what goes into a good leadership outline, along with 12 practical essay writing tips.

12 Tips on How to Write a Good Leadership Essays

If you think you can go ahead and write an essay on your favorite leader, you are mistaken - grade 5 is long gone.

Leadership essay writing is a lot more layered. It requires you to demonstrate your understanding of the concept excitingly and back it up with solid examples and research.

Don’t panic. Here are 12 tips to help you write powerful and effective leadership essays.

Brainstorm interesting topic ideas

If you are fortunate, you will be given a specific leadership essay topic to write on, but most of the time, students are given the flexibility to come up with a topic of their choice.

Leadership essays need to be personal. By the end of it, the reader needs to understand your leadership abilities. Now you can throw light on that aspect of yourself by recounting your leadership experiences, relating it to the leadership style of a prominent leader, or even comparing two leaders. Regardless of your chosen topic, it’s important to connect it back to yourself.

So, start with enlisting potential topic ideas that would help you throw light on your leadership abilities. Don’t rush through this step - take your time to pick a suitable topic.

Think out-of-the-box

Surprise your audience by thinking of innovative topics and ideas for your leadership essay.

Plain and dull essays are predictable and can get boring after being overused by multiple students for their multiple essays. Your professors can also feel that you are trying to play it safe by not thinking outside the box and giving you an average grade for your essay.

Extraordinary and new ideas get the attention they deserve, and your readers are more likely to find them interesting and get hooked on your essay right at the beginning.

Hook the reader

The introductory paragraph is a crucial one as it lays the foundation for the rest of the essay. Does your introduction entice the reader to know more, or does it induce yawns? It all depends on how you choose to begin your essay.

It’s essential to start with a bang and write an interesting hook from the first sentence. A good hook is written in 1 - 2 sentences and manages to get the reader interested. You can start with a funny experience, raise a startling question, or state an interesting fact - there are various ways to begin your leadership essay and capture the reader’s attention.

Use active voice

“I performed the task with great precision” vs. “The task was performed with great precision” - what is more impactful in the context of leadership essays? The former one.

Unlike an essay or any other academic paper, leadership essays are meant to be personal. They are supposed to be about you. As you share your perspective or experiences, you should use an active voice to make a more significant impact and ensure your message reaches the reader.

Follow the format

Adhere to your academic institution's standards for formatting and styling your leadership essay because, first and foremost, your professors would want to see that you have tackled how to format your essay.

Secondly, it is always good practice to format your essays for an excellent structure and a good presentation of the content in the essay. Some institutions are very strict about their formatting standards and can choose to cancel or give unsatisfactory grades to students who do not follow their specific formatting guidelines.

Avoid cliches

Generally, in leadership essays, cliches are most commonly used to describe the person in the essay at large. Avoiding these set cliches will do you and your essay good.

Cliches like “leaves no stones unturned,” “ahead of the curve,” etc., have been used so much by students that they have become weak, lost their meaning, and have minimal effect on the essays.

Your professors are looking for originality and creativity, whereas an essay full of cliches will appear lazy and uncreative.

Select good references

Leadership holds a variety of sub-topics that addresses the quality of leadership, the style and attitudes that leaders have, historical references of the lifework of distinguished leaders, or how certain leaders influenced events.

That’s why researching is key for a thorough leadership essay. With credible sources and references to take inspiration and quotes from, your leadership essay will gain authority and stature. Each method, skill, or event can be further detailed through helpful resources such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, etc.

Ask questions

Ask yourself questions while re-reading your essay to identify any missing pieces you may have overlooked.

Asking questions also address your essay's efficiency and will help you figure out what your readers could ask while reading your essay. You can then confront each of these questions and create a more precise understanding for your readers.

Share anecdotes

Another element that can really strengthen your leadership essay and take it from good to great is anecdotes.

Yes, don’t shy away from sharing anecdotes and personal experiences related to leadership. It adds credibility to your writing and justifies the points you have made. It can be humorous or life-changing, but sharing anecdotes helps keep readers invested and adds immense value to the essay.

Here’s a helpful video by Matthew Singleton on how you can use anecdotes while writing essays

Focus on key qualities

We know how effective leadership constitutes certain key traits and qualities such as empathy, collaboration, good listener, visionary, ownership, decision-making capabilities, delegation, communicator, and more.

Your essay needs to reflect some of these traits. Instead of choosing to enlist all these traits and not focussing on either of them well, it’s important to first choose which are the traits you want to explore in your essay and then work towards highlighting them while writing.

Get feedback

It is always better to have more than one pair of eyes to read and evaluate your essay. Getting feedback on your writing is crucial for the betterment of your essay, as the limitations and problems that you may not have realized while writing your essay can be identified by a fresh set of eyes or a new perspective.

These errors or misses can be rectified, resulting in a quality, no-error leadership essay.

Edit and proofread

A leadership essay requires attention to detail, a set organized structure, and a logical flow of sentences. Editing your essay and proofreading it will overcome any misses that may come your way.

As you proofread, you can double-check the leader’s name and designation, dates, sources, factual, spelling, and grammatical mistakes, punctuation errors, out-of-place references, and transition flows.

So, now you know that leadership essays are not as ‘vanilla’ as they sound. They need to be descriptive and logical while capturing your leadership abilities.

If you don’t have the time to write a compelling leadership essay or doubt your writing skills, don’t worry. We at Writers Per Hour are pleased to write an essay for you that will get you noticed.

From choosing a suitable topic to outlining and writing a thoughtful leadership essay from scratch, our writing experts promise to deliver precisely what you need - high-quality essays that meet your budget and deadlines.

Share this article

Achieve Academic Success with Expert Assistance!

Crafted from Scratch for You.

Ensuring Your Work’s Originality.

Transform Your Draft into Excellence.

Perfecting Your Paper’s Grammar, Style, and Format (APA, MLA, etc.).

Calculate the cost of your paper

Get ideas for your essay

627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for leadership essay topics to write about? Being both an exciting research area and a practical skill, leadership is definitely worth exploring!

  • 🔝 Top 10 Essay Topics

📃 Leadership Essay: How to Write

  • 🏆 Best Essay Examples
  • 👍 Interesting Essay Topics
  • 🎓 Simple & Easy Essay Titles
  • 📌 Controversial Title Ideas
  • 🥇 Good Topics to Write

✍️ Leadership Essay Topics for College

❓ leadership essay questions.

In your leadership essay, you might want to take a look at the sphere of government or elaborate on the role of leadership in business organizations. Here we’ve gathered most catchy leadership title ideas together with leadership essay examples. There are also useful tips on writing your introduction, conclusion, and formulating a thesis statement.

🔝 Top 10 Leadership Essay Topics

  • Leadership as a research area and a practical skill
  • Theories of leadership
  • Functional leadership theory
  • Autocratic and democratic leadership styles: compare and contrast
  • Task-oriented leadership style: the key features
  • Measuring leadership: the main approaches
  • Gender and leadership in Western countries
  • The concept of leadership: myths and misunderstandings
  • Emotional intelligence and leadership: the connection
  • Leadership in non-human animals

While writing a leadership essay, you may struggle with the subject, structure, titles, and other components. Don’t worry – these tips will help you to write the best leadership paper!

Tip 1. Choose your subject area first. If your professor did not provide specific topics, you would need to select one on your own. In order to do this, you may focus on an area of leadership that sounds interesting to you.

For example, if you consider working in the hospitality sector in the future, write about leadership in hotels or restaurants. Alternatively, you can browse leadership essay topics online and see if that gives you any clarity.

Tip 2. Narrow down the topic. To ensure that your essay earns high marks, you should avoid choosing an area of leadership that is too broad.

A college level paper should offer enough details and depth to receive an excellent grade. For instance, instead of overviewing a bunch of leadership styles, focus on how certain styles impede or facilitate teamwork. This will give you enough to talk about while limiting the scope of your essay.

Tip 3. Don’t confuse leadership with management! This is a common mistake that students make while writing leadership essays. Although the two concepts overlap, leadership is more about beliefs and vision, whereas managerial work is focused on specific tools and techniques.

Thus, a leader may or may not be a manager. To get more familiar with the subject of leadership, research various leadership styles, such as transformational, autocratic, and servant leadership.

Tip 4. Pay attention to the structure. In a great essay, ideas are always well-organized and follow one another in a logical sequence. First, write an introduction where you present your topic and thesis.

Then, write the main body, where you explain the key concepts and the relationships between them by reviewing relevant research evidence.

Lastly, write a conclusion summarizing your key points. A good leadership essay conclusion should also show how the information can be applied in practice.

Tip 5. Seek to answer any questions that readers might have. For your essay to show excellent depth, you need to address the points that might be interesting to readers in connection with your subject area.

For example, if you are reviewing a particular leadership style, you might want to discuss in which settings it would be useful and what are some of its limitations.

To make this part easier, you could search for leadership essay questions online to clarify what kind of answers readers expect you to cover.

Tip 6. Explain the importance and relevance of your paper. Because leadership is focused on effective strategies that can be applied in real life, you need to provide examples of how your essay may be used to support future practice and research.

Can leaders use the information you provided to improve their relationships with other employees? Can the proposed strategies influence performance?

Think about the potential uses of your research, as well as any gaps that are yet to be studied. Highlighting areas for future research will show your tutor that you are genuinely interested in the subject while also helping you plan for future essays.

We hope that these leadership essay tips will make it easier for you to write an outstanding paper! Make sure to check our website for sample essays on leadership!

🏆 Best Leadership Essay Examples

  • Nelson Mandela Leadership Style Mandela’s fight for democracy and fulfilment of the majority will was also seen in his efforts to reconcile Libya with the rest of the world.
  • Reed Hastings’ Leadership Style: Netflix CEO’s Strategy Since the work of a leader is crucial for the performance of the whole enterprise, it is essential to analyze the leadership style of a particular business leader through the perspective of his or her […]
  • Google Democratic Leadership Style – Compared to Amazon Applying behavioural leadership style theories in Bezos and Schmidt’s case reveals that the Amazon CEO is an autocratic leader while the Google CEO is a democratic leader.
  • Transformational Leadership Essay This requires the transformational leader to have the right communication skills to be able to relay the vision they have to a point of winning the willingness of the followers such that they too are […]
  • Frederick Douglass Leadership Personality Traits Report (Assessment) The book was so humorous that he feared that he would be enslaved again for the weaknesses that he portrayed in the American lifestyle and how he was able to trick them with the attire […]
  • Leadership Case Study This is mainly achieved through setting a pace in serving as a role model and creation of a working environment that allows members of the organization or employees to feel honored as part of the […]
  • Barack Obama’s Charismatic Leadership In Obama’s Case, the sparkle and invisible energy as defined by Rao pushed him to the presidency and continues allowing him some loyal following albeit the fact that some are being disappointed by the slow […]
  • Mahatma Gandhi’s Leadership This report is an analysis of the behaviour and leadership style of Ghandi, the transactional and transformative aspects of his leadership and the way he used the power he had to help India gain Independence.
  • Bernard Arnault’s Leadership One of Arnault’s leadership styles entails identifying brands that are preferred in the market and working on enhancing the quality of these brands. Bernard Arnault is a visionary leader who has helped LVMH to attain […]
  • Teamwork and Leadership From diversity to team hierarchy, many factors influence the eventual output of the team, affecting the leader, team members’ performance, and client’s satisfaction.
  • Foundations of Army Leadership BLC This paper examines the foundation of Army leadership, focusing on its levels and leaders’ characteristic features.
  • Esther’s Leadership Qualities Essay The book of Ester narrates the story of a young Jewish woman who rose to the thrones of power but also reveals the life of the Jews under the Persian reign.
  • School Leadership The multi-levelled pedagogic school leaders highly determine the mode of teaching students in schools and the effective application of the learning process.
  • Starbuck Company Case: Howard Schultz Leadership Style Hence, he spends a lot of time with staff and guarantees that the company helps employees to grow both financially and intellectually.
  • Leadership in Organization Leadership is applicable in the nurturing and development of constructive behavior patterns and organizational culture. Charismatic leadership is appropriate for the development of followers.
  • Google Company’s Situational Leadership The current CEO of Google, Larry Page, is a considered a great leader because of his ability to apply situational leadership skills in resolving some of the problems that threaten the success of the company.
  • Foundation of Army Leadership Essay The Army leaders therefore, need to be swift, adaptive, and multi-skilled both in the country and across the world. This ensures obedience of the Army to the authority of the President and his authority from […]
  • Management and Leadership: Nokia Corporation The approach of the company is to have an innovative and outstanding teamwork; though the company has a departmental approach, the company ensures that it has teams in all sections that are mandated and empowered […]
  • King T’Challa’s Leadership in “Black Panther” However, because Black Panther needed the help of the Jabari, he had to suppress some feelings of pride and act in the interest of his people.
  • Toyota’s Culture and Leadership Strategy Toyota’s Leadership and Culture Irrespective of numerous difficulties, the company is still one of the leaders of the industry. To understand the essence of the lean leadership, it is crucial to consider some peculiarities of […]
  • Ken Lay’s Leadership and Enron Company’s Downfall An analysis of Lay’s ethical conduct outlined below is conducted through the prism of Kidder’s ethical checkpoints, the principles of moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, moral character, as well as the CEO’s power and […]
  • Comparison of Leadership and Management In leadership, the leader uses his charisma and influence to elicit the help and support of the followers to achieve goals.
  • Ethical Leadership: Martin Luther King All individuals were expected to consider his actions and embrace the idea of morality. Through the use of a positive community culture and empowerment tactics, King managed to model such desirable behaviors.
  • Mercedes Company: Leadership and Management Essentials The idea behind theoretical investigation is to obtain enough background information on leadership styles, which might be applied to analysing the performance of Mercedes Benz in the light of the theory’s implications on the practice […]
  • Nelson Mandela’s Leadership in the “Invictus” Film The film “Invictus” is a 2009 drama and biography that depicts the challenging initiative of Nelson Mandela to unite the country with the help of sport.
  • The Leadership of Mao Zedong For example, the Great Leap Forward policy resulted in a food crisis that led to the death of many Chinese people. Mao was assertive in the development and implementation of his policies.
  • Warren Buffett’s Leadership in Berkshire Hathaway The analysis is conducted within the appropriate business context after the examination of the history, structure, and organizational culture of Berkshire Hathaway.
  • Leadership Style: Reflection and Analysis The concept of leadership is an essential part of the modern world due to the fact that it is one of the key determinants of successful management.
  • Servant Leadership Research Paper | Term Paper In the context of organizations, leading entails the leader consolidating the efforts and resources of the organization and focusing on the future by setting up a vision for the organization which it intends to achieve […]
  • Howard Schultz’s Leadership Style: Strengths and Weaknesses These results are in a large part due to his leadership style which can be characterised as transformational, the strengths of which are openness to new ideas and creativity, and among the weaknesses can be […]
  • Leadership: Portfolio Project I will start by conducting a comprehensive analysis of my background in order to understand the factors that might have defined my leadership qualities in one way or the other.
  • Leadership Self-Assessment Essay To a butcher, the organizational goals of increased productivity, the input of both the individual and groups in the organization remains invaluable. To this end, the strengths and weaknesses that are inherent in my style […]
  • Meg Whitman – Leadership Style: What Do People Do When They Are Leading? This is due to the fact that it influences the extent to which employees are committed to attainment of the set organizational goals.
  • Leadership Evaluation: Sir Richard Branson By the early 1990s, the airline had become the centerpiece of Branson’s interests and the capital needs of the airline made it necessary for him to acquire more capital.
  • Autocratic Leadership Versus Participative Theory It will also critically analyse the effectiveness of both participative and autocratic leadership styles in an organisation to determine the most appropriate style to be adopted for the success of an organisation.
  • Marriott International Leadership This paper aims to present the analysis of the prevalent leadership style typical of executives and directors in Marriott International; to discuss the connection between the leadership style and ethical practices; to determine possible ethical […]
  • Walt Disney and Henry Ford Leadership Styles Disney devoted his time to art and had a dream of becoming a leader in the animation business. The employees started to fear him and could avoid the lobby whenever Disney was passing.
  • Bill Gates’s Leadership and Impact on Organization This problem grew out of the practice that was common in Microsoft to challenge the ideas of one another, doubt them, and put them to the test.
  • Conrad Hilton Leadership Styles and Principles Leaders in this category want to transcend the basic needs of a human being and to have a sense of life success.
  • Participative Leadership: Strengths and Weakness The paper gives an overview of the approach, followed by the strengths and weakness of participative leadership. Organizational leadership, more so the approach of leadership is critical to the performance of an organization.

🎓 Simple & Easy Leadership Essay Titles

  • Leadership in the hospitality industry His success in business has been attributed to the manner in which he attends to details such as research and collection of information, provision of clean and high quality products and services, and the logical […]
  • Delta Airlines Company’s Traditional and Digital Leadership The aviation industry is one of the most performing sectors of the economy, generating considerable revenues to the respective airline companies across the globe.
  • Leadership in the Management Practice: “Our Iceberg Is Melting” by John Kotter The resultant effect is that the taskforce charged with the responsibility of implementing change does not achieve the intended objective According to Kotter, developing a clear vision is critical in the process of implementing change.
  • The Model of Primary Leadership Skills Theo was more successful in the role of manager of the new facility’s development than he was as the operations director because he needed to lead various groups of people that would help him to […]
  • Organizational Culture & Leadership: Whirlpool Corporation At the heart of the discussion of management and leadership are the concepts of goal setting and results. Common to both managers and leaders is the focus on the results they produce, which are based […]
  • Mark Zuckerberg’s Leadership Style Shareholders have complained about his leadership and failure to increase the stock price of Facebook, and others have claimed he is socially inept and too young and immature to be a CEO of a multi-billion […]
  • Elon Musk’s Leadership Style and Accomplishments His business acumen is exemplified by his massive successes that he has achieved, mainly as the CEO of Space X and Tesla Motors, as well as other businesses, including Neuralink, the Boring Company, and Open […]
  • Servant Leadership in Indian Culture and Hindu Religion The basis of this approach is the reorientation of the values of the leader, who considers the empowerment of followers as a means and goal of his activity.
  • Leadership and Personality Traits of Hovard Schultz Schultz was able to look at the business from the client’s point of view and considered the client’s needs when expanding Starbucks across the globe.
  • Relationship between Leadership and Management Additionally, it is apparent that the only constant in the business world is change, and for this reason, for employees to be sure of coping with such changes, there is need for them to acquire […]
  • Democratic Leadership Styles and Patient Outcomes Democratic leadership positively impacts patient outcomes as it influences nurses to participate in all processes of the organization and contribute to its development.
  • Orpheus Orchestra’s Leadership and Organizational Practices The orchestra satisfies the needs of every member. This permanent leadership encourages every member to be part of the orchestra.
  • Leadership Behavior: Ratan Tata and Emotional Intelligence This shows that Ratan Tata, as a leader, was not eager to compete but rather searched for options to expand the market through acquiring businesses.
  • Nursing: Leadership Development Plan I utilize the nursing process and evidence-based practice to work collaboratively with the core team, including the patient, staff members, primary care provider, registered nurse care manager, and patient support technician, and expanded team, including […]
  • Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Malcolm X’s Leadership Styles Thesis: Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both charismatic leaders, but the latter was more of a transformational leader as well because of his idealistic views and his ability to inspire his followers to […]
  • Leadership Style of Richard Branson This means then they should have the will to use the power they possess together with the employee to execute innovative ideas brought forwards by the employees According to Branson, another quality of a leader […]
  • James Madison’s Leadership Qualities It is only through humble submission as evidenced by the willingness to listen to the admonition and suggestions of a superior that the qualities of a good leader can be established in the person’s heart […]
  • Effective Leadership: What It Means It is very imperative to bring a change in the organization and only successful leaders can bring this change in their organization and their team.
  • Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore’s Leadership Hal Moore’s courage to fight on despite the odds that had afflicted his men was the major driving factor that led to the victory of his group over the Vietnamese.
  • Leadership at The New York Times Newspaper Wisdom comes in handy when the leader is balancing the interests of shareholders such that the leader’s actions lead to the common good.
  • Jim Jones Leadership Traits In essence, Solomon says that the core element of leadership is trust, which can make the group members to increase their commitment and devotion to the group.
  • Red Bull Project’s Effective Leadership Measures However, the product failed to create wave in the market as expected and it is believed that the main cause of the failure was lack of proper leadership.
  • Colonel Novak’s Effective Leadership Behavior In the case of Colonel Novak, he strived to spent time with the individuals in his unit at work and when off duty portraying consideration as effective leadership behavior. In addition, effective leadership is the […]
  • Thyressa Williams’ Leadership Interview One of the most important aspects of leadership, according to the interviewee, is the ability to recognize and acknowledge talent amongst the people a leader is working with.
  • Leadership Theory and Practice via an Account of BP’s Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill From the perspective of a rig operator, one of the morality issues that seem to be inherent at BP is the failure to follow the right procedures in making the rig machinery.
  • Leadership and Management In the analysis of leadership and management approach within the non-for-profit sector, success in management and leadership revolves around complex approaches to the management of human services.
  • Leadership Skills of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s It is possible to argue that Sheikh Mohammed was trained to be a leader because this is one of the traditions adopted in such dynasties.
  • Hatshepsut’s Leadership and Accomplishments She was the leader of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt and ruled with the help of the two-year old Thutmose III.
  • Leadership Motivation: Anita Roddick, Founder of Body Shop Specifically, the treatise adopts a reflective research in exploring the components of leadership and management such as transformational leadership, amanagerialism’, and organizational realities in the management style of Anita Roddick who founded the Body Shop.
  • Leadership Style of Bill Clinton: What Can We Learn? To have a good understanding of Bill Clinton, we shall have a review and a brief description of his biography in order to understand about the background of Bill Clinton right from the time he […]
  • Women’s Features in Administrative Leadership The idea of the “glass ceiling” was put forward in the 1970s and tried to explain the reasons it is quite so complicated for women to be promoted as leaders.
  • Leadership Philosophy and the Theories of Leadership These theories are the trait theory of leadership, behavioral theory of leadership, and the contingency theory of leadership. In line with the chosen personal leadership philosophy that urges the leader to show empathy, the trait […]
  • Astro Airlines: Burton’s Leadership Style While the company had every chance to be transformed from a small-scale business into a large corporation, Burton did not use the opportunities that he had as the head of the company.
  • JC Penney & Ron Johnson: The Failed Leadership Following the failure of Ron Johnson’s vision and strategy, the new CEO, Ulman, faced the challenge of attempting to incorporate and revert to the strategy that had been in place before Ron Johnson’s tenure.
  • Leadership at YouTube: Susan Wojcicki Educated at Harvard and the University of California, Wojcicki was involved in the founding of Google and was the person behind Google’s acquisition of YouTube in 2006.
  • Leadership Action Plan To begin with, I will join a toastmaster that can support my communicational and leadership goals. For instance, the decision to join a toastmaster will support most of my needs.
  • The Action-Observation Model: Leadership Discussion In the beginning, I tried to persuade some volunteers to agree with their assignments since they were helping to spread awareness of a good cause; however, as arguments started occurring, I decided that the best […]
  • Level 5 Leadership, Humility, and Will A Level 5 leader has the ability of the initial levels of leadership. Collins describes the humility of a Level 5 leader has the ability to give credit to others.
  • Mark Zuckerberg: Leadership Style on Practice Mark Zuckerberg is a bright example of how young people can become good leaders using their passion, desire to work, and attention to the details and people and prove that transformational leadership is a unique […]
  • Leadership Issues: The Case of CEO Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines One of Gary’s key strengths as chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines is predicated upon the capacity to use servant leadership style to foster organizational growth and development.

📌 Controversial Leadership Title Ideas

  • Nelson Mandela: Speeches and Leadership Nelson Mandela is, undoubtedly, one of the strongest and the most inspiring political leaders of the 20th century, the embodiment of the human spirit’s limitless possibilities.
  • Leadership of Jerry Yang, Co-Founder of Yahoo The creation of Yahoo is the story of the hobby and knowledge of two Yang people who wanted to make the Internet more convenient.
  • Leadership Through Effective Communication At the phase of implementation of the business strategies, effective communication is essential in helping leaders to control and monitor the implementation of strategies to meet the desired goals and objectives.
  • Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility A fundamental theme of corporate governance is the nature and extent of responsibility and accountability of specific individuals in the corporation’s hierarchy, and mechanisms that attempt to eliminate or mitigate the problems that arise due […]
  • The Role of Civic Leadership Jeremy points out that a democratic leadership allows for cooperation in all aspects of decision making and that the leader’s decision is not unilateral as he or she has to depend on the input of […]
  • Leadership and Motivation – Carlos Ghosn The purpose of this paper is to present a discussion of theories and concepts of leadership in current multinational businesses using the leadership style of Carlos Ghosn as a benchmark for effective leadership in the […]
  • Proactive Leadership: Importance and Characteristics This paper will focus on proactive leadership, the importance of proactive leadership, and the characteristics of proactive leaders. For example, when a team leader is late on product shipment or delivery of products, they try […]
  • Leadership Styles, Traits in a Nursing Professionals The leadership styles that are being utilized by my group members are servant leadership, charismatic leadership and transactional leadership.
  • Leadership and Diversity Discussion A transformational leader should be ready to lead initiatives that make the organization work significantly different than it was before and convince the rest of the members and leaders to adopt them.
  • Consolidated Products Managers’ Leadership Styles The leader determines the focus of the work of the entire team, interacts with personnel, affects the psychological climate and other aspects of the work environment.
  • Leadership Styles of Yahoo, Blackberry, and Google Using the identified characteristics of transactional and transformational leadership styles in the literature review, the paper attempts to specify the leadership styles that each of the three organizations deploys using the primary data from the […]
  • The Charismatic Leadership of Steve Jobs at Apple In this form of leadership style, leaders have full control over the operations of an organisation and have clear visions that they communicate to their followers. In conclusion, ethical leadership is necessary for the success […]
  • Critical Examination of Strategic Leadership Guided by these introductory statements, this research paper aims at exploring the concept of strategic leadership with particular interests in exploring the characteristics of strategic leadership, the contextual factors, both internal and external that has […]
  • The leadership of Amazon This is essential in counteracting the effect of competitors and adopting products and services that address the needs of customers and the market exhaustively.
  • James D. Sinegal’s Leadership Analysis The present report aims to analyze Sinegal’s leadership from the perspective of traits theories and leadership and skill-based models. In their work, Judge, Bono, Ilies, and Gerhardt tested the use of the Big Five personality […]
  • Ho Ching’s Leadership at Temasek Holdings In addition to her past experiences, she has legitimate power in Temasek Holding that allows her to influence her followers with the help of company rules.
  • Mohammed Al Abbar: Leadership Project As a result, in order to explore the leadership style, approach, and views of Mohammad Al Abbar, it is necessary to begin with his personal, as well and professional backgrounds as the sources of his […]
  • Reflective Practice in Leadership This model has made me understand that I need to orient myself to the organisational culture and values cherished by my subordinates to enable me to have beneficial exchanges with my subordinates.
  • A Revolutionary Model of Leadership When the father of Ricardo Semler left his company in the early 80s, he never imagined that his son would transform Semco to be a leading and one of the best-known companies across the globe.
  • The Five-Star Hotels Operational Management They will be discussed on the historic hotel to provide useful information for the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the operations of the hotel.
  • Organizational Leadership and Strategic Positioning for Shangri-la Hotels Shangri-La Hotels is classified among the strongest and iconic leaders in the luxury hotel space in Asia and it has been successful in other places in Europe and around the world.
  • Nursing Leadership and Personal Skills The issues of leadership and management have been taken to mean the same thing. They govern the responsibilities of a nurse and determine the steps to take in various situations.
  • Apple Inc.’s Leadership Effectiveness, Competitive Advantage, and Growth Strategy Apple Inc.’s current success can be attributed to the organization’s effective management and leadership abilities to quickly adapt to a highly dynamic business environment.
  • Biblical Leadership and Ministry For the church to be more effective in fulfilling the commands in God’s word the leaders should have a spirit that is sensitive and satisfied.
  • Leadership Case: Arthur Burton’s Behavior Burton paid a lot of attention to hiring employees, and he tried to make sure that novice employees would-be professionals who could use their creativity to contribute to the development of the company.
  • Maxine Clark’s Leadership at Build-A-Bear Workshop How might her personality influence her behaviour as the CEO of Build-A-Bear? Maxine Clark is the founder and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
  • Leadership Concepts in the “Seabiscuit” Drama Film The movie is the adaptation of the book about Seabiscuit, the thoroughbred racehorse that remains a legendary manifestation of the American dream.
  • Tesla’s Strategic Plan for Leadership in Energy Sector The purpose of this report is to analyze Tesla’s strategic plan of technological leadership in the energy segment to strengthen its competitive position.
  • Leadership Theories in the Automotive Industry At the same time, the changes in the industry and the economic environment of the recent years have led to the situation where the leaders of the field lost their definitive advantage and faced a […]
  • “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John Maxwell The law of process considers the fact that for a leader to achieve their goals, a process is clearly laid developed and followed, a step by step process is vital for success as one leads […]
  • Transformational Leadership in Hotel Industry This research strives to contribute to the understanding of the functions of level three leaders in the hotel industry. The study’s contribution helps to shed light on the context of L3Ls in the hotel industry […]
  • Personality and Leadership Style Relationship According to his approach and tests, stable and introverted people are phlegmatic, stable and extroverted are sanguine, unstable and introverted are melancholic, and unstable and extroverted are choleric.
  • Chicago Bulls 1995-96 Championship: Team Leadership The coach of the team during the period was Phil Jackson. To begin with, the managers of the team identified the right players to support the targeted expectations.
  • Importance and Role of Leadership in Globalization Leadership can be considered to be the provision of a vision to the people whom one has authority over and pushing through the understanding of the vision and the achievement of its goals for the […]
  • Leadership Styles in the UK, USA, and Japan To the managers, the subordinates’ ability to be responsible means a lot for the firm and for their own ability to manage it.
  • The Impact of School Governance on School Leadership The traditional school system in most states and territories took the form of the old public administration with school governance highly centralized in the Ministry of Education and the Education Department.
  • Jamie Oliver and Leadership in the Food Industry He has a strong mastery of the market and the exact requirements of the customers to be his businesses end up matching the needs of the customers.
  • Leadership Personality & Achievement: TELMEX and Carlos Slim Leadership is one of the most researched studies, and research on leadership has gained importance due to the contributions of leaders on the organizational achievements. Finally, research examines the accomplishment of organizational transformation through leadership’s […]
  • The Concept of Laissez-Faire Leadership Style The manager does as little directing as possible and empowers employees. Employees must determine goals, make decisions, and solve problems themselves.
  • Costco Company’s Business Diversity, Ethics, Leadership Colleagues and investors would easily dismiss the dreams of co-founders James Sinegal and Jeffrey Brotman for the reason of failing to follow the conventional and counter-intuitive strategies. The competitors fail to realize that Costco’s success […]

🥇 Good Leadership Topics to Write

  • Leadership and Organisational Change
  • Culture and Leadership in a Safe Industrial Environment
  • Leadership, Its Requirements, Roles and Objectives
  • Workplace Management Styles: Autocratic Leadership
  • Carlos Slim: Leadership Styles and Personality
  • Alvis Corporation’ Leadership Information
  • Leadership in “The Hunger Game” Movie
  • Contingency Theory of Leadership
  • Daimler-Chrysler Merger: Leadership Issue
  • Leadership Styles in Organizations with Different Age Groups
  • Chapter 6 of Northouse’s Leadership: Theory and Practice
  • Bad Leadership: Causes and Effects
  • Warren Buffet’s vs. Bernard Madoff’s Leadership Styles
  • Reflection on an Interview on Leadership
  • Leadership Challenges in the Church
  • Leadership SMART Goal: Effective Communication
  • John Terrill’s Leadership Style at DGL International
  • Democratic vs. Autocratic Leadership Styles
  • Mandela’s Leadership
  • Success Factors and Leadership Strategies: Southwest Airlines and Emirates Airlines
  • Dr. Maya Angelou and Her Leadership Abilities
  • Leadership and Constitution
  • The Importance of Leadership in Shaping the Direction an Organization
  • Leadership: Alan Keith
  • Pros and Cons of the Four Major Styles of Leadership
  • Marissa Ann Mayer: Leadership and Motivation
  • Leadership and Organizational Psychology of Vince Lombardi
  • Leadership Internal and External Challenges
  • Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Company’s Leadership Style
  • The Leadership and Communication Style of Angela Ahrendts
  • Regional Strategies for Global Leadership
  • Charismatic Leadership
  • Impact of Gender Difference on Leadership Styles
  • Organizational Motivation and Leadership in Workplace
  • Modern Leadership: Trends and Challenges
  • Authentic Leadership in Healthcare
  • Leadership Qualities in Nursing
  • Concept of Leadership and Safety
  • Ann Fudge’s Leadership Lessons
  • Leadership of Climber Arlene Blum
  • Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill’s Leadership Styles
  • Healthcare: Organizational Structures & Leadership
  • Leadership Challenge: Who Gets the Project?
  • The Ship Board: Management Styles and Leadership
  • The Political Leadership Conception
  • Kofi Annan Leadership Traits
  • Transformational Leadership at Virgin Group
  • Quality Management Systems
  • Educational Leadership in School
  • Leadership: Role, Benefits, and Limitations
  • GlaxoSmithKline’s Leadership Management Framework
  • Attitude Reflects Leadership: a Look at Leadership in your Professional Portfolio
  • Transformational and Transactional Leadership
  • Leadership in Diabetes Management
  • Instructional Leadership
  • The Significance of Strong Leadership in Business Organization
  • Leadership at Qatar National Bank
  • Leadership, Trustworthiness, and Ethical Stewardship
  • Gene C. McKinney: Biography and His Leadership
  • Professional Development Plan: Developing Leadership
  • Nursing Leadership Skills Development
  • Women in Top Leadership Positions
  • Leadership in Sports Analysis
  • Leadership on Boeing Analysis
  • Leadership Role-Play Activity for Students
  • Mary Barra’s Leadership at General Motors
  • Relationship of Problem Solving to Leadership
  • Leadership Style and Employee Motivation: Burj Al Arab Hotel
  • Incompetent Management and Destructive Leadership
  • Ethics Code in School Leadership
  • Social Change and Servant Leadership Models
  • Andy Garafallo’s Recipe in Leadership Theory and Practice
  • Leadership Styles: Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler
  • Leadership: Johari Window and Transactional Analyses
  • Team Leadership in “Apollo 13” by Ron Howard
  • Elizabeth Bloomer Ford’s Leadership Development
  • Transformational Leadership and Management Skills
  • Public Safety Leadership Styles and Tools
  • Autocratic, Democratic, Free-Rein, Coaching Leadership
  • Jeff Bezos’s Leadership and the Amazon Revolution
  • Warren Buffett’s Leadership Style in Business
  • Mountain West Health Plans Company’s Leadership Styles
  • School Leadership: Concepts and Evidence
  • Leadership is Action and Not Position
  • Leadership and Its Approaches: Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Leadership Styles and Theories
  • Relationship between Power and Leadership
  • Culture Effects on Leadership Styles and Behavior
  • Leadership Ideals of Robert Nardelli Under Various Trait Theories
  • Lesson Plan ‘The Concept of Leadership’
  • Leadership and Motivation Theories, Principles and Issues
  • Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of leadership
  • Ethical and Unethical Leadership in Healthcare
  • Constructive Criticism in Leadership
  • Leadership, Power, Corruption in Today’s Politics
  • Leadership: Encouraging the Heart and Generosity
  • Leadership in Quality Management
  • Leadership Styles: Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher
  • Team Leadership: Essential Features & Problems
  • Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)
  • The Main Characteristics of Servant Leadership
  • Leadership Commitment Statement on Prevention of Workplace Violence
  • Personal Leadership Style Analysis
  • Personal Leadership Development Plan
  • Modern Nurse’s Role: Leadership
  • Leadership Approaches in Prison
  • Future-Ready Leadership Strategies in the New Age
  • Gates and Buffett: Global Leadership and Management
  • The Leadership Qualities of Tony Blair
  • Leadership Experience Critique
  • Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Leadership Analysis
  • Nursing Team Leadership in a Dialysis Center
  • Organizational Structures and Leadership in Hospitals
  • Leadership Challenges During Public Health Crisis
  • Carly Fiorina’s Leadership at Hewlett-Packard Company
  • Ricardo Semler’s Leadership at Semco Partners
  • Leadership: Top Talent Retention
  • Leadership in a Working Environment
  • Leadership in the Early Childhood Field
  • Leadership Input to the Community Development
  • Leadership Models: Problem Solving Analysis
  • George Washington: Servant Leadership and Communication
  • Workplace Diversity and Challenges of Leadership
  • Scholarship, Practice and Leadership
  • International Business Machines: Leadership Development
  • Steve Jobs and Tim Cook Leadership Styles Comparison
  • Organisational Performance and Leadership
  • Mandela’s Leadership: Long Walk to Freedom
  • Thomas Hobbes and John Stuart Mill’ Views on Leadership
  • Steve Jobs’ Leadership Style
  • Organizational Behaviour and Leadership
  • “Twin Cities” Strategic Management & Leadership
  • The Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Effectiveness
  • Theories of Situational and Participative Leadership
  • Experience with Negative Leadership
  • Business Ethics in Multinational Corporations
  • Leadership Management in the Hospitality Industry
  • The Chartered Management Institute Leadership and Management
  • The Concept of Leadership in Organizational Success
  • A Leadership Development Plan’s Analysis
  • The Servant Leadership Concept
  • Leadership in the “Saving Private Ryan” Film
  • Personal and Organizational Leadership
  • Zappos Organization’s Leadership and Objectives
  • Leadership Fostering Collaboration Within the Department of Juvenile Justice
  • Barack Obama: Ambassador Leadership Style
  • Emirates Airline HR Department: Leadership and Its Effect
  • Leadership and Management as Applied to Criminal Justice Organizations
  • My Leadership Achievements and Services to Our Community
  • Effective Leadership: Character and Personal Growth
  • Coaching Leadership: Presence and Pressure Concepts
  • Social Change, Leadership, and Advocacy Comparison
  • Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Traits and Virtues
  • Youth Leadership Development
  • Advantages and Limitations of Online Leadership
  • Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide Company: Charlotte Beers’ Leadership
  • Ursula Burns Leadership Style in Xerox Company
  • Leadership and Organisational Change in MCFC
  • Insomniac Games Inc.: Development of Leadership Strategy
  • Leading Innovation and Change Management
  • Mohandus Gandhi’s leadership
  • The Importance of Strategic Leadership in the Global Business Environment
  • Leadership in Early Care and Education
  • Leadership Traits
  • Transcendental Leadership and Total Quality Management Theories
  • “Organizational Culture and Leadership” by Schein, Edgar H.
  • Servant Leadership of Jeff Bezos
  • Bedside Shift Reporting: Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management
  • The Volkswagen Group: Global Leadership and Management
  • Leadership Styles: Democratic and Collective
  • Nursing Leadership and Management
  • Public Leadership and Its Qualities
  • The Art of Leadership
  • The Brexit Decision: Leadership and Culture
  • Radical Leadership at Semco by Ricardo Semler
  • Donald Trump: Leadership Ability
  • Delta Airlines: Corporate Governance and Leadership Issues
  • Leadership of Bill Gates and Meg Whitman
  • Sergey Brin: Leadership Process and Organizations in Context
  • Self-Awareness Importance in Effective Leadership
  • Leadership Self-Assessment and Improvement Plan
  • Positive Behaviour Leadership Model in Teaching
  • Personal Leadership Action Plan
  • Personal Vision Statement in Organizational Leadership
  • Principal Leadership Style Role in Teacher Performance
  • House of Fraser Company: Leadership and Managing Change
  • Tim Cook’s Leadership Transformation and Action Logics
  • Leadership Concepts in the “Coach Carter” Film
  • Leadership Impact on Healthcare Delivery
  • Ontology and Epistemology in Leadership Research
  • Leadership in Management: Research Project
  • Lubna Olayan’s Leadership Role Mode
  • Julius Caesar’s and Czar Nicholas II’s Leadership
  • Leadership and Partnership in Global Environment
  • Peter Vyas’ Leadership and Project Management
  • Hovey and Beard Company: Leadership and Management
  • Global Leadership Development
  • Leadership: Derek Jeter as an Effective Leader
  • Leadership and Culturally Bound: Working and Communicating Together
  • Leadership in the Workplace: Apple Inc.
  • Jack Welch’s Leadership Style
  • Poor Leadership at J.C Penney
  • Ineffective Leadership in a Workplace
  • “Tipping Point Leadership” by Kim and Mauborgne
  • The Effect of Leadership in Project Management
  • The Female Leaders’ Obstacles to Gain Leadership positions in Universities
  • Performance Management: Key Strategies and Practical Guidelines
  • Trait Approach to Leadership
  • Definition of Strategic Leadership
  • Gender Differences in Leadership Styles
  • Effective Situational Leadership
  • Leadership in the 21st Century
  • Leadership and Supervising Influence in Human Services
  • Contingency Theories of Leadership
  • Leadership Effectiveness in the Film Elizabeth
  • Leadership Evaluation: Roots Canada
  • Machiavelli and Othello’s Leadership Skills
  • The Failure of Leadership in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
  • Strategic Change Leadership in Management
  • Management vs. Leadership. What Leaders Really Do?
  • Carnegie’s Leadership Strategy of Inspiring
  • Leadership Qualities as a Part of a Team
  • Spiritual Leadership and Citizenship Behaviors
  • A Lollipop Moment in Leadership
  • Organizational Theory: Democratic Leadership
  • Leadership Under Cultural Influences
  • Leadership in Healthcare Management
  • Adaptive Leadership as a Style and Model
  • Leadership: Self-Evaluation and Comparison
  • Bill Gates’ Positive Leadership Behavior
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Leadership Program
  • Task Specialization and Directive Leadership in Beaufort County School District
  • Mindful Leadership in Managing Critical Change
  • Strategic Leadership at The New York Yankees Team
  • Leadership, Family, and Community Collaboration Project
  • The Crucial Role of Courageous Followers in Effective Leadership
  • Leadership in Group Counselling
  • Relation Between Leadership and Police Ethics
  • Leadership in the Educational Sector
  • How Nursing Professionals Can Benefit From Servant Leadership
  • Leadership and Innovations: Article Review
  • Applying Five Leadership Practices
  • Servant Leadership at St. Jude Children’s Hospital
  • Transformational and Servant Leadership in Nursing
  • Strategic Leadership in the United Arab Emirates
  • Leadership: Theory and Practice
  • The Plays “The Iliad,” “The Odyssey,” and “Agamemnon”: Understanding of Leadership
  • Leadership Development Plan in Nursing
  • Leadership: Character, Competencies, and Virtues
  • Transformational Leadership Theory: Pros and Cons
  • Nursing Practice: Leadership and Cooperation
  • St James Settlement’s Leadership and Management
  • Servant Leadership in Fannie Lou Hamer
  • The Art of Communication as the Language of Leadership
  • Organizational Leadership and Attitude-Behavior Theory
  • Leadership and Ethical Requirements
  • Measurement and Leadership Effectiveness in Business
  • Leadership: Definition and Values
  • Principles of Management and Leadership Positions
  • Application of Irrefutable Laws of Leadership in the Military
  • French and Raven’s Five Forms of Power: An Overview
  • Leadership Style as an Important Element of the Nursing Practice
  • Leadership Styles Across Generations Working in Wal-Mart Store
  • Christ’s Approach to Leadership: Transformational Leadership Theory
  • Morale and Leadership, Encouragement, Dedication, and Commitment Within a Band
  • Elon Musk: Leadership, Financial Success, and the Future of Tesla
  • Leadership in Turbulent Times: Key Takeaways
  • Brand Leadership by Levi’s and Coca-Cola in Going Green
  • Leadership Role of Creating Safe Nursing Environment
  • Clinical Nurse Leadership Program
  • Transformational Leadership at School Sites
  • Fostering Effective Leadership and Collaboration in Human Services
  • Behavioral and Situational Leadership: Pros and Cons
  • Leadership Skills, Goals and Vision of Nurses
  • Educational Theories and Leadership Studies
  • Communication Style and Leadership
  • American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and Its Leadership Culture
  • Effective Leadership Analysis
  • Transformational Leadership: Essential Strategies
  • The Book “The Power of Positive Leadership” by Jon Gordon
  • Servant Leadership Characteristic Evaluation: Conceptualization
  • Maintaining a Leadership Position in a Company
  • A District Director Nurse’s Leadership Roles
  • Effective Leadership: Traits and Behaviors
  • Assignment: Student Integrity and Nursing Leadership
  • How Contemporary Leadership Styles Are Relevant in Today’s Military
  • Diversity as One of the Principles for Sustainability Leadership
  • Leadership in Nursing Practice
  • Exploring Power Constructs in Leadership: A Self-Reflective Study
  • Servant Leadership: The Key Aspects
  • Daniel Roth’s and Sam Hazen’s Personal Values in Leadership
  • Leadership and Management: Reflection
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Leadership Reflection
  • Leadership Foundations in Nursing Practice
  • Culture, Communication, and Leadership for Projects in Dynamic Environments
  • Presidential Leadership: Diplomatic History
  • IoT and G.E.’s Leadership Position
  • Leadership: Conflict and Conflict Management
  • Principles of Leadership and Future of Terrorism
  • Leadership at the Reuters Holdings PLC Company
  • The Foundation of Army Leadership and Its Factors
  • Leadership in a Multinational Organization
  • The Ryno Firm’s Demands of Responsible Leadership
  • Server Leadership and Followership
  • Two Models of Political Leadership
  • Change Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
  • Followership and Servant Leadership in the Military
  • The Role of Inclusive Leadership Strategy in Diverse Workplaces
  • The Hempel Paints Firm’s Leadership for Strategic Execution
  • Qatari German Medical Devices: Leadership for Strategic Execution
  • The Home Depot’s Journey Towards Innovation and Effective Change Leadership
  • Leadership Communication and Management
  • Culture and Leadership in Health and Social Care
  • Angela Merkel’s Leadership Style
  • Abraham Lincoln Leadership: American Ex-Presidents
  • Barack Obama’s Biography and Political Leadership
  • Leadership Leverage at Gunderson Lutheran Health Facility
  • Gender and Leadership in Healthcare Administration
  • Leadership Theories and Styles
  • Leadership Philosophy in Nursing
  • The Personal Leadership Philosophy in Nursing
  • Collaborative Leadership Model in Business
  • Leadership: Summary of Media Interview
  • Culture and Leadership in Organizations
  • Ethics in Organizational Leadership
  • The Doctor of Nursing Practice Leadership Program
  • Personal Leadership Philosophies
  • Leadership Types in Telemedicine
  • Connective Nursing Leadership
  • Aspects of Collaborative Leadership
  • Aspects of Collaborative Leadership Plan
  • Machiavellian Leadership Style
  • Organizational Change: The Effect of Transformational Leadership on Employees
  • Transparency: The Role in Leadership
  • Nursing Leadership and Team Building Strategies
  • My Involvement as a Leader, Leadership Coach, and Development Instructor
  • Transformational Leadership and Abusive Supervision
  • Aspects of Transformational Leadership
  • Personal Leadership Philosophy in the Sports Industry
  • The Role of Leadership in a Digitalized World
  • The Importance of Leadership Training
  • Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
  • Holistic View of the Management and Leadership
  • Servant Leadership: You Make the Call
  • The Importance of Leadership Formation
  • Leadership Skills for the Negotiation Process
  • Measuring the Quality of Government Leadership
  • Collaboration and Leadership in Healthcare
  • Kouzes and Posner Model of Nursing Leadership
  • Leadership Formation in the Medical Field
  • The Leadership and Funding Relationship
  • Transformational Leadership in a Healthcare Team
  • Abortion Backlash and Leadership Issues
  • Strategic Crisis Leadership: South Korea’s Response to Covid-19
  • Leadership Role in Team Development
  • Darwin E. Smith’s Level 5 Leadership Characteristics
  • Change Leadership: Telehealth Technology at Orlando Health
  • Leadership Style Personality Assessment
  • The Basic Aspects of Leadership
  • Leadership in a Digitized World
  • International Leadership: Management Strategies
  • Aspects of Leadership in Healthcare
  • Behavioral Theories of Leadership
  • Personal Leadership Style’s Improvement Areas
  • Organizational Experiences Based on Leadership
  • Leadership Analysis in Corporate Governance
  • Aspects of the Sustainable Leadership Style
  • Nursing Leadership in the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Martin Luther King’s Leadership Approach
  • Self-Analysis on Democratic Leadership
  • Leadership Ambiguity in Nursing Practice
  • Importance of Leadership Skills for Employee
  • Emotional Intelligence in Leadership Development
  • Interpersonal Leadership Skills in Bank of America
  • Developing Organizations and Leadership
  • Leadership Approaches in Healthcare
  • Behavioral and Trait Leadership Theories in Medical Educational Setting
  • Nursing Informatics: Leadership and Administration
  • Developing Leadership Skills in Nursing: A Proposal
  • Women’s Leadership During a Crisis
  • Situational Leadership Analysis
  • Leadership in Advanced Nursing
  • Leadership for Happiness in Workplaces
  • Leadership in Nursing: Organizational Servant Leadership
  • Supportive Leadership During COVID-19
  • The Type of Leadership Described by Daniel Goleman
  • Transformational Leadership Benefits Innovation
  • Transformational Leadership at the Walmart Organization
  • Transformational Leadership in Nursing
  • Machiavelli’s The Prince and Cheney’s Leadership
  • Exploring Diversity and Inclusion Leadership
  • The Significance in Shaping Emerging Trends in Leadership
  • Authentic Leadership Style in Business
  • Leadership Experience Example: Leading a User Research Team
  • Importance of Leadership Attributes for Healthcare
  • Importance of Leadership in Healthcare and Nursing
  • Servant Leadership Benefits in Nursing
  • Leadership and Its Three Major Models
  • Adaptive Leadership: The Main Aspects
  • Boris Johnson: Influence Tactics and Leadership
  • Discussion of Servant Leadership Behaviors
  • Analysis of Poor Leadership Experience
  • Enterprise Holdings at Leadership Styles
  • The Value of Leadership Skills and Teamworking
  • Why Leadership and Management Are Different
  • Personal Leadership Philosophy in Nursing
  • Leadership Implementation Regarding Medication Incidents
  • William White: Leadership Style
  • Servant Leadership and Decision-Making in Nursing
  • Leadership Behaviors, Passion, and Devotion
  • Leadership Environment in Nursing
  • Leadership in Lost TV Series
  • Adaptive Leadership in Medical Practice
  • Religious Views on Politics, Leadership, and Norms
  • Leadership Styles and Their Applications
  • Current Views on Leadership: Strategies to Motivate Your Team
  • Health Management Reflection: Redefining Ethical Leadership
  • Leadership and Opportunities for Improvement
  • Leadership in Remote Team at Alibaba Limited
  • Contemporary Leadership in London Energy Company
  • Elon Musk: The Leadership Style
  • Leadership Philosophy and Its Importance for Life
  • New Business Realities and Leadership Theories
  • Rise and Leadership of Genghis Khan
  • The Leadership Development Challenges
  • Nurses Perception of Leadership and Impact of Healthcare Changes
  • The Concept of Ethical Leadership in Business
  • Can a Dictator Who Developed an Economy Be Considered to Have Leadership?
  • Does Leadership Affect Employee Commitment Management?
  • Does Despotic Leadership Harm Employee Family Life?
  • What Two Characteristics Best Describe Leadership?
  • Are the Differences Between Management and Leadership?
  • Does Leadership Style Impact on Projects Team Member Performance?
  • Can Responsible Leadership Affect Work-Life Balance?
  • Does Decentralized Leadership Influence the Performance?
  • What Are the Key of Leadership Skills That Can Not Learn From?
  • What Are the Critical Factors in Understanding the Nature and Dimensions of Leadership?
  • How Does Leadership Emerge in a Group That Has No Common History?
  • What Are Charismatic Leadership?
  • How Bad Does Leadership Affect the Organization?
  • How Are Culture and Leadership Linked?
  • Does Cartel Leadership Facilitate Collusion?
  • What Is the Role of Machiavellianism in the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Morality?
  • Does Leadership Make a Difference?
  • How Are Leadership and Management Similar?
  • Are Leadership Fairness, Psychological Distress, and Role Stressors Interrelated?
  • How Does Ethical Leadership Influence Employees?
  • How Does Leadership Work in Different Gangs?
  • Can Servant Leaders Fuel the Leadership Fire?
  • Are Leadership Mentoring Programs Beneficial?
  • Can Transactional Leadership Keep Your Team in Shape?
  • How Does Authentic Leadership Influence Employee Proactivity?
  • What Are the Differences Between Management and Leadership?
  • What Leadership Behaviors and Management Systems Support?
  • What Are Niccolo Machiavelli’s Ideas on Effective Leadership?
  • Can Leadership Theory Improve Leadership Quality?
  • What Is the Relationship Between Leadership Type and Organization Performance?
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, November 9). 627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/leadership-essay-examples/

"627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples." IvyPanda , 9 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/leadership-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples'. 9 November.

IvyPanda . 2023. "627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples." November 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/leadership-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples." November 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/leadership-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples." November 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/leadership-essay-examples/.

  • Leadership Concept Essay Titles
  • Team Leadership Research Ideas
  • Leadership Development Essay Titles
  • Organizational Leadership Essay Topics
  • Leadership Qualities Research Ideas
  • Crisis Management Essay Titles
  • Personal Ethics Titles
  • Career Development Topics
  • Conflict Resolution Essay Topics
  • Management Skills Research Topics
  • Communication Theories Paper Topics
  • Management Styles Essay Titles
  • Trait Theory Research Topics
  • Work Environment Research Topics
  • Work-Life Balance Essay Titles

Feb 15, 2023

Essays on Leadership for Students | 200 - 500 Word Essays

Are you writing an essay about leadership? Check out these examples!

Leadership is often defined as "the action of inspiring others to act in concert to achieve a particular goal." It signifies the harmony in actions that lead to a common objective. A genuine leader not only exudes confidence but also paves the way for their followers towards triumph. Over the years, various leadership styles have been identified and discussed by psychologists.

 Qualities such as intelligence, adaptability, extroversion, innate self-awareness, and social competence often emerge as the hallmarks of impactful leaders. There's a consensus that these traits mold an individual into an effective leader. Interestingly, some theories suggest that extraordinary situations can thrust an ordinary individual into the spotlight, bestowing upon them the mantle of leadership. It's also believed that leadership isn't a static trait but an evolving journey. It underscores the belief that with dedication and the right resources, anyone can hone their leadership abilities.

 True leadership goes beyond merely advocating for a cause. It involves taking responsibility, igniting motivation in others, and differentiating oneself from just being a 'boss'. A leader's essence lies in their ability to inspire and propel people towards grand visions, whereas a manager typically focuses on oversight and operational aspects.

What Is a Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay falls under the category of student application essays and serves to provide student admissions officers with insight into your past leadership experiences. Despite appearing to be very specific, this type of essay acknowledges that the nature and perception of leadership can vary significantly depending on the individual and the context.

 If you find yourself in need of further insights or a unique angle for your leadership essay, consider exploring an expert essay-writing tool designed to assist students in crafting compelling narratives by analyzing vast data and generating fresh ideas within minutes. In this article, we'll also delve into various leadership essay examples to offer a clearer understanding of the genre and inspire your writing journey.

4 Examples of Leadership Essays

Qualities of a good leader, introduction.

Confidence is the most important attribute first of all. One of the most important qualities in a leader is confidence in one's own abilities. A lack of self-assurance is fatal to a person's leadership potential. If you want others to follow you, you need to exude self-assurance. It's imperative for a leader to have faith in his own judgment and actions. How can people want to follow him if he doesn't even know what he's doing?

Every effective leader knows that they need to be an inspiration to their followers. A leader needs to set an example for his team. In addition, he ought to inspire them whenever feasible. A leader must also maintain optimism in trying times.

What qualities a good leader must have?

Leadership is the ability to influence and guide individuals or groups toward a common goal. A leader must possess several qualities to be effective, including:

Communication skills: A leader must be able to communicate their vision and goals clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing. This requires excellent listening skills, empathy, and the ability to adapt to different communication styles.

Emotional intelligence: A leader must be able to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as those of their team members. This includes being able to understand and respond to the emotions of others, and handling conflicts in a constructive manner.

Visionary: A leader must have a clear and inspiring vision of the future, and be able to articulate this vision in a way that motivates others to work towards it.

Strategic thinking: A leader must be able to think critically and creatively to identify and solve problems, make decisions, and develop plans and strategies to achieve their goals.

Flexibility: A leader must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and be open to new ideas and perspectives. This requires the ability to embrace change, be innovative, and continuously learn and grow.

Integrity: A leader must have strong ethics and values, and be willing to make difficult decisions that are consistent with their beliefs. This requires honesty, transparency, and accountability.

Decisiveness: A leader must be able to make tough decisions quickly, without undue hesitation or procrastination. This requires courage and the ability to take calculated risks.

Empowerment: A leader must be able to delegate responsibilities, give team members the resources they need to succeed, and foster a sense of ownership and accountability among their team.

Conclusion 

These qualities are essential for effective leadership, and when combined with hard work, determination, and a commitment to excellence, can help leaders to achieve great things.

How one can be a Great Leader?

Leadership is the act of performing the duties of a leader. In the business world, for instance, it is essential to have someone in charge of a team to ensure everything runs well. Effective leadership is essential for any group that wants to maximize its prospects of success.

Leadership Comes from Experience

As we've shown, leadership can be innate in some cases but is more often learned through practice and exposure. Sometimes the best traits of a leader must be learned over a lengthy period of time, so that one can become a notable one, proving that leadership is not always about a person's innate qualities. Leaders should continuously be on the lookout for opportunities to grow their leadership skills.

Nobody can disagree that experience is a key component of leadership. Numerous examples exist to back up this claim, such as:

Instance 1:

Our school's head boy or girl has traditionally been an older student who has been around for a while and thus has a better grasp of the ins and outs of school politics.

Instance 2:

When there is a vacancy for a team leader, it is common practice for the employee who has consistently put in the most effort and attention to the office job to receive a higher number of votes than their coworkers. 

“The best teacher for a leader is evaluated experience.” - John C. Maxwell

How one can be a Great Leader/Skills to be a Great Leader?

Effective leadership is a skill that develops through time. Developing into a leader with all the qualities that are needed takes a lot of hard work and potential. Being a prominent leader calls for a wide variety of traits. Some of these characteristics are addressed in further detail below:

One should be a Good Communicator

To be an effective leader, one must be able to convey his thoughts clearly to his/her/its subordinates.

Should have Confidence

The individual should have faith in what he says and does.

Give Credit to other Team Members too

A leader not only needs to impose his viewpoints and opinions instead he must also hear to the suggestions of other members of the team and offer them credit if their concept is appropriate.

Good Bond with the Team

A leader's ability to command respect from his team members depends on his ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with them.

Leads with Responsibility

A leader needs to be completely committed to his position. It's important that he takes on responsibility so that he can effectively deal with the various challenges he will inevitably face.

Any group or organization needs a leader above all else. Leadership development takes time and effort. One needs to have lived through a lot to be an effective leader. It's not enough to simply have years of experience in the field; one must also have the traits that make one an effective leader. You can't be a great leader unless you possess certain traits.

What makes a Good Leader?

Trying one's hand as a leader appears easy when viewed through this lens. Is that so tough? Of course not; leading is difficult, and not everyone aspires to be a leader. The vast majority of us have settled into well-established careers where we report to superiors and make a living. Still, not everyone is content to go along with the crowd. They become leaders in whatever field they pursue. A leader is an example to followers and will prioritize the needs of those around them.

Some Unique Qualities of a Leader

Many individuals resort to their leaders to vent their frustrations, therefore it's important for them to be good listeners.

A leader ought to be completely forthright; they can't play favorites or give anyone preferential treatment. One of the most essential qualities of a strong leader is the ability to make decisions with integrity.

They need to be aware of the bigger picture and understand what makes an individual stand out or become a leader. It's their expertise in addition to other distinguishing traits. Their awareness of current events and the results of recent studies is essential. In many ways, this is helpful, and it's the leader's responsibility to stay current.

Since some might not understand them, they should utilize straightforward, easily comprehended language. Leaders need to be able to communicate effectively at all times. In reality, what sets them apart is their exceptional communication skills. Adolf Hitler was such a gifted orator that his followers believed every word he said.

No matter how you're feeling or what's going on in the world, if you listen to a leader, they may make you feel energized. Since leaders are in charge of inspiring confidence in their followers, they can't afford to be wary or unsure of themselves. People tend to blindly follow their leaders.

Whether you're a leader or a doctor, you should devote yourself completely to your chosen field. Everything we do is for the benefit of others; engineers, for example, spend much of their time designing and constructing buildings for other people. So, take pride in what you do, and if you possess the aforementioned traits, you are also a leader who doesn't have to rely on others to succeed. No matter what you do, aspiring to leadership positions will always benefit others.

What is Leadership in Management and what are the weaknesses and strengths of a Leader?

Simply said, leadership is acting as a supervisor or manager of a group. Different mental pictures pop up when we hear the word "leadership" used in conversation. One might think of a political leader, team leader, corporate leader, school leader, etc. Leaders facilitate order and efficiency in the workplace. Teamwork and success are fundamental to effective leadership. Leaders utilize their managerial abilities to establish courses and guide their teams to success.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Leadership

Able to express oneself more clearly

Growth of character.

Self-awareness.

Possession of teamwork skills.

Gain assurance in yourself.

Weaknesses:

Acting favorably toward one's teammates.

Having no faith in the leader.

Thinks they're better than everyone else, but act hypocritically.

Not living up to the promised standard.

Insufficient morals.

Leadership and Management

Management and leadership are inextricably linked to one another. Leadership and management are both vital to the efficient operation of an organization; but, they accomplish very different things in the process. Leadership is a necessary skill for anyone aspiring to be an effective manager. The terms management and leadership are synonymous with one another. In this manner, we are able to draw the conclusion that a manager who demonstrates the traits of a successful leader is, in fact, a manager who is effective.

Leadership in School

Leadership is essential in nearly every group, as we've seen above. That group includes one's educational institution. Every school needs an outstanding figure to serve as its head of school. Class monitor, assembly captain, cultural leader, etc. are all examples of leadership roles that can be taken on at school, but this raises the question of what makes a person a successful school leader.

Any student hoping to be chosen as a student body leader will need to demonstrate a wide range of competencies. He or she needs to be a consistent student who pays attention in class and does well in extracurricular activities. For the simple reason that no intelligent and hardworking kid would ever be considered for leadership. Student leaders are most often selected from among those who participate fully in all activities.

Leadership in Organization

Leadership in an organization, also known as organizational leadership, is the process of establishing long-term objectives that further the company's mission and help it reach its ultimate destination. This is a classic illustration of how Bill Gates often works with his team: they agree on a strategy, and Gates implements it. To the same extent, it is the responsibility of the leader in each given organization to determine what it is that the group is trying to accomplish.

Leadership in Politics

Leadership in politics, also known as political leadership, is the process of becoming actively involved in a political party in the role of a party leader. Knowledge of political processes, their outcomes, and the political agenda is central to the idea of political leadership.

An effective leader can be developed in anyone who has the determination and drives to do so. Both the strengths and the areas for improvement should be nurtured. Whether in the classroom, the workplace, or the political arena, leadership is always necessary. Therefore, one can exercise leadership anywhere they like inside their own organization.

What are the types of Leadership?

The ability to lead is a rare trait that not everyone possesses. The ability to do so is a gift, so count your blessings if you possess it. It's recommended that you hone it even more so that you can propel your career forward and serve as an example to people around you. However, it is crucial to grasp the various leadership styles before you go ahead and polish your skills.

Types of Leadership Styles

Democratic Leadership

In this style of management, subordinates are given a voice in decision-making. Although the subordinates' efforts are highlighted, the leader is ultimately held responsible for the group's actions. Many people find this type of leadership to be effective.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders motivate and inspire others to adopt new behaviors and ways of thinking in order to improve their own performance and that of their teams and organizations. A transformational leader is someone who encourages their team to strive for greater things and works to boost morale and output.

Team Leadership

A good leader fully incorporates his team into the task at hand. Members of the team are motivated to reach their goals and advance in their careers thanks to the leadership of the group.

Strategic Leadership

It requires a chief executive who doesn't restrict himself to brainstorming sessions with his superiors. He contributes on every level of the team. He is well-liked for his ability to unite the need for fresh ideas with the necessity of grounding them in reality.

Autocratic Leadership

The leader in a command and control structure is the center of attention. The chief executive has absolute power in this setting. He decides things on his own, without polling his staff. He relays this information to his staff and stresses the importance of swift action. The buck stops with him, and he alone must answer for his actions. Not much room for negotiation exists. It's no secret that this method of leading has its detractors.

Visionary Leadership

This kind of leader appreciates the abilities and requirements of his team members. He describes his ideal outcome and the teamwork that will be necessary to attain it.

Coaching Leadership

Leaders who coach their teams do so regularly in an effort to raise output. He inspires his employees to do better and works to keep them motivated. This approach to leadership has been much praised.

Facilitative Leadership

With occasional guidance, a facilitative leader ensures that the process runs smoothly for his team. As a precaution in case his team is ineffective. If the team is highly effective, the leader will take a hands-off approach.

Cross-Cultural Leadership

The leadership of this type is necessary when interacting with people from various cultural backgrounds. Because of the wide variety of cultures represented in the workforce across the United States, many managers and executives hold cross-cultural positions.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

The members of the team are given responsibility in this style of management. They are free to choose how they spend their time at work, with minimal oversight from the boss. It's not a good way to lead, according to experts.

Transactional Leadership

An interactive approach is integral to this kind of leadership. When team members successfully implement their leader's ideas and choices, they are rewarded with immediate, material benefits.

Charismatic Leadership

In order to bring out the best in his followers, this kind of leader makes the effort to change their attitudes, values, and actions.

This article should dispel the notion that leadership qualities can't be further subdivided. It should also assist you in pinpointing your own personal brand of leadership so you can perfect it over time.

Final Words

In conclusion, leadership is a complex and multifaceted concept that involves various qualities and skills. Effective leaders possess traits such as integrity, vision, empathy, decisiveness, and the ability to inspire and motivate others. They are able to navigate challenges, make difficult decisions, and lead their team toward success. Leadership also involves continuous learning and self-improvement, as leaders must adapt to changing circumstances and remain relevant. Effective leadership can have a positive impact on both individuals and organizations, fostering growth and creating a culture of success.

You can use Jenni.ai to quickly compose an essay on leadership, or any other topic, of your choosing. It's a fantastic choice that promises convenience and relief. Create an essay on any topic in a matter of minutes with the help of our AI-powered program. Membership is immediately available upon your free registration here.

You can use Jenni.ai to quickly compose an essay on leadership, or any other topic, of your choosing. It's a fantastic choice that promises convenience and relief. Create an essay on any topic in a matter of minutes with the help of our AI-powered program. Sign up on Jenni.ai and get a free trial.

Try Jenni for free today

Create your first piece of content with Jenni today and never look back

Leadership Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on leadership.

First of all, Leadership refers to the quality of leading people. Probably, it is one of the most important aspects of life. Above all, Leadership has led to the progress of human civilization . Without good Leadership, no organization or group can succeed. Furthermore, not everyone has this quality. This is because effective Leadership requires certain important characteristics.

Leadership Essay

Qualities of a Good Leader

First of all, confidence is the most quality. A leader must have strong self-confidence. A person lacking in confidence can never be a good leader. A person must be confident enough to ensure others follow him. The leader must have confidence in his decisions and actions. If he is unsure, then how can people have the desire to follow him.

A good leader must certainly inspire others. A leader must be a role model for his followers. Furthermore, he must motivate them whenever possible. Also, in difficult situations, a leader must not lose hope. How can a leader inspire people if he himself is hopeless?

Honesty is another notable quality of a leader. Honesty and Integrity are important to earn the love of followers. Above all, honesty is essential to win the trust of the people. Probably, every Leadership which loses trust is bound to fail. People will not work with full effort due to an immoral leader.

Good communication is a must for a good leader. This is because poor communication means the wrong message to followers. Furthermore, good communication will increase the rate of work. Also, the chances of mistakes by followers will reduce.

Another important quality is decision making. Above all, if a leader makes poor decisions then other qualities will not matter. Furthermore, good decision making ensures the success of the entire group. If the leader makes poor decisions, then the efforts of followers won’t matter.

A good leader must be an excellent innovator. He must display a creative attitude in his work. Most noteworthy, innovation is a guarantee of survival of a group or innovation. Without creative thinking, progress is not possible.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Real-Life Examples of Good Leadership

Mahatma Gandhi was an excellent example of a good leader. He was a staunch believer in non-violence. With his brilliant Leadership skills, he made the British leave India. Probably, this was the most unique independence struggle. This is because Gandhi got freedom without any violence.

Abraham Lincoln was another notable leader. Most noteworthy, he ended the slavery system in the United States. Consequently, he made many enemies. However, he was a man of massive self-confidence. His struggle against slavery certainly became an inspiration.

Sir Winston Churchill was a great patriotic Englishman. Most noteworthy, he led Britain in the 2nd World War. Furthermore, he was extremely inspirational. He inspired Britain to fight against Nazi Germany. His great communication motivated the entire country at a time of hopelessness.

To conclude, Leadership is required in probably every sphere of life. Good leadership is the door to success. In contrast, bad leadership is a guarantee of failure. Consequently, good leaders are what make the world go round.

FAQs on Leadership

Q.1 Which is the most important quality for being a good leader? A.1 The most important quality for being a good leader is self-confidence.

Q.2 Why Sir Winston Churchill is a good leader? A.2 Sir Winston Churchill is a good leader because he inspired Britain to fight in 2nd World War. Furthermore, his excellent communication also raised the motivation of his people.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

tutor

  • Travelling Essay
  • Picnic Essay
  • Our Country Essay
  • My Parents Essay
  • Essay on Favourite Personality
  • Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
  • Essay on Knowledge is Power
  • Essay on Gurpurab
  • Essay on My Favourite Season
  • Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Google Play

The Good (and the Bad) of Using Apps to Connect With Parents

good leadership thesis

  • Share article

How often should parents and teachers communicate? That’s the question at the center of a growing push for technology that allows parents constant access to the classroom.

For a long time, parents relied solely on physical report cards and papers teachers sent home with their children to know what was happening at school. When email came along, teachers could communicate directly with parents and vice versa, but it was still time-consuming, with conversations sometimes taking days to play out.

A slew of apps are looking to change that reality through messaging platforms and digital experiences that give parents and teachers constant and instant access to each other. The apps allow teachers to seamlessly share pictures and videos, or just chat with parents about what’s happening in the classroom.

At the same time, tools like Zoom have opened the virtual doors to classrooms, letting parents watch their kids participate in spelling bees and quiz bowls. Text messaging platforms like ParentPowered send parents tips on supplementing students’ lessons at home. And schools continue to use social media to share updates and reach parents who might miss information through email.

The options for communicating with parents can seem endless, yet many parents remain unaware of what’s happening at school, or confused or misinformed about it. And school leaders struggle to reach certain families, especially those they really need to so their children will come to school.

Technology can improve parent and family engagement, experts say, but schools should be strategic about using it—and be mindful of apps’ privacy policies as well as the reality that not every family has access to smartphones with internet access. They shouldn’t use apps to replace in-person relationships, but rather to supplement them. And teachers should be transparent about their expectations for using the tools, so parents understand their boundaries around technology that allows for constant communication.

“These are platforms, not best practices,” said Helen Westmoreland, director of family engagement at the National Parent Teacher Association. “They are a platform for communication, and they are only as good as what goes into them. Sometimes we see that districts stop at the platform; family engagement is 90 percent beyond that platform.”

Bringing back the ‘village’

Brian Prybil learned about ClassDojo when he was principal of Washington Elementary School in Moline, Ill., about two-and-a-half hours west of Chicago near the Iowa border.

A group of teachers had heard about the app as a way to improve student behavior—teachers reward students for demonstrating social-emotional skills, such as grit or empathy, through “dojo points” on the app—and approached him about using it.

Prybil was unsure at first but told the teachers they could continue using it as long as they stuck with the in-person behavior intervention practices the school had in place.

Within a year, though, Prybil said he noticed major changes in the classes where teachers used ClassDojo.

Students there had fewer behavior problems, and parents weren’t calling the school as often because teachers were keeping in touch through the app.

Prybil held a staff meeting and suggested they adopt the app schoolwide.

“As a principal, it took me just a few moments to type to a parent and message them if they had a question, and pretty soon it became our main mode of communication,” he said. “It also became the main mode of communication for our teachers to our parents, and the kids knew that communication was happening.”

Now the 7,000-student Moline-Coal Valley school district’s deputy superintendent, Prybil is working with ClassDojo to adopt the app districtwide. It’s part of a new endeavor for the company, which has always marketed to individual teachers.

They are a platform for communication, and they are only as good as what goes into them. Sometimes we see that districts stop at the platform; family engagement is 90 percent beyond that platform.

School staff will be able to use the new districtwide offering more seamlessly, said Sam Chaudhary, ClassDojo’s co-founder and CEO.

Administrators will be able to access school-level data on the app’s use, such as how many families are engaging with messages, how many messages the app is translating to other languages for families who don’t speak English, and statistics on the top skills teachers are building with students. They’ll also be able to send out mass messages to parents on important district developments. Soon, administrators will also be able to use the app’s “stories” feature—similar to Instagram’s feature by the same name—to showcase what’s happening at school.

Meanwhile, teachers will be able to continue messaging parents directly to share videos and pictures from their classrooms, reminders of class assignments, and any concerns they might have about specific students.

The idea behind ClassDojo, which launched in 2011, was to improve communication and strengthen connections between families and schools, Chaudhary said.

“In some ways, we’re just giving people a way to reconstruct the village,” he said. “Parents can’t be there all the time and teachers can’t be home all the time. But if you can have the sense of us being on the same page, you’re rebuilding the village around the classroom.”

Other technology companies operate under the same premise.

Seesaw, for example, offers the same instant messaging capability as ClassDojo, but operates more as a learning management system for elementary schools that also includes lessons, data on student progress that parents can track, and the ability for teachers to assign activities.

It gives parents real-time updates on student progress in different academic areas. Teachers can send videos and photos to parents showing students participating in reading or math activities. Students can also have a hand in deciding specific activities and memories to share with parents.

Seesaw has more closely connected parents to their children’s education, said Tiffany Wood, an instructional technology specialist at the Mid-Del school district in Midwest City, Okla., east of Oklahoma City.

“Teachers get to build that sort of digital scrapbook with kids,” Wood said. “Because parents can’t be in the classroom—they have to work; that’s not an option—now parents can be a part of that educational experience.”

A screenshot of the Seesaw platform shows how teachers, parents, and students can communicate through translation features.

Bringing parents into student learning

The major benefit to platforms like Seesaw and ClassDojo is that they provide parents with a digital look inside the classroom that they wouldn’t otherwise have. If used well, parents gain a deeper understanding of what their kids are learning, through pictures, videos, and messages, and they become part of the process, realizing a core goal of effective parent engagement.

That was the idea behind ParentPowered, a platform that provides parents with weekly text messages with activities, insights, and learning opportunities, so they can continue the learning at home with their children, said Terri Lynn Soutor, the company’s CEO.

ParentPowered specifically aims to serve parents and families who might otherwise have a difficult time becoming engaged school community members. They might speak a language other than English, have multiple jobs, or have other barriers that make it difficult to connect with the school.

Those families “are the ones that are most in need of this high-quality kind of support,” Soutor said.

Unlike Seesaw and ClassDojo, ParentPowered’s platform is technologically basic. It sends text messages to parents’ phones that parent and family engagement researchers have designed to provide caregivers with actionable tools they can use at home with their children. The thinking is that this form of participation will ultimately get them more engaged in their students’ education and more comfortable coming to school in person.

When districts partner with ParentPowered, they can either automatically sign all parents up for the platform, giving parents the ability to opt out, or have parents opt in. The goal is to make it as easy and accessible as possible, not requiring parents to download anything or even have access to Wi-Fi, Soutor said.

“Our approach is really around making the guidance for families, parents, and caregivers very easy and accessible, using the most equitable and research-backed technology that reaches every family—and that is text messaging,” Soutor said.

Accessibility limits are one of the primary downsides to the apps because not every parent has internet access or a smartphone, said Catharyn Shelton, an assistant professor of educational technology at Northern Arizona University.

“I always, with tech, want to ask who benefits and who doesn’t?” Shelton said. “There’s just such clear ways that privileged parties benefit and others do not. While there are opportunities for increased accessibility through offering different channels of communication, there’s other people who are left out.”

The app-based platforms are aware of this limitation, but they argue their products compensate for some of those problems.

ClassDojo and Seesaw offer language translation, for example, so parents who don’t speak English can write to teachers in their native language and the app translates the messages to English.

I always, with tech, want to ask who benefits and who doesn’t? There’s just such clear ways that privileged parties benefit and others do not. While there are opportunities for increased accessibility through offering different channels of communication, there’s other people who are left out.

The platforms can also reach parents who are overseas for work or other reasons, said Matt Given, Seesaw’s CEO.

“They can see what’s happening with their student in real time and it doesn’t have to be a game of telephone, getting the information to the parent that’s overseas,” Given said.

Still, it’s largely up to teachers and school and district leaders to get parents logged on. A small handful of parents of Moline-Coal Valley elementary students don’t use ClassDojo, Prybil said.

“When you get down to that last 5 percent of your families, a lot of it is just reaching out, which we should do anyway,” Prybil said. “If that family can’t get on, then we need to reach out, and ClassDojo just accelerates that reach-out.”

Maintaining student privacy

A top concern about apps like ClassDojo and Seesaw should be student data privacy, said Shelton, of Northern Arizona University. Anytime pictures or videos of students are shared through an internet-based platform, the adults involved should research those apps’ security and privacy policies.

Shelton’s 1st grade daughter’s teacher uses ClassDojo, but is careful to share pictures or videos of students only in a section of the app that’s restricted to parents from the class she said. Shelton said that makes her more comfortable.

“You have to weigh out the risks and benefits of offering up our kids for these tech platforms, to profits and for potential online predators to get lots of information about them and their community,” Shelton said.

ClassDojo is designed to ask for as little identifiable information about students as possible; students can be identified by initials or nicknames or avatars rather than by name, gender, email, address, or student ID number.

A screenshot of the ClassDojo mobile app shows how educators can post pictures and videos of the classroom using the stories function.

The app also deletes “Dojo points,” which students earn from teachers by advancing in social-emotional skills like “grit” or “curiosity,” after a year, and students’ entire profiles are deleted after a year of inactivity, a ClassDojo spokesperson said.

Seesaw restricts access to student videos and photos to people who work directly with students, usually parents and teachers. The platform also works across the world and has to operate under the strictest privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that exists in some European countries, Given said.

“We are obsessed with [privacy] to a very significant degree,” Given said. “It’s a big part of our job, that responsibility.”

Data privacy concerns are especially prevalent with social media platforms, Shelton said. Photos posted to such platforms can be easily shared, and districts should ensure that they’re only featuring students with signed media releases on those platforms, she said.

Going beyond the technology

Sharnae Oden, a 3rd grade teacher at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., uses ClassDojo to communicate with students’ parents. But ClassDojo isn’t the only platform teachers at the school use; some use Remind or Clever, which operate in a similar way.

Oden said the app has been instrumental to improving parent engagement. Rather than calling or emailing parents, or hoping messages make it home in 3rd graders’ backpacks, Oden can use the app.

“There’s not enough time in the day to get to every single thing,” Oden said. “The best way I can try to manage that communication is ClassDojo. We can instant-message each other versus trying to set up a time to meet or trying to meet on the curb after school, which is not always the most feasible time.”

Oden said she occasionally deals with parents who need a lot of support and communication. The app has helped her navigate those situations and kept her from getting frustrated with those parents, she said.

Oden primarily uses the app to contact parents when they don’t have time to meet in person. Sometimes, she’ll message parents to remind them of upcoming school events or assignments, or she’ll ask when they have time to visit the classroom for a deeper discussion if their child is struggling.

That kind of interaction is difficult without ClassDojo, Oden said, as many parents might not check their email or have time for a phone call at work. Oden uses ClassDojo for her own son, who also attends Stevenson, and said it’s also been helpful from the parent perspective.

In Midwest City, Okla., Seesaw has been especially helpful during parent-teacher conferences in the district of more than 12,000 students, Wood said. It allows students to show their favorite lessons and activities to parents during the conferences, and parents get recommendations through the platform on how to further their children’s learning.

The platform “lets the kid present all of the things that they know they’re good at and all the things that they’ve done,” Wood said. “The parent can then be like, ‘Hey, my kid knows they’re getting this, my kid knows that they need to practice this. Now, I can have those conversations at home.’”

That approach—using the app as a starting place to connect with parents rather than the only communication method—should be the ideal for educators, said Shelton and Westmoreland, the National PTA director.

Schools should look for tech programs that “align to the classroom curriculum and say, ‘OK, your child is learning about adding unlike denominators this week. Ask them this question at home,’” Westmoreland said. “That’s very different than sending out the mass message of, ‘Come to the school tomorrow to pick up your child’s uniform.’”

Teachers should also be careful to set and communicate firm boundaries with technology that allows parents constant access through messaging, Shelton said. They should set specific hours for when they’ll read and respond to messages.

“Introducing app-based communication may set bad expectations among caregivers that teachers should be always available to communicate whenever caregivers need,” Shelton said. “The reality is that teachers are paid professionals with official working hours. So when teachers communicate with caregivers outside the work day, it is essentially free labor.”

The National PTA advises educators to get feedback from families to inform decisions about which platforms to use, to invest in texting services like ParentPowered that have greater accessibility, to partner with vendors to improve implementation, and to be transparent with families about the technology platforms.

“It’s the starting place for good family engagement, not the ending place,” Westmoreland said.

Dive Deeper

This story is part of a special reporting project on parent engagement . The Future of Parent Engagement: Parents and caregivers are paying more attention to their children’s education than ever. Here’s what that means for schools . A New Community School Model: Family and community engagement is central to the success of Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich. See how the transformation started . “Add-on” or Core Skill? Researchers agree family engagement is effective, but few colleges actually teach it . Bridging the Gap: A home visit program is helping parents and teachers build more trusting relationships in Denver. A New Generation of Apps: Tech platforms are changing the way teachers communicate with families. How can schools use them effectively? 5 Strategies: Schools don’t need an influx of money and resources to have effective family engagement. Find out how . ( Here’s a downloadable guide .)

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Edweek top school jobs.

Genesis Olivio and her daughter Arlette, 2, read a book together in a room within the community hub at John H. Amesse Elementary School on March 13, 2024 in Denver. Denver Public Schools has six community hubs across the district that have serviced 3,000 new students since October 2023. Each community hub has different resources for families and students catering to what the community needs.

Sign Up & Sign In

module image 9

Department of History

2023-24 departmental prizes awarded.

2023-24 Departmental Prizes Awarded

As part of our History end-of-year reception festivities, we awarded the Kouguell, Butler, and Student Leadership Awards.

Image of Francois Furstenberg, Zeqing Li, and Sarah Annis.

This year, we split the Kouguell Prize between two outstanding undergraduate senior thesis writers, Sarah Annis, for her thesis titled, “Murder Fines, Jurisdiction, and State Power in Anglo-Norman England,” and Zeqing Li for his thesis titled, “Xiao Xin’an and the Anti-Netherlands Movement: Gender and Nationalism in 1930s China.”

Sarah Annis wrote a thesis analyzing the murder fine in Medieval English pipe rolls using a mix of social, legal, and computational analysis. Her paper resituates the fine in post-conquest England while offering a new way of measuring the fiscal impact of the fine under the reign of Henry II. Even more, she offers a methodological toolkit that has implications beyond this subject and may potentially bring fresh insights across her field.

Zeqing Li’s thesis explored the sexual assault of a Chinese woman, setting the case in the context of changing ideas about gender in early 20 th c. China, and the ways both fomented a growing strain of nationalism centered around anti-Netherlands sentiment. If his methodology is more familiar, his paper brings to light a case and a dynamic that has been largely neglected in the field while the writing and his analysis is of a level of sophistication that we believe merits publication.

The Arthur Kouguell Memorial prize was established by the parents and friends of the late Arthur M. Kouguell ’73. The prize is awarded annually by the Department of History to the senior honors thesis that best represents Arthur Kouguell’s commitment to scholarly and humane values.

Image of Jessica Johnson, Ben Barrett, and Xueqian Zhang.

Similarly, we awarded the Butler Prize to two exceptional papers written by first-year graduate students Ben Barrett and Xueqian Zhang.

Ben Barrett’s paper entitled “Making Marseille ‘Federalist’: The Long Afterlife of the Revolt of 1793″ was deeply grounded in archival work. Barrett offers a “searching, sophisticated argument” to explain how a loyal Marseilliese Jacobin was labeled a counter-revolutionary in the years that followed the Revolution. In doing so, Barrett also makes a powerful and cogent intervention in the classic historiography of the Revolution arguing that its consequences have, for far too long, been measured by events in Paris leaving aside what happened in the rest of France. In crafting his paper, Ben admirably moves between close-readings of letters and trial records long overlooked, to then pan-out and engage larger questions and historiographical debates about the nature of political community, the aftermath of the French Revolution, and the experience of those far from the capital. In doing so, he has opened up a crucial trajectory for future work to reconsider temporal and geographic perspectives on the aftermath of the Revolution and for new interpretations of this pivotal moment in French history, whose effects reverberated far beyond the shores of France.

The committee has also chosen to recognize the exemplary paper written by Xueqian Zhang entitled “The Patriarch in Letters: Masculinity, Family Conflict, and Mythmaking in Late Qing China.” Zhang’s paper unfolds a twined story: one a personal narrative generated through letters exchanged among a prominent family in late Qing China, and another that tells a story of the creation of an ideal of the patriarch as it was reconceptualized throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. In her paper Zhang uncovers the story of Zeng Guofan and his family by surveying thousands of letters, analyzing their multiple reprintings, and considering the significance of later marginalia for what it said about the reception history of Goufan and his image as a patriarch. This was no small feat given that the letters were written in Classical Chinese. Moreover, Xueqian reads the letters through the lens of gender and feminist studies to critique and analyze the Confucian idea of “image politics” and the “ideal patriarch”. The result is a paper that is ambitious and carefully bounded, and that offers a new perspective on family history and gender history – especially attentive to its deliberate emphasis on, and interpretation of, masculinity.

The Butler Prize is awarded annually to the best paper written by a first-year student. Each year the chair of the department appoints a faculty committee to select the winner. Papers are normally nominated by faculty sponsors. The prize was established in 1957 by Dr. Alexander Butler, a graduate of the department.

Image of Amrish Nair

This year the Department is also extremely pleased to present the History Graduate Leadership Award to Amrish Nair. Since arriving at Hopkins in the fall of 2021, Amrish has been a galvanizing and enthusiastic force. Last year he played a vital role in editing and rewriting the new Graduate Handbook and transitioning the program forward after the challenging years during and following Covid. This year Amrish has been a key linchpin in the department, leading in the Graduate Program and History more broadly. He has been an active co-president of the History Graduate Student Association at a pivotal period for graduate life with respect to the department and broader university policies. He has tirelessly served to organize workshops twice a month focused on a wide array of topics from writing to career diversity and more. All the while, Amrish has also coordinated the Euro Seminar for the second year in a row. In addition, he has served as a Stern Fellow through the Stern Center housed in Special Collections in the library and thus coordinated numerous functions and led several key presentations of manuscripts and social events. Finally, Amrish also served as the graduate coordinator of the department’s Graduate Recruitment events this year, hosting students on campus, organizing dinners and lunches, and working tirelessly with the DGS and Graduate Administrator to ensure an excellent visit, which he accomplished wonderfully. Indeed, Amirsh, your rigor as a scholar, your commitment to participating in nearly every seminar and workshop possible, as well as your optimism, care, and enthusiasm, are a model and inspiration for us all. The Department is extremely grateful to you, Amrish, for your exemplary leadership and for all that you have given your fellow students and colleagues.

Congratulations to Sarah, Zeqing, Ben, Xueqian, and Amrish!

Kent State University logo

  • FlashLine Login
  • Phone Directory
  • Maps & Directions
  • About Overview
  • Administration
  • Facts & Figures
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Kent State Geauga News
  • Support the Campus
  • Twinsburg Academic Center
  • Academics Overview
  • Academic Advising
  • Student Accessibility Services
  • Course Schedules
  • Distance & Online Learning
  • Majors & Degrees
  • Tutoring & Testing
  • Academic Learning Commons
  • Academic Workshops
  • Before You Withdraw, Let's Talk
  • New Student FAQs
  • Spring 2024 Final Exam Schedule
  • Student Services Staff
  • Admissions Overview
  • Referred to Regional Campus
  • Visit Campus
  • Newly Admitted Students
  • Placement Testing
  • College Credit Plus
  • Tuition & Fees
  • Financial Aid
  • Scholarships
  • Meet the Flashes
  • Request Information
  • Senior Guest Program
  • Transfer Students
  • Ohio College Comeback
  • Campus Life Overview
  • Flash Bistro
  • Annual Scholarship Award Reception
  • Bookstore and Spirit Wear
  • Career Services
  • Clubs & Organizations
  • Community Job Openings
  • Computer Labs
  • Counseling Services
  • Rising Scholars Program
  • Technology Help
  • Wellness Initiative
  • Commencement
  • Community & Partnerships Overview
  • Events & Room Reservations
  • Outreach & Partnerships
  • Programs & Presentations
  • Student Discounts
  • Workforce Development - Geauga
  • Workforce Development - Twinsburg
  • Locations Overview
  • East Liverpool
  • Regional Campuses
  • Other U.S. Academic Locations
  • Kent State Worldwide
  • Campus Safety Overview
  • A.L.I.C.E. Training Workshops
  • Campus Safety Staff
  • Annual Security Reports
  • Smoke-Free, Tobacco-Free University

Get to Know Your 2024 Kent State Geauga Student Commencement Speaker

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • " class="social-sharing-google" title="Share on Google+"> Share on Google+
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Email

Headshot of Wayne Nieh

Wayne Nieh will be the 2024 commencement student speaker during the Kent State University Geauga and Twinsburg Academic Center Pinning and Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 10. Wayne is not only the Valedictorian of his graduating class, but this inspiring scholar with a promising future has a dramatic backstory, a resolute sense of purpose, a remarkable set of achievements, and an over-arching attitude of humility.

Get to know Wayne, in his own words, in the Q&A below. Then come to the 2024 Kent State Geauga Commencement Ceremony at Parkside Church in Bainbridge to be inspired by his powerful message. The Nursing Pinning Ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. followed by Commencement at 2:30 p.m.

1.  When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was a child, I wanted to become a teacher, a scientist, a scholar, and/or an opera actor from the influence of my late beloved grandfather, who was the best mentor and friend of my childhood. He disciplined me to be a reader, a thinker, and a doer. At a young age, he also taught me Peking Opera, and I have enjoyed performing opera on stage since the age of 4. I had many dreams as a young boy; however, I loved my opera tapes and collections of books more than other things.

2.  Where were you raised and when did you and your family immigrate to the U.S.? From what high school did you graduate?

I was raised in a beautiful northern Chinese village on a peninsula named Penglai. Our family owned cherry and apple farms as well as a vineyard. My hometown was very close to the Bohai Gulf, and all the fruit trees grew on the sand.

In December 2010, our family moved to the U.S., and we are very thankful for this country and all the opportunities including educational opportunities. I graduated from Solon High School, and I am truly thankful for my high school principals, guidance counselors, and many amazing teachers who supported and guided me through my high school journey, especially during the first year of my high school days when I could barely speak, read, and write in English.  

3.  Why did you choose to attend Kent State Geauga for your undergraduate studies?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I read an article online about a Kent State University Geauga Campus BSN program and 2018 graduate Bailey Hill, who took the calling to spend four weeks at New York Presbyterian Hospital, an area in the COVID hot zone with a shortage of nurses.

I was moved, encouraged, and inspired by her story. In addition, I truly love the smaller nursing cohort learning environment—students know each other well, and we are like family members.

Moreover, I am very thankful for our BSN program coordinator, Melissa Owen, who loves and cares about all nursing scholars, and I have learned much from her lectures and through her character and leadership. I still remember our very first meeting online when my internet was very slow, and she was very patient in waiting for me. After the meeting, I knew this would be the best learning environment for me to pursue my nursing education and training.

4.  Why did you choose to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, what is your plan after graduation, and what is your ultimate career goal?

I chose to pursue nursing from the inspiration of my parents, who took good care of my grandfather after he suffered from three strokes, and they also taught me to be a compassionate and kind person, to serve others who were in need during my elementary school days.

When I turned 21, my mother went through cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. My father took such good care of my mother, and I eye-witnessed many nurses who encouraged my mother and made a positive impact during her cancer treatment. I know that’s the desire of my life: to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather, my parents, and the inspiring nurses, serving the community with charity, compassion, and knowledge.

My ultimate career goal is to finish my doctoral degree in nursing and eagerly translate nursing research evidence into nursing clinical practice for better care outcomes.

5.  Please describe how your 2021 and 2022 SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) research projects and presentations have informed your current work in the nursing field, and how Vitamin K therapy and the Family Willingness for Caregiving Scale (FWCS) may impact the course of your future endeavors in improving healthcare outcomes for patients.  The 2021 SURE research project entitled “The Healing Potential of Vitamin K, The Forgotten Vitamin” under the supervision of my mentor, Dr. Popescu, opened the door to my path of research at Kent State University. The first SURE research project broadened my understanding of the importance, necessity, and power of research as a nursing student. Through this research project, I worked closely with the director of the Office of Student Research, Ms. Ann Gosky, who has been a blessing to me as a nursing student and student researcher at Kent State University.

After the first SURE research project, I knew I had the desire to broaden my understanding of nursing research. As a regional campus nursing student, I did not know any nursing research faculty from the Kent campus. During the 2021 winter break, Ms. Gosky helped me get connected with Dr. Amy Petrinec for my second SURE nursing research project.

Then I worked under the mentorships of Dr. Amy Petrinec and Dr. Cindy Wilk, testing a new instrument, Family Willingness for Caregiving Scale (FWCS), designed by Dr. Wilk during her PhD study. It measures the willingness of family members to become caregivers to a loved one receiving mechanical ventilation while in an adult intensive care unit (ICU).

I was humbled by this research study in the Summer of 2022, and Dr. Wilk taught me the art and techniques of therapeutic communications when recruiting eligible family members of ICU patients at Summa Health in Akron. This SURE experience surely exposed me to the power of nursing research in healthcare and trained my critical thinking and communication skills in a clinical setting, which helped significantly later in my nursing journey at Kent State University.

Dr. Petrinec and Dr. Wilk are diligent nursing professors, profound nursing scientists, and amazing thinkers and writers. Working under their mentorship taught me the lesson of humility because I can always learn new things from them, such as creative ways of thinking, better writing styles, and effective communication skills.

After my second SURE nursing research study, I was motivated, encouraged, and challenged by Dr. Petrinec and Dr. Wilk to propose my senior honors thesis study entitled “Family Presence During Resuscitation: A Descriptive Study of Perceptions of Nursing Students” in Fall 2022.

I am truly thankful for the support of the Honors College, McNair Scholars Program, and the Office of Student Research for this thesis study. Dr. Petrinec guided me through grant application, IRB application, Qualtrics design for instrumental surveys, and student recruitment as a BSN student. As time is approaching to my graduation, I truly want to express my sincere thankfulness to Ms. Gosky. Without her support, I wouldn’t be able to recruit any accelerated BSN scholars in Summer 2023, my mentor, Dr. Petrinec, the thesis committee (Dean Smith of Honors College, Dr. Wilk, Dr. Popescu, and Ms. Larubina), and Dr. Kutchin, who showed me how to recruit students for the thesis study with enthusiasm and passion.

Now, reflecting on my research journey at Kent State University, I have seen my mentor’s diligence and passion for nursing research, and her love and care for students, and I also learned the wisdom from Dr. Petrinec that nursing education is not merely the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think, to be creative in problem-solving, and to lead with compassion.

Over the years at Kent State University, I participated in the 2021 SURE 3-minute thesis, and the 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium, and presented my first SURE research work at the 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium at West Virginia University. I presented my second SURE study at the 2022 SURE 3-minute thesis and won second place; at the 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium and won first place in the nursing category; at the 2023 Innovation Day for the Northeastern Ohio Public University Research Association (NEOPURA),  at the 2023 KSU Honors Research Symposium and won the poster award, and at the SAEOPP McNair/SSS Research Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lastly, I presented my honors thesis study at the 47th Biennial Convention in San Antonio, Texas; at the 2024 Midwest Nursing Research Annual Research Conference in Minneapolis; defended my thesis study on April 2, 2024; presented the thesis study at Sigma Collaboration with Case Western, Ursuline College, Kent State University, and University of Akron; at the 2024 Undergraduate Symposium at KSU and won the first place in the nursing category; at the 132nd Ohio Academic of Science Annual Meeting; and presented again at the KSU Honors Research Symposium on April 26, 2024.

No words can fully express my gratitude to Kent State University, my research mentors, and the supportive nursing faculty members from Kent and Geauga campuses. The opportunities I have had through KSU pave the way for me as a senior BSN student, to recognize the importance of research in clinical settings and provide tools to pursue and implement evidence from nursing research in clinical practice in the future for the advancement of the nursing profession, patient safety, and overall quality of care. 6.  You have overcome many obstacles along your academic journey. Please describe what motivated you to work so hard and excel at many levels—and soon you will address your entire graduating class as their commencement speaker.

As an immigrant, my family has worked hard to overcome financial, cultural, and language challenges, and I have been studying very hard to overcome academic challenges.

However, I am thankful for the obstacles and challenges, for they have strengthened my character which shaped me to be the person I am today. When I was young, my late grandfather often taught me his wisdom in life (he underwent WWII and fought in the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s and lost one leg on the battlefield) that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

He also often taught me that the intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. I strongly believe the wisdom and lessons that I learned from my late grandfather, and the exemplary life that he lived, motivated me to be the overcomer to face and work through the obstacles and challenges in my life with hope and strength.

7.  Your grandfather also shared with you: “Diligence is the path to the mountain of knowledge; hard work is the boat to the endless sea of learning.” Please explain how this saying has encouraged you and how other people can be inspired by these words.

My late grandfather was a wise man, and many people including myself gained the benefits and wisdom from him through conversations. When he taught me this statement, I was too young to understand the depth of his wisdom. However, as I got older, I could grasp his wisdom that humility is essential in academia, especially in the nursing profession.

Nursing is a profession that requires both science and compassion, with nursing knowledge similar to the vast ocean. Thus, nursing requires students to be diligent in learning the mountain of knowledge, and it also requires us to be adaptive since evidence-based practices change over time through nursing research for the good. Over the years, I appreciate my grandfather’s words more and more that hard work is truly the boat to the endless sea of learning, and opportunities are usually disguised as hard work.

Through my nursing journey at Kent State University, I have learned that humility is needed in nursing, compassion is required to serve others, and hard work is the mark of a true scholar.

My research mentors are diligent nursing scientists who work hard in the profession, which reminds me of the words of the mother of our profession, Florence Nightingale, “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses. We must be learning all of our lives.”

8.  As President of the Geauga Student Nurse Association, President of the Geauga Gardener Club, Student Ambassador of the Office of Student Research, Student Leadership Intern of Delta Xi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and Geauga Advisory Board Committee Member, please explain the importance of being involved in extracurricular organizations and activities… and how did you find the time considering your demanding academic schedule? When I was young, my grandfather taught me the essence of servant leadership, which focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of the people and the communities to which they belong. In addition, he taught me to love and serve others and not be rewarded and remembered.

I believe it is very humbling for me to serve others through my involvements in extracurricular organizations and activities, as I can always learn new things from advisors and other peers. Through the mentorship of Dr. Petrinec and Ms. Melissa Owen, I have learned that all nurses are leaders, and we need to be proactive advocates for our patients and our profession. Serving in various student organizations and activities has humbled me to communicate effectively and to serve others with flexibility, empathy, stewardship, and active listening skills which are required in my future nursing career.

Being a farmer disciplined me to think and plan for different seasons, to be responsible for feeding the animals on time, and to be more flexible with multitasking skills. My friends called me the “master of time management.”

I think my farmer background and nursing education at KSUG have trained me to set goals correctly, prioritize activities wisely, plan things ahead, and keep all things organized, which helped me manage all things well on top of the demanding academic and work schedule. I am not and will never be perfect in time management, and I am eager to constantly learn and improve myself in this area.

9.  Please select three life lessons you have learned during your time at Kent State Geauga that will continue to serve you/help others in the future.

   1.  Active listening is powerful and silence is needed at times.     2.  Clear communication can build trust in relationships.     3.  Always ask questions in times of uncertainty and never make assumptions.  

10.  What is the essential message of your upcoming 2024 Commencement speech?

“We need each other, humility, and hope in the nursing profession.”

Three students and two faculty members on stage smiling at the camera

Spring 2023 -  Delta Xi Chapter of Sigma International Honor Society of Nursing Induction with former Student Leadership Interns from Geauga Campus and two nursing faculty from Geauga Campus, Professor Kerry Myers and Professor Amy LePard.

Nursing Student Wayne Nieh, with 3 faculty mentors

2024 Midwest Nursing Research Annual Research Conference in Minneapolis with Dr. Petrinec (mentor), Dr. Hasen, Dr. Wang, and Dr. Reed.

Nursing Student, Wayne Nieh with faculty after defending his thesis

Spring 2024 - Senior Honors Thesis Defense Committee  Dr. Petrinec (mentor), Dean Smith (Honors College), Dr. Wilk (KSU CON), Dr. Popescu (KSU Geauga), and Professor Larubina (KSU Geauga).

Student Wayne Nieh with Geauga Campus Faculty

Spring 2024 - Senior Honors Thesis Defense with KSU Geauga Faculty Members: Dr. Popescu, Professor LePard, Professor Larubina, and Professor Melissa Owen.

Student Wayne Nieh with mentor

Spring 2024 - Senior Honors Thesis Defense with my wonderful mentor, Dr. Petrinec.  

Wayne Nieh with Ms. Ann Gosky

Spring 2024 -  Senior Honors Thesis Defense with director of the Office of Student Research, Ms. Ann Gosky.

Student Wayne Nieh posing with Flash and Director

  Spring 2024 - Senior Honors Luncheon with Honors Thesis Advisor, Ms. Marsha Kraus.   

Geauga Campus Mailing Address

Geauga campus street address, twinsburg academic center mailing address, twinsburg academic center street address.

  • Geauga Campus Phone 440-834-4187
  • Twinsburg Academic Center Phone 330-888-6400
  • Kent State Kent Campus - facebook
  • Kent State Kent Campus - linkedin
  • Kent State Kent Campus - twitter
  • Kent State Kent Campus - instagram
  • Annual Security Report -Geauga
  • Annual Security Report -Twinsburg Academic Center
  • Campus Safety
  • For Our Alumni
  • Hours of Operation
  • Jobs & Employment
  • Privacy Statement
  • Website Feedback Form

Thesis Helpers

good leadership thesis

Find the best tips and advice to improve your writing. Or, have a top expert write your paper.

277 Top Leadership Research Topics for Your Thesis

leadership research topics

For most students, working on leadership research topics is a fascinating task. That’s because this subject spans different disciplines, including education, management, sociology, politics, and psychology. For this reason, many learners choose these topics when writing college and university papers.

In most cases, educators do not specify the topic for learners. That means every learner must choose or develop a topic for their academic paper. Consequently, learners look for leadership areas that interest them and then pick their leadership paper topics.

Here are pointers for selecting a topic for your leadership essay or paper:

Start by choosing a subject area Narrow down your subject area Focus on leadership, not management Bear the educator’s instructions in mind Aim to answer a question in your subject area

If interested in this subject, here is a list of leadership topics you consider for your papers.

Interesting Dissertation Topics in Educational Leadership

When pursuing a course in educational leadership, educators require learners to complete a dissertation by employing their new learning and professional knowledge. When writing this paper, a learner should demonstrate organization, transformative leadership, and the ability to initiate community change. Here are sample topics in this category.

  • Interrelation between poor school results and poor leadership
  • How social media affects educational leadership
  • Impacts of technology on educational leadership
  • How leadership in mediocre schools can simulate top performing learning institutions
  • Effects of the leadership culture on running educational institutions
  • How to blend strategic teaching methods with efficient organization
  • How educational leadership affects society
  • How educational leadership influence researchers and literature
  • Educational leadership and success path
  • Educational leadership and social transformation
  • Educational leadership’s role in society
  • Can education leadership bring about change?
  • How to include the community in education leadership
  • Effectiveness of interdisciplinary teams in the running of the middle schools
  • Women role in education leadership
  • How cultural organization affects educational institutions
  • Diluting racist habits in accredited universities
  • How to seamlessly pass teachers’ excellence to students
  • How educational institutions can offer exceptional leadership by thinking outside the box
  • How to evaluate negative traits of instructors teaching similar subjects
  • How fighting for leadership positions affect schools and students
  • How to compassionately develop students with dyslexia
  • How to strategically blend teaching methods with efficient organization
  • How culture influences educational institutions’ leadership
  • How effective educational leadership helps learners achieve academic goals
  • How educational leadership affect how learners think about their future and intellectual abilities
  • How teachers can encourage learners to take exams and testing more seriously
  • Do teachers have adequate training on how to be influential leaders?
  • Should learning institutions evaluate teachers depending on their leadership abilities?
  • What changes in training opportunities can encourage teachers to exercise leadership strategies?

Pick any of these educational leadership research topics and investigate them extensively to develop a brilliant dissertation.

Hot Leadership Training Topics

Leadership training is crucial for future and current leaders. Anybody that wants to become a supervisor, manager, or leader at any capacity should undergo some training to cultivate and nurture their skills. Here are some of the best leadership topics to write about in this category.

  • How organizational leaders can enhance productivity
  • How company leaders can retain the best employees
  • How to improve decision making in an organization
  • How to implement effective leadership styles
  • How leaders can support succession in their organizations
  • How to delegate and empower employees
  • Role of organizational leaders in conflict resolution
  • How to change management and executive leadership
  • How leaders can command respect without issuing commands
  • How leaders can motivate and engage employees
  • How corporate leaders can enhance interpersonal relationships
  • How decision skills can streamline organizations and nurture confidence
  • How leaders can train employees on energy and time management
  • How leaders can train employees about self-awareness
  • Practical communication skills for organizational leaders
  • How leaders can encourage peer-to-peer training
  • The role of leadership in organizational development
  • How to design helpful leadership training modules
  • How to automate corporate learning paths
  • How to measure results in leadership training
  • Importance of leadership training
  • How leaders can deal with organizational change
  • How leaders can use coaching to enhance employee performance
  • Qualities of practical leadership training and mentorship programs
  • How leaders can create a learning culture in an organization
  • How a company employee can benefit from a leadership course
  • Which leadership strategies can enhance a team’s performance?
  • Describe different leadership styles with examples
  • What leadership training means for a business
  • Can leadership training affect organizational success?

Any of these topics can be the basis of an excellent paper. However, take your time to research your preferred idea to come up with a high-quality paper.

Trendy Leadership Development Topics for Research

Leadership development entails expanding individuals’ capacity to perform their leadership roles in organizations. Here are topic ideas to consider in this category.

  • When is leadership coaching necessary?
  • Who should provide leadership coaching?
  • Which are the best leadership development opportunities?
  • How emotional intelligence can enhance leadership development
  • Describe executive development
  • How innovation can enhance leadership development
  • Mentorship for leadership development- How does it work?
  • Can leaders act as teachers?
  • Why strategic planning matters when it comes to leadership development
  • Role of leadership development in team building
  • How coaching can enhance leadership development
  • Can leadership development enhance accountability?
  • Why change management coaching should be part of a leadership development program
  • How leadership development can turn leaders into negotiators and influencers
  • How communication skills can enhance leadership development
  • How organizational leaders can develop creativity
  • Essential skills to acquire from a leadership development program

Pick any of these topic ideas and then develop them via research to develop a winning paper. Use different information sources to gather relevant information before writing your essay.

Organizational Leadership Dissertation Topics

Organizational leadership is an exciting research field. What’s more, you can use a topic in this category to impact a difference in an organization. And this can enhance your employability when seeking a job. Depending on your dissertation requirements, you can pick and work with any of these topics.

  • How blended-learning techniques can enhance the critical thinking of organizational leaders
  • Essential administrative services that hospitality industry leaders should provide
  • Qualities of charismatic and prevention-oriented leaders for the success of medium-sized enterprises
  • How leadership behaviors affect the corporate culture
  • How leadership practices influence the success of an organization
  • How organizational leadership and culture affect the success of a small enterprise
  • Why executive leadership is essential in developing countries
  • Organizational leadership’s role in a multicultural environment
  • Investigating variations in conventional organizational leadership and charismatic leadership
  • How leadership quality and training can improve organizational performance
  • How corporate culture can influence the leadership decisions to try a new business strategy
  • How a country can produce the organizational leaders it requires
  • How managers can provide leadership aspirations to subordinates
  • How global company leaders can influence their overall cultures
  • How corporate culture impacts a company’s leadership
  • How assumption-based planning can save money for an organization
  • How organizational leadership differs from management
  • How differentiating leadership from management can enhance the achievement of organizational goals
  • How to evaluate the effects of administration on the organizational performance
  • How to examine leadership effects and vision clarity on business organizations
  • How leadership affects organizational performance
  • How a corporate leader can devise work teams in a company
  • Impacts of leadership skills on employees performance

Any of these organizational leadership topics can be the basis of a brilliant paper. However, you must research the idea extensively to include relevant information in your writing. That way, your educator and organizational leaders will find your essay worth reading.

Fantastic Women’s Leadership Topics

It’s no secret that studies about women in leadership topics have increased over the years. Perhaps, that’s because women’s status in workplaces has improved recently. Here are brilliant ideas to explore if interested in writing a research paper in this category.

  • The role of women personality in leadership
  • What are the primary barriers to women’s leadership?
  • Society stereotypes that threaten women leadership
  • How the responsibilities of women differ from those of their counterpart males
  • How the personality of women leaders differ from that of men
  • How women’s leadership style differs from that of men
  • How family responsibilities affect female leaders
  • Do current male leaders resist female leaders?
  • Must women leaders outperform their male counterparts to be considered adequate?
  • How lack of sufficient household support affects women leaders
  • How women leaders can help in unlocking the full economic potential of a country
  • How influential women leaders juggle between family and work
  • How powerful women leaders define work and success
  • How gender stereotypes affect female leaders
  • How modern female leaders balance careers and family
  • How stereotypes shape women leaders’ performance and intellectual identity
  • Family business success- What is the role of women?
  • Gender, sex, and leadership
  • How women can change organizational leadership
  • How great women leaders can inspire people to take action

Take any of these topics and develop them into an excellent paper through research. The internet is awash with resources that cover women and leadership issues. That means you won’t have a hard time finding relevant information for your topic.

Interesting Leadership Topics

Perhaps, you’re looking for an exciting topic for your research paper or essay. In that case, here are some of the best ideas to explore.

  • A case study of Bill Gates’ leadership
  • Motivation and leadership- What’s the difference?
  • What are the key characteristics of transformational leadership?
  • Investigating leadership and management across culture
  • Characteristics and distinctions of management and leadership
  • Explain radical leadership with examples
  • Discuss different leadership and management styles
  • Ethical leadership theories and models
  • Othello and Machiavelli’s leadership skills
  • Leadership concepts, according to Kentucky Fried Chicke
  • Moral and cultural contingencies of leadership
  • An investigation into team leadership
  • Discuss the hospitality industry’s leadership and management
  • How diversity affects the leadership effectiveness
  • Which are the best leadership practices
  • Socrates and organizational leadership
  • Aspects of leadership and team behavior
  • Leadership and management in business- How they relate
  • What is ethical leadership?
  • Leadership as a strategy in human resource and company policies
  • Leadership and organizational behavior- How they relate
  • Why is strategic leadership essential in the business environment?
  • How gender difference affects leadership styles
  • What is systematic leadership?
  • Why is civic leadership important?
  • How negative leadership affects an organization
  • Leadership role in an organization’s transformational
  • Classifications of different leadership theories
  • Theoretical perspectives of organizational leadership
  • Human resource planning and leadership development
  • Leadership contingency theories
  • Military leadership style and coaching combination
  • Benefits, roles, and limitations of leadership
  • Supervising and leadership influence on human services
  • Leadership theories and effective organization change
  • Discuss various leadership style concepts
  • Governance and leadership- What’s the difference?
  • Troubled companies and their leadership
  • Participative and situational leadership theories
  • Analyzing the authoritative leadership style
  • Effective management and leadership strategies
  • Why strong leadership is crucial in a business organization
  • Integrating different leadership styles
  • Leadership and education role modeling
  • How effective leadership can enhance employees productivity
  • How managers can motivate employees by serving as their leaders
  • How political leadership can affect an organization
  • Leadership role in solving organizational challenges
  • A critical perspective on leadership and management
  • Evaluation of John Kennedy and Bill Clinton’s political leadership
  • An analysis of the most influential leader in the world
  • Effective leadership learning processes in an organization
  • Servant and followership leadership
  • Leadership principles of effective teachers
  • Analyzing Ciulla Joanne’s The Ethics of Leadership
  • Is servant leadership effective in school administration?
  • Creativity and leadership revision
  • Leadership and motivation theories
  • The role of leadership in a multinational company
  • Participative approach versus autocratic leadership
  • How ethical leadership can influence decision-making
  • How a company’s leadership can manage change effectively
  • Innovation and leadership in a business
  • How transformational leadership can benefit women
  • Describe the role of leadership in a medical facility
  • Variations in ethical leadership
  • Scientific methods for studying leadership
  • Strategy as leadership and practice
  • Leadership and service quality
  • How school governance affects school leadership
  • How leadership and power relate
  • Investigating leadership through a behavioral approach
  • Effective styles for strategic leadership
  • Strategic leadership- A critical examination
  • Describe how contingency leadership works
  • Discuss theorists and theories on leadership
  • How to develop a leadership strategy in an organization
  • Why leadership models are valuable
  • Leadership strategies as success factors
  • Qualities of effective leadership strategies

These are exciting leadership topics for discussion in an academic paper or essay. Pick an issue in this category and then research it extensively to develop a brilliant piece.

Nursing Leadership Paper Topics

Do you want to write a research paper or essay about nursing leadership? If yes, pick any of these brilliant nursing leadership paper topics.

  • Strategies for developing nurse leaders
  • How concept-based learning techniques affect nurse leaders
  • What are the qualities of the best nurse leaders?
  • How a nurse leader can manage stress
  • Criteria for being considered a nurse leader’s mentor
  • Essential nursing leadership areas to study
  • Qualities of a practical nursing leadership program
  • Why nursing leadership is vital in healthcare management
  • A review of ethical nursing leadership and practice
  • What are the values of ethical nursing leadership and training?
  • How to balance nursing leadership and service quality
  • Nursing leadership fundamentals
  • The global status of nurse leaders
  • Practice experience that every nurse leader should exhibit
  • Nursing leadership from a patient’s perspective
  • How to apply nursing leadership in a nursing home
  • A comparison of nursing leadership in an adult ward and a pediatric ward
  • Vital skills for a nurse leader during an emergency
  • Challenges facing nursing leaders
  • What leadership means to nurses
  • Leadership from a nurse perspective- What does it mean?
  • Disadvantages of being a nurse leader
  • What are the inherent nurse leaders’ values?
  • The role of nurse leaders in public hospitals
  • Nursing leadership status in private hospitals
  • How nursing leadership differs in private and public hospitals
  • Trends in nursing leadership
  • Assessing nursing leadership in third-world countries
  • Long and short-term goals for nurse leaders
  • Activities for enhancing nursing leadership.

Any of these nursing leadership topics can be a great idea for research. However, prepare to investigate your preferred issue to develop an excellent paper. Nevertheless, you can even seek professional assistance if you love the topic but lack adequate time to write about it.

Leadership Speech Topics

Perhaps, you want to write a speech to present to your class or during a business meeting. In that case, this category comprises some of the best leadership presentation topics.

  • How to be a transformative leader
  • What makes a strategic leader?
  • Why organizations need moral leaders
  • How to lead with inclusion and integrity
  • Leadership and dissent- Doing the right versus doing something right
  • Practicing leadership in an inter-agency context
  • How to make a difference using leadership
  • Transactional or transformational leadership- What works?
  • How effective leadership looks like
  • How to practice effective leadership
  • How to become a leader
  • How to lead with compassion
  • Qualities that every great leader should exhibit
  • The power of effective leadership
  • How a leadership vision can propel an organization forward
  • How to understand and work with followers as a leader
  • How a leader can adapt and listen to changes in an organization
  • How consistent efforts make great leaders
  • Qualities that made great leaders in history
  • The golden rule of outstanding leadership

These are brilliant leadership discussion topics. However, prepare to research your preferred idea before you write a speech about it. That way, you will come up with a presentation that will move your audience.

Leadership Topics for Managers

Perhaps, you want to write about a leadership issue that managers will find interesting to read. In that case, these leadership research paper topics will interest you.

  • How managers can develop performance standards and goals
  • How managers can promote effective discipline
  • How a manager can improve work habits
  • How company managements can manage complaints
  • How a manager can provide performance feedback
  • Effective conflict resolution techniques for company managers
  • How a manager can support change in a company
  • Effective ways for managers to delegate tasks
  • How to effectively communicate with the upper management
  • How a manager can train or coach others
  • Essential leadership skills for managers
  • How managers can create trust and transparency in their organizations
  • How managers can encourage individual employees to find personal motivation
  • How managers can encourage innovation and initiative
  • How a manager can build self-confidence
  • Practical time management skills that every manager should have
  • Body language and public speaking for managers
  • How company managers can minimize employee complaints
  • How managers can lower stress among employees
  • Why training is essential for new managers
  • Why every manager should know industry-specific regulations
  • How managers can create an inclusive workforce
  • How managers can nurture talents and ensure employee retention
  • What training methods can managers use to empower employees?
  • Firing and hiring- What should know managers know about these responsibilities?
  • Which skills should managers cultivate to support company employees?

These are brilliant leadership essay topics for managers. However, you need time to research any of these topics to write a winning paper.

Having an Issue Completing Your Leadership Dissertation?

Whether you need leadership dissertation topics or essay ideas, you have many options to consider. Nevertheless, pick an interesting topic that you’ll enjoy working with, from research to proofreading your paper. But if you have difficulties writing your essay, seek an expert’s writing help online. With cheap, high quality assistance from reliable academic writers, you can have a competent specialist handle this assignment for you from the beginning to the end. And you can impress your educators to accord you the grade you desire. So, if stuck with this assignment, contact the best expert writers for hire to write your paper or essay without breaking a sweat.

social work research topics

Make PhD experience your own

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

David French

The Line Between Good and Evil Cuts Through Evangelical America

Three men are intertwined in prayer,

By David French

Opinion Columnist

I’m afraid that an exit poll question has confused America.

Every four years, voters are asked, “Are you a white evangelical or born-again Christian?” And every time, voters from a broad range of Protestant Christian traditions say yes, compressing a diverse religious community into a single, unified mass.

It’s not that the question is misleading. People who answer yes do represent a coherent political movement. Not only do they vote overwhelmingly for Republicans; they’re also quite distinct from other American political groups in their views on a host of issues, including on disputes regarding race, immigration and the Covid vaccines.

But in other ways, this exit poll identity misleads us about the nature and character of American evangelicalism as a whole. It’s far more diverse and divided than the exit poll results imply. There are the rather crucial facts that not all evangelicals are white and evangelicals of color vote substantially differently from their white brothers and sisters. Evangelicals of color are far more likely to vote Democratic, and their positions on many issues are more closely aligned with the American political mainstream. But the differences go well beyond race.

In reality, American evangelicalism is best understood as a combination of three religious traditions: fundamentalism, evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. These different traditions have different beliefs, different cultures and different effects on our nation.

The distinction between fundamentalism and evangelicalism can be the hardest to parse, especially since we now use the term “evangelical” to describe both branches of the movement. The conflict between evangelicalism and fundamentalism emerged most sharply in the years following World War II, when so-called neo-evangelicals arose as a biblically conservative response to traditional fundamentalism’s separatism and fighting spirit. I say “biblically conservative” because neo-evangelicals had the same high view of Scripture as the inerrant word of God that fundamentalists did, but their temperament and approach were quite different.

The difference between fundamentalism and neo-evangelicalism can be summed up in two men, Bob Jones and Billy Graham. In a 2011 piece about the relationship between Jones and Graham, the Gospel Coalition’s Justin Taylor called them the “exemplars of fundamentalism and neo-evangelicalism.” Jones was the founder of the university that bears his name in Greenville, S.C., one of the most influential fundamentalist colleges in America.

Bob Jones University barred Black students from attending until 1971, then banned interracial dating until 2000 . The racism that plagued Southern American fundamentalism is a key reason for the segregation of American religious life. It’s also one reason the historically Black Protestant church is distinct from the evangelical tradition, despite its similar views of the authority of Scripture.

Graham attended Bob Jones University for a semester, but soon left and took a different path. He went on to become known as “America’s pastor,” the man who ministered to presidents of both parties and led gigantic evangelistic crusades in stadiums across the nation and the world. While Jones segregated his school, Graham removed the red segregation rope dividing white and Black attendees at his crusades in the South — before Brown v. Board of Education — and shared a stage with Martin Luther King Jr. at Madison Square Garden in 1957.

But since that keen Jones/Graham divide, the lines between evangelicalism and fundamentalism have blurred. Now the two camps often go to the same churches, attend the same colleges, listen to the same Christian musicians and read the same books. To compound the confusion, they’re both quite likely to call themselves evangelical. While the theological differences between fundamentalists and evangelicals can be difficult to describe, the temperamental differences are not.

“Fundamentalism,” Richard Land, the former head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, once told me, “is far more a psychology than a theology.” That psychology is defined by an extreme sense of certainty, along with extreme ferocity.

Roughly speaking, fundamentalists are intolerant of dissent. Evangelicals are much more accepting of theological differences. Fundamentalists place a greater emphasis on confrontation and domination. Evangelicals are more interested in pluralism and persuasion. Fundamentalists focus more on God’s law. Evangelicals tend to emphasize God’s grace. While many evangelicals are certainly enthusiastic Trump supporters, they are more likely to be reluctant (and even embarrassed) Trump voters, or Never Trumpers, or Democrats. Fundamentalists tend to march much more in lock step with the MAGA movement. Donald Trump’s combative psychology in many ways merges with their own.

A Christian politics dominated by fundamentalism is going to look very different from a Christian politics dominated by evangelicalism. Think of the difference between Trump and George W. Bush. Bush is conservative. He’s anti-abortion. He’s committed to religious liberty. These are all values that millions of MAGA Republicans would claim to uphold, but there’s a yawning character gap between the two presidents, and their cultural influence is profoundly different.

While the difference between evangelicalism and fundamentalism can be difficult to discern, Pentecostalism is something else entirely. American evangelicals can trace their roots to the Reformation; the Pentecostal movement began a little over 100 years ago, during the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles in 1906. The movement was started by a Black pastor named William Seymour, and it is far more supernatural in its focus than, say, the Southern Baptist or Presbyterian church down the street.

At its heart, Pentecostalism believes that all of the gifts and miracles you read about in the Bible can and do happen today. That means prophecy, speaking in tongues and gifts of healing. Pentecostalism is more working class than the rest of the evangelical world, and Pentecostal churches are often more diverse — far more diverse — than older American denominations. Hispanics in particular have embraced the Pentecostal faith, both in the United States and in Latin America, and Pentecostalism has exploded in the global south .

When I lived in Manhattan, my wife and I attended Times Square Church, a Pentecostal congregation in the heart of the city, and every Sunday felt like a scene from the book of Revelation , with people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” gathered together to worship with great joy.

Pentecostalism is arguably the most promising and the most perilous religious movement in America. At its best, the sheer exuberance and radical love of a good Pentecostal church is transformative. At its worst, the quest for miraculous experience can lead to a kind of frenzied superstition, where carnival barker pastors and faux apostles con their congregations with false prophecies and fake miracles, milking them for donations and then wielding their abundant wealth as proof of God’s favor.

The Pentecostal church, for example, is the primary home of one of the most toxic and dangerous Christian nationalist ideas in America — the Seven Mountain Mandate , which holds that God has ordained Christians to dominate the seven “mountains” of cultural influence: the family, the church, education, media, arts, the economy and government. This is an extreme form of Christian supremacy, one that would relegate all other Americans to second-class status.

Pentecostalism is also the primary source for the surge in prophecies about Trump that I’ve described before . It’s mostly Pentecostal pastors and leaders who have told their flocks that God has ordained Trump to rule — and to rule again. Combine the Seven Mountain Mandate with Trump prophecies, and you can see the potential for a kind of fervent radicalism that is immune to rational argument. After all, how can you argue a person out of the idea that God told him to vote for Trump? Or that God told him that Christians are destined to reign over the United States?

When I look at the divisions in American evangelicalism, I’m reminded of the Homer Simpson toast : “To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” The American church has been the cause of much heartache and division. It is also the source of tremendous healing and love. We saw both the love and the division most vividly in the civil rights movement, when Black Christians and their allies faced the dogs and hoses all too often unleashed by members of the white Southern church. We saw this on Jan. 6, when violent Christians attacked the Capitol, only to see their plans foiled by an evangelical vice president who broke with Trump at long last to uphold his constitutional oath and spare the nation a far worse catastrophe.

I’ve lived and worshiped in every major branch of American evangelicalism. I was raised in a more fundamentalist church, left it for evangelicalism and spent a decade of my life worshiping in Pentecostal churches. Now I attend a multiethnic church that is rooted in both evangelicalism and the Black church tradition. I’ve seen great good , and I’ve seen terrible evil .

That long experience has taught me that the future of our nation isn’t just decided in the halls of secular power; it’s also decided in the pulpits and sanctuaries of American churches. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote that the line between good and evil “cuts through the heart of every human being.” That same line also cuts through the heart of the church.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

David French is an Opinion columnist, writing about law, culture, religion and armed conflict. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a former constitutional litigator. His most recent book is “Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation .” You can follow him on Threads ( @davidfrenchjag ).

Who is Kristi Noem? What we know about the Trump VP contender and why she killed a dog

good leadership thesis

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been a topic of online chatter after excerpts from her upcoming memoir were published by The Guardian on Friday.

In her book " No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward ," Noem details how she put a dog down for being "untrainable."

The story caught the attention of politicians on both sides of the aisle.

"Dogs are a gift from God," tweeted Alyssa Farah Griffin, co-host of "The View" and former Donald Trump White House staffer. "They’re a reflection of his unconditional love. Anyone who would needlessly hurt an animal because they are inconvenient needs help."

 The Democratic National Committee called the excerpts from the book "horrifying" and "disturbing."

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Trump trial live updates: Michael Cohen's banker to testify on payment to Stormy Daniels

Amid the backlash, Noem responded that she understands "why some people are upset about a 20-year-old story" but defended the decision to kill the dog.

"We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm," Noem said in a post on X. "Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years."

Noem is a contender to become Trump's running mate. Here's what we know about the governor.

Who is Gov. Kristi Noem?

According to the governor's website , Noem is also a rancher, farmer and small-business owner.

She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and in 2018 was elected South Dakota's first female governor.

Today, she is also a New York Times bestselling author. In January 2022, she published her first book, "Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland," and the website says she was reelected governor with the "largest vote total in the history of South Dakota."

Could Kristi Noem run with Donald Trump?

The governor is a contender to become Trump's  running mate, but recent polling from New River Strategies, which was published by Politico , says only 14% of Americans consider her a good choice for the Republican ticket.

The report also says that 86% of 2020 Trump voters report liking or loving dogs and that 39% of them do not believe she would be a good choice for vice president. Only 22% said she would be.

Why did Kristi Noem kill her dog Cricket?

According to The Guardian, Noem said she killed her dog because of its “aggressive personality” and called the dog "untrainable."

In her book, she writes that the dog's name was Cricket and that she was a 14-month-old wirehair pointer. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , puppies become adolescent dogs at ages 6 to 12 months or 18 to 24 months.

The American Kennel Club rates the dog breed as "love-dovey" when it comes to how affectionate the dogs are with families.

In her post on X, Noem said South Dakota law says dogs that attack and kill livestock can be put down.

"Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did," she wrote.

She added: "Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor."

What is Kristi Noem's new book?

According to its description, Noem's book "No Going Back" shares "eye-opening realities of DC dysfunction, lessons from leading her state through unprecedented challenge, and how we seize this moment to move America forward."

On X, she said the book "is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned."

It's set to release on May 7.

Some people outraged by the controversy are already dropping negative reviews of the book on GoodReads .

Contributing: Tim Reid, Reuters

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture.   You can follow her on  X, formerly known as Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTok : @juliamariegz

COMMENTS

  1. Effective School Leadership Practices in Schools With Positive Climates

    This thesis by Kristina M. Hansen is recommended for approval by the student's Thesis Committee and Department Head in the Department of Education, School Leadership and Public Service and by the Assistant Provost of Graduate Education and Research.

  2. PDF Thesis Transformational Leadership, Engagement, and Performance: a New

    leaders can influence individual employees' levels of engagement and performance on specific tasks. Transformational Leadership Burns (1978) created the concept of transformational leadership as a description of political leaders who transform the values of their followers, but Bass (1985, 1990) later

  3. Writing an Effective Leadership Essay: Tips and Examples

    A leadership essay is a college application essay that requires you to share your previous experiences as a leader. We've got examples to help you write one.

  4. PDF Qualities of a Good Leader and the Benefits of Good Leadership to an

    These four capabilities are further explained: 3.1 Self awareness - generally emotionally self aware managers are capable of sensing their emotional feelings anytime (Goleman, 1998:96). 3.2 Self management - self controlled leaders are capable of regulating or minimizing destructive feelings or thoughts before they take any action (Goleman ...

  5. Leadership Essay Writing Guide with Examples

    To write a leadership essay that stands out, you first need to brainstorm all the ideas that you have and come up with a topic for your essay. If you are struggling with this step, you may think of some of the most influential people, read about them, and find out what makes them unique.

  6. PDF A Behavioral Approach to Understanding Leadership Effectiveness

    Leadership Effectiveness Citation Sinno, Niam. 2018. A Behavioral Approach to Understanding Leadership Effectiveness. ... A Thesis in the Field of Psychology for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University ... at a time", and "good things come to those who wait", and "you gotta keep the faith".

  7. PDF PhD Final Thesis Attributes & Qualities Desirable in a Leader

    The thesis is divided into a few chapters and the first of the chapter's deals with trying to understand the topic of Leadership. It's an often repeated word but does ... Warmth--- A cold fish does not usually make a good leader. A warm personality is infectious. Asad Chaturvedi - 00560 Page 10 ...

  8. PDF What Makes a Good Leader? Evaluating the Connections between Appraisal

    organizations. Beyond developing tools to identify and select good leaders, though, it is also important to understand the underlying cognitive structures that lead to successful leadership behavior. One dimension of leadership behavior that is well studied is the degree to which leaders engage with their followers (Hater & Bass, 1988).

  9. Employee Perceptions of Leadership Styles That Influence Workplace

    An organization's culture is influenced by leadership style, and consequently, leadership style affects an employee's workplace performance. The social change implications, as related to the findings, enable a leader to evaluate the perceptions of an employee's view of appropriate leadership styles that increases their workplace performance.

  10. Leadership development and its effects on organizational performance

    The program uses the Four Capabilities Model as a leadership theory, focusing on the tasks and capabilities needed of leaders. I administered two surveys to the Sloan Fellows Class 2011. Surveys results suggest some of the benefits the program provides to individuals and organizations. Among these findings, my evidence shows that a higher ...

  11. 12 Characteristics of a Good Leader

    Collaboration. Influence. Integrity. Courage. Gratitude. Resilience. TIP: Download an action guide & summary of these essential characteristics of a good leader in PDF format to keep this list of leadership qualities at your fingertips as a reminder. 1. Self-Awareness.

  12. Leadership Theories and Styles: A Literature Review

    1. Leadership Theories and Styles: A Litera ture Review. Zakeer Ahmed Khan_PhD Dr. Allah Na waz. Irfanullah Khan_PhD. Department of Public Administration, Go mal University, Dera Ismail Khan ...

  13. A Full Guide On How To Create Good Leadership Essay

    Here are some qualities which can be found in a good essay about leadership. Choose a creative topic. Avoid the passive voice (the active voice sounds stronger) Search for and study leadership essay examples. Follow the appropriate essay style. Focus on the essay structure. Review the essay.

  14. How to Write a Leadership Essay: Expert Tips for Stellar Results

    This article will tell you what goes into a good leadership outline, along with 12 practical essay writing tips. 12 Tips on How to Write a Good Leadership Essays. If you think you can go ahead and write an essay on your favorite leader, you are mistaken - grade 5 is long gone. Leadership essay writing is a lot more layered.

  15. PDF Thesis the Combined Effects of Leadership Style and Organizational

    leadership behavior is the willingness of followers to work hard in support of organizational objectives. This impact is supported through several meta-analyses (Judge & Piccolo, 2004; Lowe, Kroeck, & Sivasubramaniam, 1996) which highlight the effectiveness of transformational leadership using both subjective and objective performance criteria.

  16. PDF LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ITS IMPACT ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

    This thesis shows the discussion and recommendations given to the commissioner. It is however rec-ommended that leaders should adopt a good management style that can accommodate all subordinates, irrespective of their personal and individual differences. It also reveals that its empirical research is in correlation with its theoretical framework.

  17. Thesis in Leadership Studies

    In this article, you will find a full step-by-step guide on how to write a thesis in Leadership studies that covers writing specifics of this field of studies, tips on choosing a good topic, approach to planning a thesis and making an outline, advice on writing different thesis chapters, editing, and proofreading, Besides, we offer you a ...

  18. 627 Leadership Essay Topics & Examples

    Thus, a leader may or may not be a manager. To get more familiar with the subject of leadership, research various leadership styles, such as transformational, autocratic, and servant leadership. Tip 4. Pay attention to the structure. In a great essay, ideas are always well-organized and follow one another in a logical sequence.

  19. Essays on Leadership for Students

    4 Examples of Leadership Essays. Qualities of a Good Leader; Introduction. Confidence is the most important attribute first of all. One of the most important qualities in a leader is confidence in one's own abilities. A lack of self-assurance is fatal to a person's leadership potential. If you want others to follow you, you need to exude self ...

  20. Leadership Essay for Students and Children

    500+ Words Essay on Leadership. First of all, Leadership refers to the quality of leading people. Probably, it is one of the most important aspects of life. Above all, Leadership has led to the progress of human civilization. Without good Leadership, no organization or group can succeed. Furthermore, not everyone has this quality.

  21. What Makes a Good Leader (Free Essay Samples)

    A good leader sets you up for success. Because he is invested in your growth, he has no personal agenda where he benefits in a selfish way. All of what he does for you is geared towards your growth and eventual success. He makes sure that there is a set direction for his team.

  22. Five Thesis Ideas For Master's In Educational Leadership Candidates

    A Master's in Educational Leadership thesis should reflect a detailed and in-depth comprehension of educational theory and developmental psychology, while directly demonstrating the candidate's leadership qualities. The career paths that are unlocked by a Master's degree in educational leadership can affect the quality of education experienced ...

  23. The Good (and the Bad) of Using Apps to Connect With Parents

    Parents log into Zoom to watch their students participate in a "Basic Facts Bee" on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, at Adlai E. Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich.

  24. 2023-24 Departmental Prizes Awarded

    As part of our History end-of-year reception festivities, we awarded the Kouguell, Butler, and Student Leadership Awards. Image of Professor, and History DUS, Francois Furstenberg, Zeqing Li, and Sarah Annis. This year, we split the Kouguell Prize between two outstanding undergraduate senior thesis writers, Sarah Annis, for her thesis titled, "Murder Fines, Jurisdiction, and State...

  25. How the House Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

    The coalition that voted against the bill extended from right-wing members of the House Freedom Caucus to leadership, such as Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 House Republican.

  26. Get to Know Your 2024 Kent State Geauga Student ...

    Without her support, I wouldn't be able to recruit any accelerated BSN scholars in Summer 2023, my mentor, Dr. Petrinec, the thesis committee (Dean Smith of Honors College, Dr. Wilk, Dr. Popescu, and Ms. Larubina), and Dr. Kutchin, who showed me how to recruit students for the thesis study with enthusiasm and passion.Now, reflecting on my ...

  27. UF graduate is a born leader and an advocate for children

    Growing up, Filomena Selvanik learned a lot about empathy and gratitude - often relying on reduced-price school lunches and scholarship opportunities to succeed. Now she is paying her good fortune forward, pursuing a career in pediatric medicine after she graduates from UF on May 4. She wants to spend her life helping children, and she has already started.</p>

  28. 277 Engaging Leadership Research Topics And Ideas

    277 Top Leadership Research Topics for Your Thesis. For most students, working on leadership research topics is a fascinating task. That's because this subject spans different disciplines, including education, management, sociology, politics, and psychology. For this reason, many learners choose these topics when writing college and ...

  29. The Line Between Good and Evil Cuts Through Evangelical America

    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote that the line between good and evil "cuts through the heart of every human being." That same line also cuts through the heart of the church. That same line also ...

  30. Who is South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem? Dog controversy, more to know

    The report also says that 86% of 2020 Trump voters report liking or loving dogs and that 39% of them do not believe she would be a good choice for vice president. Only 22% said she would be.