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Effective leadership qualities
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When thinking about a person to write about for my paper I decided to write about Ronald Reagan. I believe he is one of many great leaders that this country has seen over the course of history. In the following paragraphs I will describe the traits that made him a great leader, what effect his leadership has had, and last I will talk about the one trait that he had that I admire and try to implement into my life.
Ronald Reagan displayed many character traits that make a great leader. Here we will look at five in particular that I believe made him a great leader. First, vision. He was a visionary and had a vision for our country. As the article in the National Review states, he “emboldened America” (Elliot, 2015). His vision was bold
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and daring. He did not back down. His vision was not to just heal our nation but to make it a great nation once again. He showed this through his policies. Having a vision, whether it be for a nation or for a company you work for, is an essential quality a good leader needs to possess. Without vision you are just swimming in the dark so to speak. If you lack vision you will never succeed as a leader. A second character trait is that of courage. He was not afraid to do what others were afraid to do. He showed this by protecting America and calling out our enemies for what they actually were, evil. “From day one, he pursued peace through strength by rearming America, conventionally and strategically, from top to bottom” (Elliot, 2015). Courage is another trait that a lot of leader’s lack. When you have the courage to go against the accepted and be bold and stand up for what is right and lead your country or you company to greater success it says something about you as a leader. Integrity is yet another character trait that Ronald Reagan exemplified. He did the right thing regardless of the political implications it would have on his political career. Integrity is an essential trait that a good leader needs. Integrity involves standing upon your beliefs and not caving to the politically correct thing to do. The fourth character trait that stands out is his commitment. He was committed to American values. Committed to doing what is right and not what is wrong. Committed to showing respect for each other and not only a commitment but compassion to those that are less fortunate. It is essential for a leader to be committed to their job, their vision, and even their integrity. Being and staying committed is what makes a leader a great leader. The fifth character trait is confidence. Ronald Reagan exemplified confidence. He was able to inspire the American people because he was confident in what he wanted to do for the nation. He showed in his demeanor. The policies and the changes he wanted to make for America were things that he truly believed and his confidence in these things gave the American people confidence in them along the way. A great leader must truly believe, embrace and show confidence in their leadership. How has Ronald Reagan’s life and leadership influence even today?
Some will say that Ronald Reagan accomplished a great deal for our country, while others will disagree. Even though there are arguments on both sides, Reagans leadership traits still today influence those that have come after him. President Obama even has stated and believes that Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of this country in ways that other Presidents were not able to accomplish. You will find that, while there are those that want to focus on his shortcomings, there are just as many that focus on his boldness and leadership styles mentioned above. They remember him for what he was willing to take a stand for when no one else would take those same stands. Ronald Reagan’s impact on leaders today in this country are both positive and negative. It depends on their own personal beliefs on how they will view Reagans …show more content…
leadership. When I was researching and looking at quotes from Ronald Reagan, I looked for those quotes that would embody his leadership traits I have talked about. I found two specific quotes that I believe does just that. I found them on the following website, http://dailysignal.com/2012/02/06/ten-inspiring-quotes-from-president-ronald-reagan/, the first quote is, “Don’t be afraid to see what you see” and the second quote is, “there are no easy answers’ but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right”. These quotes show his commitment, integrity, vision, inspiration and courage that he had as President. Of the five character traits I talked about in the above paragraphs, I would have his courage is the one I admire most.
I feel that a great leader must possess courage. Courage to go against the norm in your organization be an agent of change for the better of the organization. Most organizations get comfortable with the familiar and are reluctant to make changes for fear of failing. That is why companies fail. As a leader it is essential to have the courage to stand up and make the changes that will benefit the organization in the long run regardless of the resistance of the few. It is not important just to say you want change but you need to believe in the changes you want to make and exemplify courage in your demeanor and the way you address those within your organization. My entire life has been about going against the norm and having the courage to stand up for what I believe is right. Courage to be is something you either have or do not. I believe that courage is ingrained in your personality. In my career as both a Nurse and now as a Healthcare Business Analyst I tend to go against the norm and forge ahead to make changes that will benefit the organizations I have worked for. It has been something as simple as restructuring the way trains new business analysts where I currently work. When I started working for my organization almost a year ago I would hear people talking about how there needed to be a new and more efficient way to train new employees. The
current way of doing it was not working. What no one wanted to do was to stand up and go against what has been the way things have been done for years. I, on the other hand, did just the opposite. I came up with a plan for training new Business Analyst and put together a portfolio and presented it to the leadership of my organization. We now have new training procedures for new Business Analysts. So having courage to go against the norm is a trait that I feel a good leader should possess. Bibliography D'Souza, D. (1997). Ronald Reagan: How an ordinary man became an extraordinary leader. New York: Free Press. Elliot, B. (2015, June 5). Why Ronald Reagan's Example Is Still Relevant for America Today. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://www.nationalreview.com/article/419382/ronald-reagan-leadership-qualities-four-strengths-made-him-exceptional McFarlane, R. (2011, February 4). Three Qualities That Made Reagan great. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703960804576120533359044232 McNulty, R. (2012, February 06). Ten Inspiring Quotes from President Ronald Reagan. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://dailysignal.com/2012/02/06/ten-inspiring-quotes-from-president-ronald-reagan/
... years in office. Even when President Reagan, didn’t make wise decisions, he took full blame for them, which made the American population trust him and gain more popularity. With his many major accomplishments in helping the American people, and putting them first, really helped in his favor. Reagan has built up the US military to what it is now because he believed that we needed to “restore America's ability to defend itself and fulfill its responsibilities as a trustee of freedom and peace in the world” (Wild Thing, January 21, 2006). President Reagan is man that has a heart and soul with America, and will fight for our freedoms and rights for as long as his lives. In 1994, President Reagan got Alzheimer’s disease, left public life, and died on June 5, 2004 from pneumonia. Reagan is still looked up to and is considered one of the greatest Presidents of all time.
"American President: Ronald Wilson Reagan: Impact and Legacy." Miller Center. University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
One may wonder exactly what it is that qualities a strong leader possesses. A strong leader is determined, and strong willed. They must be of good judgment, and without bias. They cannot easily be persuaded, and they are firm, yet at the same time, a good lead must also empathize with his subordinates, and have the best interest at heart for said subordinates, at all times. However, with that being said, a good leader cannot be afraid to discipline his subordinates when necessary. Unmistakably, being a leader is a very difficult feat – one which not everyone can accomplish. A leader must be an authority, a friend and a counsellor, all at once. They must be responsible, and always take into account the disadvantages of a situation. Not everyone is suitable to be a leader, whereas, just about anybody can be a good role model.
Ronald Wilson Reagan served two terms as the 40th president of the United States of America. Reagan was known for having a strong faith in the goodness of people. In college he was known as, “the jack of all trades” for excelling in everything he did (“Life Before the Presidency”). President Reagan’s beliefs gave him lots of respect from citizens around the world. One of his main beliefs was that peace comes with strength. I believe that Ronald Reagan was a great president because of his leadership qualities, domestic policies, and foreign policies.
Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States of America, and, in my opinion, is highly overrated. He has been called the patron saint of conservatives, and the savior of the Republican Party. Reagan has been lifted on a pedestal because of the illusion of security and safety he presented in the final years of the Cold War. While Reagan did provide a figure of strength in a time of crisis, both of his terms in office were plagued with failures. In the following I will cover the shortcomings of the Reagan Administration, starting with the failed economic policies, and the spike in unemployment.
I have given you a little background on Ronald W. Reagan the man and a leader. Then I explained to you, two areas that I feel that make Reagan an effective visionary leader. The first area was how he effectively uses of Transformation Leadership style through his vision, thinking, charisma and caring approach inspired a nation to embrace and move forward after a decade of hardship. Seconded area I covered was how he fully embraced Cognitive/Behavioral and Demographic Diversity in accomplishing his vision of promoting world peace and setting the foundation to ending the Cold War. In closing I would like to leave you with this closing remake for Reagan: "What I'd really like to do is go down in history as the President who made Americans believe in themselves again.”
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan was a man not only measured by his achievements but by also his charismatic ways and by his abilities to unify the American people. Throughout the course of American Presidents many have had exceptional achievements that have benefitted the country’s overall well being, but no other President than Ronald Reagan has had more success than failures in his two presidential terms. The eight years of the Reagan presidency was one of the most high-powered periods, in recent U.S. history, resulting in a major refocusing of the nation's business, social, and international policy. At 69 years of age, Reagan became the oldest man ever elected president, receiving 525 electoral votes (the most of any presidential candidate) and again at 73 for a second term. When Ronald Reagan became president, he had a clear vision of what the nation should be and made clear the direction he hoped it would take during his administration. Reagan had a clear economic, social, and foreign policy agenda, and with political cunningness and personal persuasiveness he was able to achieve many of his goals.
I have decided to write my research paper on the topic of Ronald Reagan's Domestic and Foreign Affairs. The reason that I choose this topic was because I have always been personally interested in Ronald Reagan's time in office and the national crisis he had to deal with. Reagan was awesome when it came to foreign policy because he knew how to negotiate with foreign leaders and their countries to get what he wanted. There were several instances during his time in office that he had the chance to use his ability to get the country out of danger. Domestic Affairs is another part of Reagan's presidency that was very important. He was able to take the country, which seemed to be in an economic slump and turn their economic status around. The economic growth of the United States is still holding true today. There is only one question that I wanted to answer with this paper. Was Ronald Reagan an effective leader when it came to domestic and foreign affairs?
In presidency, character is everything. Born on February 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan, “Dutch,” never knew that he would grow up to be famous. He served two terms as governor of California, but before that he starred in Hollywood films. Originally a liberal Democrat, Reagan ran for the U.S. presidency as a conservative Republican and won, his term beginning in 1980. Ronald Reagan became the oldest President elected when he took office as the 40th President of the United States. He was also the first U.S. president after Dwight D. Eisenhower to get re-elected and finish two complete terms in office. Reagan was president from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989. He was an effective president, measured by his popularity and by his influence on history. This former U.S. president is given rightful credit for three large historic gains during his presidency: First, he won the Cold War without firing a shot, then, he revived the American economy that resulted in substantial growth and lastly, he restored the traditional spirit of can-do optimism to the American people who in the late 1970's were dispirited. These three historic proceedings successfully improved American prosperity and peace through strength, elevating Reagan’s presidency to that of American exceptionalism.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was a man of unusual charm and great optimism, which he was able to communicate to others. He had a broad smile and was a charismatic optimist whose confidence helped sustain the nation through its darkest moments during crisis like the Great Depression and World War II. He became one of the most beloved of U.S. presidents for four terms in office. But beneath his outward friendliness was an inner reserve and an iron will. His admirers emphasized the way in which he met the nation's problems. They praised him for insisting that the federal government must help the underprivileged and that the United States must share in the responsibility for preserving world peace. Franklin Roosevelt made a profound and very important impact upon his times and his policies exerted great influence on the future (Freidel).
Ronald Reagan was a very popular person before, during, and after his time of presidency. He went from a mere radio announcer, to the head of the United States of America. Ronald had defeated most of the world’s problems with Communism, improved the economy, and handled terrorist threats like a pro. Ronald quickly took America’s heart with his honorable deeds and doings. He was very famous by the time he became deceased. (Ronald Reagan Facts.)
Ronald Reagan was a true hero to many Americans. He was a strong president who cared for this country dearly, and Reagan really proved this by his actions during his presidency. He also proved his love for country by serving in the U.S Army during World War II. Ronald Reagan also came through as a hero by fixing the American Economy that was heading for disaster just like today’s. If you can reflect on what he had accomplished throughout his administration you can clearly see why he was a popular two term president. When you read this passage you will find that Ronald Reagan took on many challenges that shaped his legacy, and why many people consider him a hero .
The United States of America’s 40th president, Ronald Wilson Reagan served as our country’s leader from 1981 to 1989. Ronald Reagan was a very strong advocate for freedom. Many and most of his speeches were related to freedom or the concept of freedom was thrown in and mentioned in the speeches. A large part of Reagan’s campaign was freedom. His beliefs on this matter did not all come from morals, Ronald Reagan’s perception of freedom came from his lifestyle of/in Christianity.
When thinking of great leaders, some of the people that come to mind are coaches, businessmen, and presidents. However, the simple aspect of giving someone a title does not justify a great leader. In order to truly justify the impact and significance of a leader, you have to examine their behavior, weaknesses, influential capabilities, relationships, and ethics. Through our research, we found that Ronald Reagan was a leader who embodied these characteristics. As the 40th president, he carried himself in a way that was superintending, showing humility and the power to bring people together. President Reagan was a leader who had many close allies and exemplified the ethics of an American family man.
A leader needs to “believe” in oneself and have the confidence that whatever you say will excite and what you do can motivate others. You must be optimistic about what you do, do have some relevance for being in existence. Believe it or not, “leadership begins with you”.