Your individual term project consists of an analysis of a written, published biography of a leader. The leaders biography should be someone you are interested in and/or someone you want to learn more about. You may select the leader from the realm of business, but you can select the leader from any field (politics, sports, history, entertainment, etc.) any industry, any time period. The book you choose can be either an autobiography written by the person on his/her life, or it may be a biography written by someone else. You have the first week of the term to select and get my approval for your chosen leader. Submit, in hard copy) the name of the subject and the book you selected during the second class session.

You will write a 12-15 page (double-spaced) paper outlining your chosen leader. This is NOT  a book report of this leader but an assessment of the key factors and characteristics that defined this person as a leader, e.g., what path did this person follow, what is his/her vision, what leadership style did they employ, who were their role models, how did they make decisions, what was the situational context, etc.

Questions about your leader: In developing your paper and responding to the leadership questions, it is recommended that you research beyond your chosen biography through articles and texts related to your leader, his or her industry, and leadership attributes that they represent and exemplify. In addition, it is recommended that, in developing your final paper, you incorporate the readings, topics, and issues learned throughout the class related to leadership theory and the leadership process.

Specifically in your paper you will discuss:

    Path followed to leadership
    Leaders vision and how and who helped develop this vision
    Leadership style
    Role models who influenced his/her style
    Price paid and successors

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