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George Washington: An Example Of An Effective Leader

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When being asked if a leader is “born” or “made”, I always say it is both. I believe a person needs to be born with certain personality traits in order to be effective leader, but also they have to be taught different skills so they know how use their personality traits. By combining the different theories, I believe we can see what it takes to be leader. They must have the traits of emotional stability, open to experience, conscientious, and intelligence. They also need to go through different experiences and situations in life in order to be taught more leadership skills. I think an excellent example of a leader was the first United States President, George Washington. I will use George Washington’s life to show a leader needs to be both …show more content…

Though we do not know if there myths are true, we do know George Washington was a very honest and hard-working young man. He grew up on a plantation where most of the work was performed by him and his other siblings. Honesty and hardworking are important traits needed by a leader, ones that a person is usually born with not taught. Also, in his childhood, Washington’s father died and he took over most of the work of the plantation. He did this to keep care of his mother and younger siblings. This is a good example of becoming a leader in a situation. He had to be leader for his …show more content…

He gained a reputation for himself after enduring a 900 mile journey in the dead of winter, risking his life. I believe he learned many skills on this journey including endurance, motivation, and willpower. All of these skills which a leader needs but not necessarily born with. If Washington had not taken or survived this trip, he would not had been made Commander in the Revolutionary War and eventually, become the first United States President. He showed Congress and the new formed United States what a real leader was. Fiedler’s Contingency Model says a leader is either task motivated or relationship motivated. I believe George Washington wanted the United States to be its own country, and even though it kept him from a peaceful life with his family, he led as President because he knew he was

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