`` Invictus `` By William Earnest Henley

VanKoughnett (2014) discusses leadership qualities commonly taught in the United States military. These courses focus on which qualities make a leader great, but also the qualities and circumstances that cause leaders to fail. Though there are many characteristics of a leader, VanKoughnett (2014) regards personal integrity as the essential quality upon which all others are built. Integrity means being honest and selfless, and having a moral compass; all necessary “in order to maintain the respect, trust, and performance of subordinates” (VanKoughnett, 2014, p. 10). Nelson Mandela exemplified integrity while pursuing the end of apartheid in South Africa. Mandela was thought to possess all of the skills, values, and principles of a leader: integrity, honor, commitment, vision, justness, wisdom, and effective communication (VanKoughnett, 2014).

Through Frederick Douglass’s, Sam Houston’s, and my own life, being fearless, determined, and dependable has helped us be great leaders. In all great leaders, character plays an important part, for it defines the way they will interact with people and situations. Leaders tend to have strong traits, courage and ambition, for example.

Our world is filled with many successful leaders. The gift of being a leader can be learned; however some individuals have a natural born talent to be a leader. Each leader has his or her own unique leadership style. The gift of being a leader can be learned. Certain individuals are born with a charismatic style and can easily be a leader. A successful leader is one who can inspire and motivate people towards a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual with a born gift to lead people. The following paper will discuss how Martin Luther King Jr. was able to inspire and motivate people with his effective leadership style.

We all hope to have, and understand, the characteristics that an amazing leader possesses. There are many great leaders, spread throughout our history. Malcolm X, George Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr. are just a few people who were blessed with what it takes to step up and become true leaders. By example, some of the other fantastic qualities of leadership also make up two remarkable people: Nelson Mandela and Suleiman the Magnificent. They exhibited many leadership-like characteristics, like them being feared yet admired by their people, or people from other countries, or the fact that they were also very intelligent, and tactical.

How does a man chosen to lead a cause do it effectively? This is the question that struck two leaders when they were selected to be leaders. These people were Odysseus from Homer’s The Odyssey, and Martin Luther King Jr. who lead the civil rights movement. Despite living in different time periods, they were similar in their leading styles.

This was a great anaylsis, Laura. I agree with your statement from the book that says "courageous leaders acknowledge the dangers they face and their anxieties. Nonetheless, they move foward despite the risks and costs." We can see many examples of this recently in the United States. During the Sandy Hook shooting, many teachers stepped up, knew what risks they were going to encounter facing the shooter, but still moved forward to save the children. I believe that each captain knew the risks but it didn't matter because they had the possibility to save many lives. Many of our true leaders are the individuals we would classify as leaders (politicians, celebrities, etc.) but they are actually the normal people who live day to day and react

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind himself in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.” – Walter Lippmann

Sports taught me the importance of encouragement and positivity. Leaders must have a good attitude, show fairness and respect, and work with their teammates. It is the little actions that demonstrate encouragement, like when I wait at the finish line of a cross country race to give a high-five to everyone crossing. I may not be the team MVP, but I am determined to spread positivity and not make my teammates feel discouraged or

In a 9/11 memorial ,”The guy with the red handkerchief,” turned back through the flames and smoke to help many others escape and died trying to help more. This is an extreme example of taking action because he risked his life to go back and help others escape the 9/11 attack. Another strong example of a leader is the soldier who lost his leg fighting for his country in Afghanistan. In the article, Soldier home after losing his leg in Afghanistan by Gale Fiege, Tristan Segers says,”I didn't do anything special, but if the process I have made motivates another wounded veteran to keep going, then that's great.” This shows that Seekers was taking action because he after losing his leg he kept going and set examples other veterans in people that were wounded and he was taking action even though he had a setback. These two not so famous characters still provide a great example of taking action because they both had some setbacks but they still kept

The story of Invictus is based upon the life of Nelson Mandela during the time he held his Presidency of South Africa. Specifically, the movie focuses on his ideas of managing the Springboks and how the opportunity of using the country’s Rugby team unfolds as a way to bring the country together. Since The World Cup is being held in South Africa during the first year of his term, he sees The World Cup as an attempt to bring the whites and blacks together by finding pride in their home team’s victory. Mandela is successful at transforming the beliefs of South Africa through his styles of democratic leadership, transformational leadership, and interpersonal orientation leadership.

In the poem ‘Invictus’ stated that “Beyond this place of wrath and tears. Looms but the horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years. Finds and shall find me unafraid. It showed that even though there is many scary thing in his live, he will never be scared and will faced it. A central theme of the movie ‘Invictus’ is courage. Three example scenes from the movie that illustrates courage are when Mandela faced the sport commission, when he faced the hostile fan, and when Pienaar visited the prison.

John Quincy Adams once said “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, and become more, you are a leader.”

When reflecting throughout America’s history, two people in particular exemplified the essence of true leadership traits, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. While others displayed a vast variety of traits, Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Nelson Mandela displayed traits of leadership that stood the test of time, and while today, their traits still influence, as well as affect people in today’s society. Throughout his time as political activist, as well as South Africa’s first African President, Nelson Mandela’s

Oftentimes, the best leaders are those who are willing to step up and face the daunting tasks that no one else will. As Prime Minister of England during World War II, Winston Churchill’s leadership left a permanent mark upon history. Many believe that without him, the Allies would have lost the war. In the words of John C. Maxwell, “Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” Churchill prided himself in having courage in all things and possessed the unique ability to provide others with courage also. He led the British empire through battle after battle tirelessly, saying, “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” To him, there was “no use saying ‘we are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” Although it was almost certain that Britain would lose World War II, Churchill provided the willpower needed to stand against Germany and engendered a motivated and hardworking government, as well as an inspired nation.

The book entitled Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation was originally titled Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation was written by John Carlin. The book was published in 2009. The story is most clearly a drama which, for a reader, is more riveting because it tells the story of Nelson Mandela in such a distinct way. Carlin originally reported on the South African transition for the Independent of London and is now world-renowned. He begins the book with a poem entitled Invictus, by William Ernest Benley. While reading, the poem’s meaning becomes more apparent and relates well to the book. It is analogous in meaning because it describes the overcoming of adversity and fighting for something that you believe in.