Date Due _January 8th, 2016______
Student Name _________
Leadership Essay
“Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.” -Harold S. Geneen
In this argumentative informative essay, you will be asserting who you consider to be the best leader among:
1. A community leader
2. A foreign leader
3. A leader from a text we have read
Part 1 – Leadership Introduction
Here you will pique your reader’s interest about leadership, give an overview of the topic, and make your thesis
statement (assert who the best leader is). This section will be one paragraph.
Part 2 – Interview a Community Leader
Be it a teacher, a coach, a parent, a police officer, or a team captain, each of you comes into contact with a
community leader every day. Your task is to interview one of these community leaders about leadership. You
will construct your own interview questions, and you must be able to answer the questions below.
Within your essay, be sure to cite specific details from your interview and respond to the following
questions:
Who is this leader?
What does he/she do to lead?
How does he/she lead (leadership style)?
What qualities make this person a good or bad leader and how?
What values make this person a good or bad leader and how?
Part 3 – Research a Foreign Leader
Leadership can vary dramatically from culture to culture and community to community. Don’t believe me?
Explore this idea for yourself. Research a foreign leader (a leader outside the United States) and respond to the
following questions.
Within your essay, be sure to cite specific details from your research and respond to the following questions:
Who is this leader?
What does he/she do to lead?
How does he/she lead (leadership style)?
What qualities make this person a good or bad leader and how?
What values make this person a good or bad leader and how?
Part 4 – Leadership: A Leader from Our Texts
We have seen examples of both good and bad leaders in the stories we have read and analyzed. Based on what
you now believe about leadership, choose a leader from a text we have read and evaluate his/her leadership
skills. For example, you may choose to analyze Montag, The Prince, Atticus, Walter Lee Younger, etc.
Within your essay, be sure to cite specific details from your text and respond to the following questions:
Who is this leader?
What does he/she do to lead?
How does he/she lead (leadership style)?
What qualities make this person a good or bad leader and how?
What values make this person a good or bad leader and how?
Part 5 – Leadership: Compare and Contrast
Now that you have interviewed a community leader, researched a foreign leader, and analyzed a leader from a
text we’ve read, describe any similarities or differences you have discovered between the two.
Within your essay, answer the following questions:
What are some similarities and differences in how these three leaders lead?
Does their leadership reflect a difference in values? How so?
Who is the better leader and how?
Part 6 – Leadership Conclusion
Here you will summarize the main arguments/ideas contained within your essay and make a powerful statement
that will be memorable to your audience. Your statement can be about leadership in general or your chosen leader
specifically. This section will be one paragraph.
Leadership Project Cheat Sheet
To Turn In:
1. Rough Draft – Monday, December 17th
2. Final, MLA Formatted Essay – Friday, January 8th
3. MLA Formatted Works Cited Page – Friday, January 8th
Length of Essay:

2-3 Pages Typed – Double spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font
Works Cited Page:

You must cite at least 3 sources, including your interviewee, on your works cited page and with intext citations
Leadership Project Rubric: 100 Points
COMPONENT
Interview Paragraph
 Describes chosen leader’s position and duties
 Describes leader’s qualities and values
 Explains how leader is a good or bad leader
Foreign Paragraph
 Describes chosen leader’s position and duties
 Describes leader’s qualities and values
 Explains how leader is a good or bad leader
Similarities and Differences Paragraph
 Describes similarities and differences between two leaders
 Analyzes leadership values
 Argues which leader is better
Organization
 Essay is focused and well organized with effective use of transitions.
MLA Format
 Essay adheres to MLA format.
 Has works cited page and in-text citations.
Conventions/Mechanics
POINTS
/25
/25
/25
/5
/5
/5

Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation are few and do not interfere
with understanding.
Sentence Fluency, Variety, and Style
/10

Essay consistently exhibits variety in sentence structure and diction (word
choice).
Total Points:
/100