Ronald Reagan Leadership free essay sample

There are many definitions of a leader and how their leadership skills can be described. One of the theories developed to study leadership is trait approach. Also known as great man theories, it was developed to explain how traits influenced leadership. This theory suggested that certain people were born with special traits that made them great leaders. (Bass,1990; Jago,1982). For this applied leadership mini paper I chose Ronald Reagan as my leader. Through this paper I would like to enlighten how the Trait approach theory helps me to analyze him as a successful leader. In his lifetime, Ronald Reagan was such a cheerful and invigorating presence that it was easy to forget what daunting historic tasks he set himself. He sought to mend Americas wounded spirit, to restore the strength of the free world and to free the slaves of Communism. †Ã‚   This was lady Thatchers eulogy on President Reagan that so admirably in one sentence summarizes his individual traits and his great achie vements (McCarthy. We will write a custom essay sample on Ronald Reagan Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2008). He is indeed one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. The remarkable leader, Ronald Reagan was born to parents John and Nelle Reagan on February 6th 1911 in Tampico Illinois. He was elected the 40th president of the United States of America on November 4th, 1980. He graduated from Eureka college, and also had an acting career with Warner bros. At the age of 69, he was the oldest man and the first movie star ever elected as the president. (Connerly, 2000). During his presidency, the economic condition of the United States of America flourished. Ronald Reagan died on June 5th 2004, however the great things he did as a leader will always be something to remember him for. In the trait approach, leadership is defined in terms of traits of the leader thought to exhibit good leadership. With the help of this theory we can compile a long list of desirable traits in a leader. A century of research to back it up, trait approach is very reliable in analyzing our leader. Ryan Reagan is an excellent specimen because he demonstrates all those qualities essential to be a successful leader. He was intelligent, determined, confident , a good communicator and had integrity, all traits individuals hope to possess in order to become a successful leader. (Northouse,2011). These characteristics were very important for Reagan to become as successful as he was. Because of his certain personality traits like honesty, his compassionate nature, his modesty gained him tremendous amount of followers who respected and loved him. By his achievements and the fact that still to date talk about all the great things he has done for his country and demonstrate the want and need for leaders like him, shows what a successful leader he was. Ronald Reagan was a strong leader and was a good communicator of his beliefs, which helped him attain support of the people of America. However, there were several instances during his presidency where negotiations had failed. It was during these instances that Reagan made the biggest impact as a leader and really earned the respect of the people of America as someone who meant what he said (DSouza, 1997). Even though Reagan had to face difficult situations as a leader, he took time to rethink this strengths and achieved his goals. This shows us that Reagan was born a great leader, and although he had a knack for it, he relentlessly worked at it which is why he became such a hit with the American public. Because of this combination of his great personality traits and even greater accomplishments Ryan Reagan proved to be one of the preeminent American presidents in history. We can see how his traits made him a constructive authority for the people of America and an inspiration to anyone who one day would like to become a successful leader. 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. † ? Ronald Reagan References: DSouza, Dinesh. Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became