Leaders in History. Effective leaders both learn from the past and are able to adapt what they have learned to the present context. In your paper, discuss how you, as a leader or potential leader in a professional or community context, can challenge the status quo and make a positive difference. In brief, your paper should outline a plan by which you can change (and hopefully improve) a context with which you are currently involved or expect to be involved soon.
Use the readings in Module 5 as a point of departure (that is, Wren Part V), but incorporate readings from across the course that you feel are appropriate as well. Be sure to clearly describe the context you wish to challenge as well as a time frame for your plan: for example, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, or more.
At least two of the readings from Wren, Part V. Traditional Classics on Leadership, by J. Thomas Wren, Douglas A. Hicks, and Terry L. Price (Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2004) At least two additional readings from Wren, Parts I through IV. Traditional Classics on Leadership, by J. Thomas Wren, Douglas A. Hicks, and Terry L. Price (Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2004)
At least two of the leaders discussed in Wills. Certain Trumpets: The Nature of Leadership, by Garry Wills (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995).
This activity should give you the opportunity to think carefully, using lessons from leadership practices and concepts across much of Western history, about how you can be a change agent. Change, many argue, is the essence of leadership. What can you do to enact change-oriented leadership in your life?