Assignment: Are Leaders Born or Made?

Preparation

Shakespeare made the following observation about leaders: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” For this assignment, you will select a leader and then decide whether he or she was “born” or “made.”

Your Task

  1. Select a leader from the twentieth or twenty-first century (1901–today).
  2. Using reliable sources, research this individual’s life, accomplishments, work, and/or contributions to society.
  3. You’ll need to find and cite a minimum of two different sources for your paper.
  4. Your written assignment should contain three sections, organized as follows:
  • (75–150 words): Introduce your chosen leader. Provide background biographical information, and explain why you chose this person.
  • (300–500 words): State whether you believe this person was born to be a leader or something or someone made them a leader. Then, support your positions with facts from his/her life, work, and achievements. You can include what other authorities have said or written about this person. Remember, your goal is to give evidence to support your claim that this leader was either “made” or “born.”
  • (50–75 words): For your conclusion, explain what can be learned from this leader.

Please refer to the Guidelines for Written Assignments for additional requirements.