Unit 1 Discussion Topic 1

Topic 1: Does Leadership Make a Difference?

Does leadership make a difference? Why or why not? Justify your opinion with examples from your personal experience and from research on the topic. Include in your response how leaders influence organizational performance and provide an example that is congruent with your position—this may be accomplished by interviewing a leader you know or by citing an example in the media. Finally, based on this, provide your personal definition of leadership.

Unit 1 Discussion Topic 2

Topic 2: Traits of a Great Leader

Locate a current events or magazine article from the past year related to the traits of a great leader. Customize your search to a specific characteristic that is relevant to you; for instance, traits of great women leaders, traits of great military leaders, traits of great millennial leaders, traits of great leaders in the IT field, etc.

Write two well-written paragraphs (about 250 words total) regarding the article you select. The first paragraph will summarize the important points of the article in a way that brings clarity and learning to all who read it. The second paragraph will include your analysis of the relevancy and accuracy of the article as well as how you may apply what you learned to your own leadership journey.

Note: Using the ProQuest Newsstand database in the Library is a great method to access current and relevant articles.