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Ronald Reagan Leadership

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Ronald Reagan Leadership
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 America's wounded spirit, to restore the strength of the free world and to free the slaves of Communism.”
This was lady Thatcher's eulogy on President Reagan that so admirably in one sentence summarizes his individual traits and his great achievements (McCarthy. 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


References: D 'Souza, Dinesh. Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader. New York: Touchstone, 1997. Print. Bates. M. (2002, May23). Ronald Reagan- A real leader with real legacy. [Online document]. Retrieved from [http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/687263/posts] McCarthy.D (2008, February19). Ten leadership lessons from Ronal Reagan. [Online document, blog]. Retrieved from [http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/02/ten-leadership-lessons-from-ronald.html] Childers, Dennis. "The World Desperately Requires Leaders like President Reagan." Yahoo! Contributor Network., 4 Sept. 2007. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. [http://voices.yahoo.com/the-world-desperately-requires-leaders-like-president-513016.html?cat=9]. Connerly, W. (2000). American Civil Rights Institute. Ronald Reagan Lecture Series.  Retrieved from http//:ACRI NEWS -Remarks by Ward Connerly, at Ronald Reagan Lecture Series, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.htm
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