What makes a great leader? Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. In today’s society, powerful female leaders are consistently emerging and have vital roles in the workplace, home life and in the community. Being a leader is not just a set of learned skills, professions, or titles. At its core, it is about the virtues that one must possess like courage, optimism, compassion, and integrity. For this essay, I have selected former First Lady, Michelle Obama as an appropriate example of what a great leader truly is. Michelle has broken many barriers as it relates to the portrayal of African American woman; she has juggled several responsibilities from being a wife to the president of the United States, mother of two, a former
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Her commitment to set high standards is an effective leadership trait that promotes her courage. According to the Ethical Challenges of Leadership, the author reveals that leaders with courage “Move forward despite the risks and costs” (Johnson, C. E. Pg.72). The barriers that Michelle has broken as the first African-American First Lady shows how courageous her ambitions are and how she does not allow negative beliefs to overshadow any fears that she may have. Also, being a mother or two and a wife to the President of the United States, it takes courage to step outside of the norm of the First Lady and discovery that “The joy of discovery awaits leaders who have the courage to experience their Galileo Moments” (Jayanti, E. 2016). Michelle’s Galileo moment is when she decided to educate, empower and promote others to improve themselves and issues the impact the world. As an ethical leader, Michelle has continued to “move others to do the right things, in the right ways and for the right reasons” (Northouse, Pg. 274). As an example, during the promotion of her programs, celebrities like Beyoncé, LeBron James, and Taylor Swift promoted the First Lady initiatives through social media and music video. As the campaign reached millions of new followers, Michelle’s ability to collaborate with celebrities and athletes is evident that she has the power to make change through others. Furthermore, the definition of a great leader is someone who works to create and improve the world. As I conclude, becoming a leader that has helped secure fifty million kids healthier school lunches, and has educated over 375,000 adolescent children in Africa. She has demonstrated her commitment to our wellbeing, education, and inclusion for us all. The commitment that has transpired over the eight years in White House, her
Her commitment to set high standards is an effective leadership trait that promotes her courage. According to the Ethical Challenges of Leadership, the author reveals that leaders with courage “Move forward despite the risks and costs” (Johnson, C. E. Pg.72). The barriers that Michelle has broken as the first African-American First Lady shows how courageous her ambitions are and how she does not allow negative beliefs to overshadow any fears that she may have. Also, being a mother or two and a wife to the President of the United States, it takes courage to step outside of the norm of the First Lady and discovery that “The joy of discovery awaits leaders who have the courage to experience their Galileo Moments” (Jayanti, E. 2016). Michelle’s Galileo moment is when she decided to educate, empower and promote others to improve themselves and issues the impact the world. As an ethical leader, Michelle has continued to “move others to do the right things, in the right ways and for the right reasons” (Northouse, Pg. 274). As an example, during the promotion of her programs, celebrities like Beyoncé, LeBron James, and Taylor Swift promoted the First Lady initiatives through social media and music video. As the campaign reached millions of new followers, Michelle’s ability to collaborate with celebrities and athletes is evident that she has the power to make change through others. Furthermore, the definition of a great leader is someone who works to create and improve the world. As I conclude, becoming a leader that has helped secure fifty million kids healthier school lunches, and has educated over 375,000 adolescent children in Africa. She has demonstrated her commitment to our wellbeing, education, and inclusion for us all. The commitment that has transpired over the eight years in White House, her