Qualities of a Leader

An essay I wrote for US History I think. I got an A+ on it.

Qualities of a Leader

            There are so many things we need to survive, one of which are leaders. Without them, the world would be complete chaos. So what defines a leader? There are specific qualities that make a leader either great, good, bad, evil, or even a mix of both. Throughout history, people have idolized George Washington because of everything he did for this country. In fact he has been idolized so much; all of his bad and evil qualities seem to have disappeared. Or have they?

            There are some qualities that are essential for leaders to have if they are going to be successful. For example, it is very important for a leader to have experience in whatever he or she is leading in. George Washington had a lot of military experience, and that is one of the factors that made him great. Great leaders should also be courageous and open-minded. Both of which are qualities that George Washington had, which made him a successful leader.

            Although there are many essential qualities every successful leader should have, there are also qualities that are not necessarily needed, but still beneficial. A leader should be honest, which was not one of George Washington’s strong suits, but he had other good qualities. He was motivated, because he really cared about what he was fighting for, and he had spirit, which in turn, infected his men with motivation. Motivation is a good quality to have but isn’t necessarily essential. George Washington was a good leader, but like every leader, there were some things about him that weren’t so great.

            Every leader has negative things about them that aren’t evil, but also not desirable. Shyness, jealousy, and lack of experience are all examples. George Washington wasn’t nearly as perfect as people made them out to be. He had a god-like complex and above the law. Though he was brave, he wasn’t humble, and  thought he was above everyone else.

            There are bad qualities in leaders and there are evil qualities in leaders. Some examples of evil qualities are being incredibly biased, thieving, fat or being even remotely similar to Adolf Hitler. George Washington was no doubt one of the greatest leaders in our country, which is why a lot of people overlook our first presidents evil qualities. George Washington cheated on his wife with a married woman. That is not a good quality for a leader to have at all. He also manipulated the laws when it came to slaves. Even though he wasn’t above the law, he acted like it.

            Though leaders are so essential to this world today, there aren’t all so perfect and wonderful as we sometimes make them out to be. These are some things to think about when given the chance to vote for a leader, or have a say in leadership.  George Washington was one of the greatest leaders our country has ever had, and one of the most famous as well. Just like a normal, non famous person, he has his faults, but it doesn’t take away from everything he did for this country. He was truly a great man.

Author's Note

Tell me what you think!

Reviews

[Tim Piotrowicz]

First off wow this is well written and its no wonder you got an A+.
The first sentence of the fifth paragraph is broken, you might edit it now that you are putting it on here instead of handing it into your teacher.
The whole time I am wondering what on earth you know about this guy that is so evil, but in the end I see what you mean you are talking about people in general and ya George wasnt perfect, but he wasnt bad. I hope someday I can vote for a president of our country that even comes close to his qualities.

[Jade]

Thanks for pointing that out, I fixed it. One of our main focuses in my history class concerning George Washington, was that he wasn't who everyone believes him to be today, and I think it's important to not idealize our leaders, or in this case presidents, because it could be completely detrimental.
Thank you for the awesome reviews!

[Tim Piotrowicz]

it really is my pleasure (: