Please read the Forbes article and watch the embedded video

Please read the Forbes article (and watch the embedded video) entitled “Lessons In Courage From Africa\'s First Female President.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/moiraforbes/2013/11/21/this-is-what-courage-looks-like-lessons-in-strength-from-liberias-ellen-johnson-sirleaf/#/sites/bruceupbin/2013/11/17/francine-lefrak-one-powerful-way-lift-african-women-out-of-poverty/?&_suid=139716387740106313999978940759

This article is a biographical piece on a fellow MPA degree holder, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first female President of Liberia, and the continent’s first female head of state. Based on the content presented in the article:

Describe what experiences Johnson-Sirleaf ascribes her leadership skills to. Are these skills that all leaders must have?

Johnson-Sirleaf is often referred to as the “Iron Lady”. What are the personality traits that have earned her this moniker and describe generally the positive and negative implications for public administrators that demonstrate these particular personality traits?

Solution

Johnson-Sirleaf had a life full of upside downs. She got married at the age of seventeen and had four children. This experience gave her strength and a desire to succeed. She went back to college after giving birth to four children. She experienced violence, and civil wars in Liberia. All these experiences strengthened her desire to succeed in life and increased her determination by surviving extreme odds. She earned an accounting degree at the Madison College of Business, later studied economics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and eventually received a master’s in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Yes, these skills will certainly be helpful for all leaders. Leaders should have an ability to fight odds, be determined and have a strong desire to succeed.

Johnson-Sirleaf is referred to as Iron Lady because of her unwavering determination and perseverance during trying times. She had the conviction to fight against the odds in her life and was not afraid of darkest point in the journey of her life. In fact she pulled herself out of the darkest point in her life.

She selected to be different and embraced her fear rather than running away from it.

The positive implications are that these traits makes a leader more able and confident to face negative and undesirable situations. These traits will give leader to face tough times and negotiate successfully through the tough times.

The negative implication can be that the leader can become too aggressive.