Contemplating what it takes to become an effective leader, a person has to consider many aspects of that leadership. Compassion, honesty, integrity, humility, valor and magnanimity are some of the qualities that an effective leader should possess. Two leaders who possessed these characteristics are William Shakespeare’s King Henry V from Henry IV, Part 1, and President
Ulysses S. Grant of the United States of America. In many ways, Shakespeare’s character, based on the English King, resembles this US President.
Ulysses S. Grant was an effective leader in many ways. He came from a very modest beginning; through his own abilities and with help from his family, he obtained the highest office of the land. Grant was a fine example of how people should conduct themselves in regards to using proper language. He was devoted to his family. He often had his family accompany him to observe battles as often as he could. Although Grant surrounded himself with dishonest people, he was an honest person himself. Compassion, integrity, humility and valor are many qualities that made him an effective leader.
According to Elizabeth Burrus’s article “Henry V as a Model for a King, Citizen, and Common Man,” effective leaders should be people who are respected, revered, and inspirational for the future generations. For Shakespeare to present Henry V realistically, he required a large quantity of in-depth research into English history. According to Burrus, no other character had more research put into his development than Henry V. Thanks to Shakespeare's effort, we can see first hand what an effective leader resembles. Henry’s morals are what we should use to model our lives (Burrus, par. 1).
