1 Running head: BONO THE LEADER Bono: Why He Is An Effective Leader Robert M Clarkson Virginia Commonwealth University BONO THE LEADER Bono: Why He Is an Effective Leader Most of you would know Bono, a pseudonym for Paul Hewson, as a famous rock star and the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band U2 With U2 having produced hit songs from the late seventies until now, he is well known to a wide audience of music lovers What has made Bono even more famous, however, are his efforts as a global humanitarian leader, driving Commented [JA1]: The opening phrase modifies the subject, so you have a mismatch here The phrase=U2, while the subject (he) is Bono Needs a rewrite results in a significant and meaningful way Bono is a leader to be admired and respected because he has been able to manage a very successful music career while, at the same time, becoming a leading change agent for many different global causes that impact hundreds of millions of people Commented [JA2]: yes Why would one consider Bono one of the most significant leaders of our time? He has championed numerous humanitarian causes that have had a significant impact, in many circumstances, life-saving, on so many people For example, as noted in Bono Biography (n.d.), Commented [JA3]: I understand but it reads awkwardly Bono supported Band Aid, raising money for starving children in Africa Following that, he became a driving force to abolish apartheid, becoming an ally, advisor and close friend with Commented [JA4]: Include Oxford commas (the comma before the AND in a series) soon-to-be President Mandela Soon after, Bono then focused his attention on eliminating poverty worldwide and halting the spread of AIDS The fight against AIDS has made significant progress according to Unicef ("Unicef," n.d., our mission) Regarding world poverty, Bono was able to convince most of the wealthiest nations in the world to forgive the debt owed to them from most of the world’s poorest countries These are just a few of the projects Bono led or was an integral part in making successful So what makes Bono such an effective leader, one who is truly recognized as being a leader and one whom heads of state and CEO’s of Fortune 100 companies want to be associated? Commented [JA5]: UNICEF all caps And we will discuss how to reference websites correctly BONO THE LEADER Bono takes his job as a humanitarian very seriously It is well known that he studies the humanitarian causes he is involved in, and is regarded as an expert by those in the field and decision makers alike Because of that, there is a high level of trust with partners He studies the decision makers involved and approaches them in a professional way with a compelling proposal which will deliver a win-win scenario Nonetheless, when push comes to shove, Bono will not avoid conflict, speaking his mind and calling out egregious violators of human rights He follows through on what he says, demonstrating commitment, and puts his reputation on the line, creating organizations he leads, making himself accountable Most importantly, he delivers results, as noted above Apparently Bono must have read the book by Patrick A Lencioni (2002), The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, A Leadership Fable, and learned from it Bono is a leader with whom you can learn a lot from and one who should be studied Commented [JA6]: I like all the descriptors (of course, from Lencioni), but not BOLD them It’s okay to use italics for emphasis Also, this would be more effective if you re-organized a bit—see my comments after the rubric Commented [JA7]: Book titles are italicized Commented [JA8]: comma further He takes on projects that are emotionally trying and politically charged, something that is not easy for most people His passion is inspiring and his ability to change people’s attitudes is admirable He has the ability to become a highly regarded partner with entities who may not be considered likely allies By studying Bono, it will help provide a roadmap for both individuals and teams to take on “big projects” where change is hard to make happen Commented [JA9]: yes, more info that could be tied to specific traits as you listed above In summary, Bono is a very effective leader, one who is regarded an expert in the area of the humanitarian causes he champions He is adept at earning the trust and confidence of important decision makers, is fearless of conflict, demonstrates commitment and accountability, and is very successful at delivering results One would argue that there is a lot which can be Commented [JA10]: nice parallel structure learned from Bono, and the approach he applies to global humanitarian causes can be adopted in our approach to challenging projects If we can influence key decision makers, enable change and deliver results like Bono does, we too can make a significant difference in people’s lives Commented [JA11]: Yes—but avoid “we” and “our.” BONO THE LEADER References Bono (2015) The Biography.com website Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/bono-16257407 Lencioni, Patrick M (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, A Leadership Fable San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Unicef (n.d.) Organization mission statement Retrieved from http://www.unicefusa.org/mission/survival/hiv-aids Commented [JA12]: We will discuss formatting during class Always deactivate the websites so that they are just listed in black and without underlining BONO THE LEADER Name Clarke Date EDLP 715 Paper Rubric points Target Acquiring Developing Entry Organization Crystal clear focus that does not stray; all paragraphs fully developed; strong intro and satisfying conclusion; reader is skillfully guided through Clear focus with minor digression(s); most paragraphs welldeveloped; logical intro and conclusion; reader can see where writer is headed Focus has several digressions; some paragraphs incompletely developed or contain off-point info; intro and/or conclusion brief/cursory; reader experiences gaps/confusion but still sees main idea Lack of singular focus; most paragraphs have little/no focus; intro and/or conclusion, disconnected, or missing; reader must make inferences based on inadequate details (3 points) (0 - points) (5 points) You tell about his projects first, then tell the traits, and then give a bit more info— not the most effective organization (4 points) Plagiarism, intentional or not, will result in an automatic zero on the assignment Examples: No citation for any material that should be cited; paraphrasing that contains copied key words, phrases, or structure from th e original source which should be quoted; or any other type of intellectual dishonesty that uses others’ word or ideas without ap propriate acknowledgement Comments: Robert You’ve picked a great leader He’s certainly admired worldwide for his great works I suggest that you consider doing a bit of re-organizing, though, to improve the persuasiveness The first bit tells us all the stuff he did, and then you tell us what it shows about him (traits) It would work so much more effectively if you gave a trait (say, trust), and then give the evidence Name another trait, and give that evidence Perhaps even mention Lencioni in the intro and how Bono fits that work EX: Bono is an admired leader Trust (Then give details about how he develops trust) BONO THE LEADER Doesn’t avoid conflict (then give details) And so on to the conclusion Do you see how that would pack a more powerful punch for the reader? I look forward to watching this paper develop further! A strong start! Score: 4.5 Evaluator(s): Arkin BONO THE LEADER