GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment: Issue33.

“People are likely to accept as a leader only someone who has demonstrated an ability to perform the same tasks that he or she expects others to perform.”Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

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2 samples

Andrew's Writing:Are people likely to accept as a leader only someone who has demonstrated the capability of performing the same tasks that he or she anticipates others to perform ? At least not for me. That is, I do not agree with such an broad conclusion the speaker makes. For some people, a competent leader who can perform the same task is perhaps more convincing. However, according to my observation, most people follow the direction of someone if he or she is proved to be talented and persuasive in that field. He or she doesn't neccessarily have to have the ability to do the same thing.Admittedly, we can learn a lot from those who have already done the same task. A student is more likely to learn from the teacher who has good knowledge rather than from someone ameture. When someone wants to learn to dance, he or she expects the instructor to be a once dance champion in some competition. Even the couches for most sports teams were once excellent players. As evidence shows that some past Olympic gold medal winners become couches in the field that he once performed very well.However, the history abounds with more examples to demonstrate the opposite. During the World War II, Churchhill, the prime minister of United Kingdom, led his country to fight the war and was the great leader in the eyes of his citizens. The soldiers of his country listened to their leaders' commands not because the task those leaders once performed in the battle filed, but because the leadership charisma that inspired people through the speaking. Hitler, the dictator, was accepted as a German hero because his exagerating speeches that fooled his people, rather than any task he had once done. The best examples can be found among the movie industries nowadays. Many movie directors, such as Spielberg or Ang Lee, were accepted as great leaders in that field absolutely not because they are also good actors. Instead, it is because the directors' sense or creative ideas toward the art of movie. Their talents on directing, not performing, persuaves the actors or actresses to follow the directors' commands.In sum, people are more likely to accept as leader someone who shows the leadership charisma. The charisma can be demonstrated through speeches, through the prestige, or even through the media that promotes someone's image easily. The ability to perform the task in the same field is not the most critical.

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Sample Essay:

People are more likely to accept the leadership of those who have shown they can perform the same tasks they require of others. My reasons for this view involve the notions of respect and trust.It is difficult for people to fully respect a leader who cannot, or will not, do what he or she asks of others. President Clinton’s difficulty in his role as Commander-in-Chief serves as a fitting and very public example. When Clinton assumed this leadership position, it was well known that he had evaded military service during the Vietnam conflict. Military leaders and lower-level personnel alike made it clear that they did not respect his leadership as a result. Contrast the Clinton case with that of a business leader such as John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, who by way of his training and experience as a computer engineer earned the respect of his employees.It is likewise difficult to trust leaders who do not have experience in the areas under their leadership. The Clinton example illustrates this point as well. Because President Clinton lacked military experience, people in the armed forces found it difficult to trust that his policies would reflect any understanding of their interests or needs. And when put to the test, he undermined their trust to an even greater extent with his naive and largely bungled attempt to solve the problem of gays in the military. In stark contrast, President Dwight Eisenhower inspired nearly devotional trust as well as respect because of his role as a military hero in World War II.In conclusion, it will always be difficult for people to accept leaders who lack demonstrated ability in the areas under their leadership. Initially, such leaders will be regarded as outsiders, and treated accordingly. Moreover, some may never achieve the insider status that inspires respect and trust from those they hope to lead.