| Course | BUSI 345 Leadership Theory and Practices (BUSI345) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 1 |
| Assignment | Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread |
| Paper type | Discussion thread |
| Length | about 437 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of 400-500 words demonstrating course-related knowledge, with at least 3 references (1 scholarly, 1 course textbook and 1 Bible), in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 citations and reference list |
| Points | 75 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 1 in Liberty's published BUSI 345 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 345 Week 1
Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread: Defining Leadership
BUSI 345 Leadership Theory and Practices, Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread
Thread by [Student Name]
The thread answers a composite prompt on defining leadership; the textbooks, research and Scripture cited are real.
Leaders are partly born and largely made: some traits give people a head start, but leadership itself is a process that almost anyone can learn.
Northouse (2016) describes two ways of thinking about leadership. The trait view treats it as a set of qualities some people possess, such as height, intelligence or confidence. The process view treats it as a transaction between a leader and followers, a process whereby an individual influences a group to achieve a common goal. Northouse also distinguishes assigned leaders, who hold a formal position, from emergent leaders, whom others come to follow regardless of title. The process view makes leadership available to anyone who influences others.
The trait view is not wrong, however. Judge et al. (2002) combined the results of dozens of studies and found that the five major personality traits as a set correlated meaningfully with leadership, and extraversion was the steadiest predictor of both emerging as a leader and being seen as effective. Conscientiousness and openness also mattered, while neuroticism worked against leadership. Yet the traits explained only part of the variation, leaving much room for skills, experience and context. Personality may decide who is first noticed as a leader, but it does not decide who learns to lead well.
The Lead Like Jesus authors push the process view further. Blanchard et al. (2016) argue that any time a person seeks to influence the thinking, behavior or development of others, that person is leading, which includes parents, teachers, friends and coworkers as well as executives. Seen that way, my real question is what kind of leader I am becoming, since I am already influencing someone.
Scripture offers a vivid case of a leader made rather than born. When God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, Moses objected that he was not eloquent and was slow of speech. God answered that he had made man's mouth and would be with Moses and teach him what to say (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Exodus 4:10-12). Moses did not possess the obvious traits; he was equipped through obedience, and he grew into the role over forty years in the wilderness, learning to delegate, to intercede and to persevere.
For me, this means I should not wait to feel like a natural leader. Extraversion is not my strongest trait, but I can practice the skills of influence in the roles I already hold, at work and at church, such as running a meeting well or helping a new coworker learn the job. What traits or experiences do you think matter most for someone who does not feel like a natural leader?
References
Blanchard, K., Hodges, P., & Hendry, P. (2016). Lead like Jesus revisited: Lessons from the greatest leadership role model of all time. W Publishing Group.
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)
Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. W. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 765-780. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.765
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). SAGE Publications.
What the BUSI 345 Week 1 instructions ask
BUSI 345 begins with chapter 1 of Northouse, which defines leadership and contrasts trait and process views, and the introduction to Blanchard, Hodges and Hendry's Lead Like Jesus Revisited, plus one presentation; the syllabus checklist and an introduction post are also due. The Forum 1 thread answers the instructor's prompt in 400 to 500 words, demonstrating knowledge from those readings. Three references are the minimum: one scholarly source, one course textbook and one passage from the Bible, all in current APA format. Threads and replies are split across modules/weeks in this course, so the two 300-word replies follow in Module/Week 2. At 75 points, the thread is worth more than the replies that answer it.
How this BUSI 345 Week 1 example is built
The first sentence answers the question: leaders are partly born and largely made. The second paragraph lays out Northouse's distinction between leadership as a trait and leadership as a process, and his related distinction between assigned and emergent leaders. A meta-analysis then supplies the evidence for the trait side and shows its limits. The Lead Like Jesus authors' definition of leadership as influence extends the process view into everyday life. Moses's call becomes the biblical case of a leader made rather than born. A short closing paragraph applies the conclusion to the writer's own development, which gives classmates a personal point to reply to.
BUSI 345 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
BUSI 345 instructors look first at whether a thread meets the prompt using knowledge from the module/week's readings, stay within 400 to 500 words, and include the three required references, scholarly, textbook and Bible, in correct current APA format. Because the course pairs a secular leadership text with a Christian one, threads that draw on both and show how they relate demonstrate the integration the course is designed around. A scholarly source should be reported accurately, including what it does not show. Writing that takes a position and supports it is stronger than a survey of views, and a thread that ends with an open point invites the substantive replies the next module/week requires.
BUSI 345 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points
Read Northouse's first chapter closely, since its definitions, trait versus process and assigned versus emergent, give your thread a vocabulary. Take a position in your first sentence, even a qualified one. Find one peer-reviewed study on the question, such as a meta-analysis on personality and leadership, and say what it found in your own words. Connect the Lead Like Jesus reading to the textbook rather than treating them separately. Choose a biblical figure or passage that illustrates your answer and explain how. Hold the post inside the 400 to 500 word range, and leave classmates something to discuss in your last paragraph. If you mention a personal leadership experience, name the role and what it taught you, since a concrete example makes the trait-versus-process question easier for classmates to answer.
Related BUSI 345 sample papers
Other BUSI 345 weeks
- BUSI 345 Week 2: Forum 1 Replies
- BUSI 345 Week 3: Leadership Paper Bibliography
- BUSI 345 Week 4: Forum 2 Replies
- BUSI 345 Week 5: Group Forum Response
- BUSI 345 Week 6: Forum 3 Replies
- BUSI 345 Week 7: Leadership Philosophy Paper
- BUSI 345 Week 8: Forum 4 Replies
More BS in Business Administration sample papers
- BUSI 342 Week 1: Forum 1 Thread
- BUSI 343 Week 1: Case Study 1
- BUSI 352 Week 1: Forum 1 Thread
- BUSI 354 Week 1: Forum 1 Thread and Reply
BUSI 345 Week 1 questions, answered
What is the BUSI 345 Forum 1 thread?
The opening discussion post, worth 75 points in Module/Week 1, a 400 to 500 word answer to the prompt with a scholarly source, a course textbook and a Bible reference.
Where can I find a free BUSI 345 Week 1 sample paper?
You can read a complete BUSI 345 Week 1 thread on whether leaders are born or made, drawing on Northouse, Lead Like Jesus Revisited, a meta-analysis and Scripture.
Are leaders born or made?
Research finds personality traits such as extraversion predict leadership emergence and effectiveness, but most definitions treat leadership as a process of influence that people can learn and develop.
How does Northouse define leadership?
As influence exercised by one person to move a group toward a shared goal, which treats leadership as an interaction available to anyone rather than a fixed trait.
What else is due in BUSI 345 Module/Week 1?
The Course Requirements Checklist and class introductions, along with chapter 1 of Northouse, the introduction to Lead Like Jesus Revisited and one presentation.
Use it as a model, or ask for your own
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