Q Class discussion activities are an integral part of your learning in this course. You are both encouraged and expected to participate in online discussions. Regular and meaningful contributions are part of your final course grade. Review this Sample Discussion Post Download Sample Discussion Post and follow its example when posting your responses in the applicable course discussions. Activity description/instructions: Why is studying leadership important? Good question! Maybe you think you are not a leader. Not so fast! Let’s keep in mind that first and foremost you must lead yourselves and in doing so you influence the people around us through our actions. Leadership comes in all different forms to include business, family, church, school, sports, volunteer work and more. It can also be said that when confronted with a situation outside of the system, it is leadership that responds. The lollipop story from Drew Dudley is a great example of these concepts. By design, the first chapter of your Leadership textbook by Lussier and Achua (2013) gave you a definition of leadership. It described the five key elements of leadership; discussed the categories of managerial roles; gave an understanding of trait and behavioral leadership theories and the interrelationships between those theories. In this course, you will build on your leadership skills each of the nine weeks through the readings, videos, case studies, self-assessments, and sharing experiences. Each week will serve as a building block for the next. So let’s get started by answering the following question and posting your answers in our discussion. Post your thoughts and comment on those of your colleagues. 1. Describe the “best” leader you have actually known. What made the leader the “best”? Did you have a lollipop moment with that leader? If so, describe it. 2. Finally, when answering this question consider your point of view and the viewpoint of others surrounding both the lollipop moment and the term “best.” Consider that some of the qualities you consider “best”, others (such as those from different cultures) may not. Describe how your point of view leads you to the above conclusions. These activities are graded using the discussion rubric. Post your response in the discussion by replying to this post. Your response should be a minimum of 300 words, grammatically sound, and free from spelling errors. Additionally, please make sure you are using at least one outside reference source, correctly cited and referenced, as part of the discussion. Be sure to comment or respond to at least two of your classmates' postings. You can upload a document(s) to support your position if you wish.