John Maxwell once said, “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” » A leader must have a solid foundation as a human being before he can attempt to convince the public of his visions. He will be examined from all angles regarding his leadership traits, style, characteristics, etc. All of these areas of leadership come together in what we call integrity. Integrity is doing what is morally right; it requires honesty, making the “right” decisions for the community, accepting responsibility, and being selfless. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Machiavelli's The Prince, there are various examples of the difference between a good and bad leader, including the leader's initiative, responsibility, generosity, and values. his projects. In Julius Caesar, Cassius tries to convince Brutus to join the conspirators against Caesar. Cassius says that sometimes men are responsible for their own destiny and should not blame it on an outside force (Shakespeare I-ii 147-150). So, if they blamed the situation on God, it would do them no good because they did not even try to take steps to change their destiny. In this example, Cassius demonstrates that a leader must demonstrate initiative and responsibility; a good leader must be fearless and try to do something for the common good. Machiavelli agreed because he mentioned that the Romans tried to solve a problem before it actually developed, knowing that a problem would only get worse if not solved immediately (11). Being proactive rather than reactive will help the leader stay one step ahead. However, initiative should always be for the greater good rather than for the benefit of the manager... middle of paper ...... learned. However, a leader can always learn to be better. In both books, Julius Caesar and The Prince, he showed a lot about how a leader should be and act, and there are many things an individual can learn from these two books. Some examples of leadership that one can take from both books are generosity, taking initiative, responsibility and personal values. All of these traits begin when the individual realizes who they are and where they fit in to become a leader. As Jack Welch said, “Before being a leader, success is all about developing yourself.” When you become a leader, success is about growing others. »Works cited Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Prince. Trans. Harvey C. Mansfield. Chicago, 1998. Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.” Elements of Literature: Kylene Beers. Austin: Holt, 2009. 842-963. Print.