what is an example of a thesis statement on leadership

How to Write a Leadership Statement (With 40 Examples)

A leadership statement is essential to help contribute to the organization’s success. However, it may be challenging to come up with the right words to create an impact.

What should the statement emphasize? What should be included?

According to experts, here are the key points that you need to consider when writing a leadership statement:

Loic Bellet

Business English Coach, Speak Proper English

Discuss what you will do differently due to what you’ve learned about leadership and yourself

Consider what attributes make someone an excellent leader before crafting your statement.

The ability to motivate others, moral dignity, plus placing a high value on connections with team members are all examples of leadership qualities and skills. What outstanding leadership traits do you possess?

Before you start drafting your statement:

• Make a list.
• Go over your word list again and pick one , maybe two of these attributes to emphasize .
• As it pertains to the trait you choose, provide your assessment of what makes somebody a great leader.

It should be no more than one to two sentences in length. This definition will serve as the foundation for your argument.

Implement a strategy

It all boils down to implementing a strategy when writing a decent statement. Your blueprint is that plan. One of the most crucial advantages of a decent outline is that your statement will be well arranged and easy to follow.

You can use the paragraph structure for a leadership statement or add more paragraphs if you want. This is what your outline might look like:

• Introduction . Captivate the reader’s attention by defining good leadership in terms of the attribute you’ve chosen.
• Paragraphs in the body . Give some history on anecdotes and explain why a leadership characteristic is essential to you and how you live your life according to this value.
• Conclusion . Finish with a strong declaration about your ability to lead.

Grab the reader’s attention and distinguish your assertion from the rest

The beginning of your leadership statement must be strong. This is where you grab the reader’s attention and distinguish your assertion from the rest.

Related: How to Be (more) Assertive

A personal anecdote is the greatest method to do this.

Consider the leadership quality you’ve chosen. When was the last time you showed this characteristic in your life?

Consider a period when your integrity was put to the test in a leadership role if you’re writing about it. Perhaps you were the director of your high school newspaper and felt compelled to expose the identity of a confidential source.

To draw the reader’s attention, describe the scenario in dramatic detail in one or two sentences. Explain why you believe this leadership attribute is crucial after those two phrases. This will serve as a transition into your statement’s body.

Focus on the leadership traits you possess

Focus on the leadership traits you possess in the body of your statement and how they relate to the tale you began to explain in the introduction. You can order your statement however you choose, but here’s a tried and tested method.

Provide some background information

Give some context to your narrative by providing some background information.

Give some information regarding your work as editor if you opened your statement by mentioning being forced to reveal the source of a journalistic piece.

• What method did you use to obtain it?
• What did you consider to be the most significant aspect of this role?

Concentrate on a leadership attribute you already have

Return the attention to leadership. Make sure you’re concentrating on a leadership attribute you already have. You must select a quality that is directly relevant to the anecdote you are presenting.

You may bring the attention back to integrity in the case of the editor being pressed to reveal sources.

• What is the significance of integrity?
• What makes someone an effective leader if they have integrity?

Related: 24 Best Leadership Books of All Time

Make sure your conclusion leaves a lasting impression

Another crucial component of the leadership statement is your conclusion. These are the words that will leave the most lasting impression on your reader about your leadership and writing ability. This is an important aspect of your statement, so make it count.

• Return to the strong leadership while personalizing it.
• Describe how your leadership aligns with your principles and how you displayed leadership in one or two sentences in a specific case.
• Discuss what you’ve learned.
• Finish with a powerful sentence.

What will you do differently in the future due to what you’ve learned about leadership and yourself? To make your words even more powerful, use a parallel framework.

Founder and CEO, Gibson Hill PC

A leadership statement is vital for setting out the expectations and goals of the business and laying out the core values that employees are expected to follow and respect. Also, it is all about getting employees on board so that they understand what the company aims to do for them , getting them invested in the success.

After all, a leadership statement is all about leading, and that requires gathering a team to lead.

Here are some of the things that you should remember when writing a leadership statement:

Talk about core values of your business

Your business should have clear core values that are implemented within the work methodology, and it is essential that, as a leader, you talk about them so that they can be in effect.

Talk about the reason for the company and what it aims to do, and talk about the values and ideals that you uphold and that you expect everyone to respect.

Outline concrete goals

As a leader, it is your job to create guidelines and direct your employees. Having concrete goals is necessary, not only so that the business can grow but also so that employees have a direction to develop and grow.

Set out expectations, and then provide the tools to make them achievable.

Introduce ways of measuring progress

Measuring progress should be about monitoring that things are on track so that you can implement solutions or extra support where needed.

You must address this early on so that it isn’t something for your employees to dread.

Make it relevant to the employees

I’ve read a few leadership statements that are all about the company’s aims and how the leader will be going about things, with no mention as to how it will all affect the employees, and that is a huge mistake.

You want your employees to feel involved and become invested , and this means making sure that the goals you set in place are related to them in some way.

Be your company’s “hype-man”

This is my top recommendation for leadership statements; they should be positive and full of motivation , almost as if you’re selling the idea of the business to your employees to get them excited about the overall success that can be achieved.

Martin Lassen

Founder & CEO, GrammarHow

A “leadership statement” is a written statement outlining your leadership philosophy and the qualities you believe are necessary to lead effectively.

• Your leadership statement must be brief and easy to understand.
• It’s important to express your thoughts on the theory of leadership , and the traits and abilities you believe are necessary for success.
• Discuss your personal leadership experiences and how you’ve developed your own unique management style.

Here are some suggestions for writing a leadership statement that represents your values:

Share your experiences to help them understand your leadership style

Your leadership statement should contain your own leadership experiences .

• What obstacles have you overcome?
• What victories have you had?
• What have you learned?

Sharing your experiences can assist readers in understanding your leadership style and why you think it works.

“Leaders in the military and business have taught me that success involves vision, planning, and execution. I am continuously looking for new challenges and methods to strengthen my leadership skills. This attitude has aided my career and personal success.”

Share concrete examples that demonstrate your leadership ideas

Remember to be genuine and honest in your leadership statement. If you don’t agree with someone’s ideas or ideals, don’t write or avoid clichés and generalizations; instead, share concrete examples that demonstrate your leadership ideas.

“Leaders must constantly put their followers first. They should be open to hearing and understanding their problems. A smart leader knows that success requires a team dedicated to the same goal.”

CEO, Champion Leadership Group LLC

Analyze the characteristics that differentiate a successful leader

Prepare your leadership statement by analyzing the characteristics that differentiate a successful leader before you sit down and write.

Among these leadership traits and talents are:

• The willingness to encourage others
• Personal integrity
• The ability to place a high emphasis on interpersonal connections with team members

Are there any outstanding leadership characteristics you possess?

Here is one helpful tip on how to write a leadership statement:

A solid opening to a leadership statement is critical

This is where you grab the reader’s attention and set your writing out from the others— a personal narrative is the most significant way to go about this.

Consider the quality of leadership you’ve decided to emphasize. Is there a time when you displayed this trait in your life?

For instance, when writing on personal integrity, imagine a period when your integrity was put to the test while serving in a leadership position. For maximum effect, explain the incident in one or two sentences in dramatic detail to capture the reader’s attention.

Afterward, explain why this leadership quality is so crucial to you—this will serve as a bridge from the introduction to the body of your statement.

Jonathan R. Brockman

Trial Attorney, Jonathan R. Brockman, P.C.

Include your attitude and the attitude that you expect from your team

A vision or leadership statement is one that allows you to define yourself and your role when leading your team—it’s something that you can always look back to if you find yourself going through the motions and in need of reminding why you’re doing what you’re doing .

It is also something that I think is useful to provide for new or potential employees so that they can get a feel for your priorities.

The way you need to craft a leadership statement depends on you and your values: do you want to exemplify your goals or your values more?

Either way, you need to keep your statement concise , don’t mince your words, even if you’re trying to be poetic. You’ll want to include your attitude and the attitude that you expect from your team and how you’ll promote and encourage that attitude.

If you can squeeze all of this into 3-4 sentences , you’ll have a great vision statement.

Gerald Lombardo 

Co-Founder, The Word Counter

Your daily actions should reflect the qualities you added in your leadership statement

A powerful leadership statement highlights your internal understanding of why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s intricately tied to your values , hopes , and worldview and is important because it’s what matters to you.

As the leader of an organization, your daily actions should reflect the qualities that you have included in a leadership statement.

The best way to begin crafting a leadership statement stems from a deep look into yourself as a leader. You need to think back on your own career as though you are retired and ask yourself questions such as:

• What do you want your peers to have said about you?
• How did you make your coworkers and subordinates feel on a daily basis?
• What are some goals you wish you accomplished?
• How would you have led your organization differently?

Ultimately, a leadership statement guides you during times of rapid change within your organization because it provides you with a course of action. It’s your roadmap to understanding how you define yourself as a leader.

By understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing as a leader, your team will take notice and feel confident in supporting your vision.

Travis Lindemoen

Managing Director, Nexus IT Group

Figure out how to be the best leader possible

One of the most critical aspects of leadership is establishing a group dynamic where everyone is working toward the same goal .

Self-reflection and divergent thinking are essential components of effective leadership. Every step of the way, a leader should keep an eye on the big picture while also acknowledging the small victories along the way.

Leadership does not equate to power, and the two are not synonymous. Leaders challenge themselves to take on the role of a change agent, challenge the status quo of business and society, and act as role models for others.

“ Aspiring to be that leader who can inspire and motivate others to lead healthy and balanced lives is something I strive for . In my presence, I hope to convey the impression that I care about establishing relationships with others and unquestionably lift them up, and inspire self-direction.

I intend to lead from the ground up to promote a positive work environment and establish my authority as a leader. Personal and socially responsible leadership is something I believe in, and I will constantly evaluate my attitude and actions to see if they are in line with this belief and ignite positive social change.

Leadership means valuing the contributions of others, including their perspectives, as well as what they can offer toward our common goal.

I will lead with concrete goals and clear communication among my followers as we work together to achieve our shared vision and leave a lasting impression on every person we come into contact with.”

Related: Top 7 Leading Traits of Good Leaders

Austin J. Franklin

CEO and Co-founder, Good-Natured Life

The statement should positively impact you and everyone you lead

A leadership statement is a personal mantra created to guide one’s leadership philosophy. This idea is similar to a company mission statement, except it abides only by you and your leadership style.

A leadership statement is essential because it holds you accountable and guides your decision-making.

For example, my leadership statement revolves around a few words:

“Make a positive difference & remain good-natured.”

These are core ideas that have helped me produce a successful enterprise. Focusing on making a positive difference and remaining good-natured affects how I lead staff, interact with customers, and develop services/products.

Regardless of the decisions needed to be made or conflicts that can arise, I can choose the right course of action by reflecting upon my personal leadership statement.

A leadership statement should be:

• The leadership statement should be easy to memorize.
• Understand what is needed to help you effectively lead your employees and organization.
• The leadership statement should guide you in every circumstance you face as a leader.

By following the three guidelines, you will be able to develop a strong leadership statement. This statement will positively impact you and everyone you lead, so create thoughtfully.

Daniel Cook

Director HR , Mullen and Mullen

Link your values and beliefs to the plans that you are proposing

You should brainstorm what you have to write about in your leadership statement.

Firstly, you need to note down your beliefs and values that shape your personality and can appeal to your audience as well. You need to think of characteristics that you might have that would encourage other people.

Secondly, to make your audience understand your personality, you can name your role models and what is their most inspiring trait that appeals to you.

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Thirdly, try linking your values and beliefs to the plans or actions that you are proposing . Ensure that it is a direct link that people can easily understand.

Lastly, after explaining your expectations, you can discuss the expectations that you might have from your audience or the general public.

“In order to ensure your leadership is effective, you need to have open communication with everyone. Due to this, I would like to hear honest feedback from my employees.”

James Chapman

Operations Manager, BELLA Bathrooms

It should mention the leader’s actual game plan to materialize the goal

In a modern business setup, with more importance given to teamwork, the concept of leadership is seen as one of the most important aspects of business success.

Business owners and managers are expected to be strong leaders where they have a clear goal and accurate pathways to achieve them. In these situations, a leadership statement can help a business leader in proving his case to business success among his subordinates.

A leadership statement should clearly mention the leader’s vision, his role in the organization, his purpose to achieve his vision, and his actual game plan to materialize the goal.

At our company, we have a mission as a team to serve our customers with high-quality bathroom solutions through the e-commerce platform.

I would like to mention a quote from my leadership statement as an example :

“A low-cost bathroom can look fantastic if its good quality and a designer suite can look atrocious if you are paying for the name rather than the quality of the materials”.

CEO and Founder, Freedom Care

Your statement must be ideal

A leadership statement is a concise and definitive description of your values and goals as a leader, both in what you want to achieve and how you want to treat the people you lead.

Before writing your leadership statement, it is important to realize that your statement is your ideal. This means that on a day-to-day basis, you might slip up and treat people in a way that is not according to your statement.

This does not make you a hypocrite; it makes you human .

The purpose of a leadership statement is to orient you, your values, and your goals as a leader.

In your leadership statement, you should include your responsibilities to the people as a leader:

• What you believe you need to be for them,
• The overarching values that drive you,
• Your goals as a leader, and
• How all these things all come together to form an overall approach, attitude, and perspective.

“As a leader, it is my responsibility to ensure that every team member has the necessary tools and environment to succeed. I need to be approachable, professional, personable, and expressive. To foster a productive team, I need to express gratitude and trust.”

Magda Klimkiewicz

Senior HR Business Partner, Zety

Capture your purpose as a leader

Writing a leadership statement isn’t easy. To capture your core values and beliefs, goals, and purpose as a leader in a few simple sentences is a challenging task that requires a fair amount of thought, time, and self-discovery.

It might still be worth it, as an effective leadership statement can help you remain focused , prioritize , stay true to your purpose , and inspire others . This serves as a reminder about who you are as a leader.

An excellent way to determine who you want to be in the leadership role is to think about influential figures that made an impact throughout the history of business and the world. Do some research on leaders who inspire you and determine what motivates them and how they lead.

While I don’t advise copying or following their personal statements, it can be a helpful exercise to identify which of their core values, beliefs, and actions resonate with you the most. Build on that by deciding how they translate into your current role.

Here are two sample leadership statement examples:

• “I believe that innovation is what drives excellence. I will use positive feedback and encouragement to inspire my team to create revolutionary solutions to improve people’s lives.”
• “As a leader, I am committed to making our company a place of inclusion and equality. I will create a positive and supportive environment where employees can thrive and reach their fullest potential.”

Harriet Chan

Co-founder and Marketing Director, CocoFinder

Talk about what you believe makes you an effective leader

A good leadership statement can help you stand out from the crowd in a job application or interview. It can also be a valuable tool for developing your own personal leadership style.

The following tips will help you write a strong leadership statement.

• For example, “I led a team of 10 software engineers and successfully delivered a new software product on time and under budget.”
• For example, “I am passionate about delivering results, and I always put the needs of my team first. I am motivated by the challenge of solving difficult problems.”
• For example, “I led my team through a difficult merger and successfully integrated the two teams into one cohesive unit.”
• For example, “I was recently recognized as the top leader in my industry by The Wall Street Journal.”
• For example, “I am looking for an opportunity to lead a team and make a real impact on the world. I believe I have the potential to be an excellent leader, and I am excited to pursue my career aspirations.”

Yosun Allen

CEO, Yosun UV Printer

Statements made by leaders should have meaning

An organization’s activity should have a clear sense of direction if its mission statement is to accomplish that goal. In order to attract and encourage employees, an organization’s purpose statement must be clear and concise .

It’s easier for people to be motivated, devoted, and pleased if they have a purpose in their work.

A statement of leadership must be unambiguous

People in an organization will not be motivated unless they have a clear understanding of the goal. It’s best to keep it short and sweet.

Only the most important aspects of the organization should be highlighted, and nothing else should be. It’s easier for individuals to grasp how they can help when the goal is clear.

“Our vision is to be the earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.” — Amazon

Co-founder and CEO , Power

Be concise with the wording

The statement shouldn’t be too long, and the sentences should be short and crisp so that they are easy to understand.

So, for example, “I will create a casual working environment in which employees are allowed to conduct themselves in a fun manner so as to strengthen the team bonds and create a better culture for the company, all while encouraging efficiency in the performance of duties.”

You can say something like, “I aim to create a fun yet efficient working environment, with a strong focus on teamwork.”

It’s a lot simpler , and it will get the point across better.

Choose words that motivate and engage

You want your statement to inspire your employees in some way so that they are motivated and engaged, and the best way to do this is through the correct wording.

I recommend using words such as “ potential ,” “ success ,” “ development ,” “ growth ,” and similar. Basically, you want to give everything an air of positivity and career advancement.

Make sure you talk about things your employees care about

Talking about the company’s goals is all good, but you need to make it relevant to your employees. How are your goals and plans going to affect them? You must get them invested in success because a business only thrives through teamwork .

Related: 30+ Real Life Examples of Teamwork

Adam Crossling

Marketing Manager, Zenzero

Get to know the why of the company

To write your leadership vision statement, the first thing you need to do is figure out why a company is there. Overall, the answer to this question will help a leader see the future they want for their business.

It’s hard for people and businesses to say why they do what they do. Simon Sinek says this in his best-selling book, Start with Why . I mean your goal, cause, or belief when I say “ why ,” but you can also say “ what .”

We like leaders and groups that are good at telling us what they believe. One way they can inspire us is by making us feel like we belong, are safe, and not alone. When a leader explains why they do what they do, they get people who are loyal and want to help make their vision for the future come true.

Find out why you do what you do:

• How did you start the business or become a manager in the first place?
• Consider what kind of movement you want to start that leads to a better future.
• Getting to the heart of why your business should support your chosen cause or project.
• Reflecting on how your business can make people feel like they belong and are part of a group.
• Ideating about how your company’s purpose and your customers’ purpose might work together.

Theola Tinny

Co-Founder, VinPit

Be sure people understand what your organization stands for

Here are some tips that I keep in mind while drafting a compelling leadership statement.

• Be clear and straightforward. You want to be sure people understand what your organization stands for exactly.
• Make it personal. Your leadership statement should reflect who you are as a leader.
• Instead, use what you have already established in your organization, whether the values or mission statements.
• Make it creative . Consider including elements like to-dos , specials , or other helpful information that goes beyond just being about your business.
• Use action verbs. When writing your leadership statement, avoid using negative words like “don’t,” “don’t change,” and “don’t do this.”

“We will take the time to listen and understand one another, appreciate each other’s diverse backgrounds and beliefs, form friendships, and nurture them wherever they are found.”

Robin Antill

Director, Leisure Buildings

Outline objectives – they should be realistic and achievable within a given time frame

When a leader is crafting a statement, they should consider what goals they tend to achieve in the long run. Your goals as a leader should be specific , which means that they should be realistic and easy to achieve within a given time frame.

Once set, these objectives should be measured against time. This measure will help you determine your performance and identify any bottlenecks.

“I will develop a purpose-driven connection with my employees working in hybrid and remote environments. Through this measure, I aim to unlock the full potential of my team so that our business can voyage towards a journey of success.

I tend to incorporate the ideas of empathy and positivity at the workplace, which can help promote a culture of inclusivity.”

Tim Davidson

President, Car Title Loan Lenders

Make sure it has quantitative goals

It’s often good to have a list of goals you should and would like to attain as a leader when creating a leadership statement.

To get the most out of this section, use the SMART method to meet your objectives: Having defined and measurable goals makes it easier to concentrate on how to achieve them. It is impossible to attain your objectives if you cannot track your progress.

As a result, make sure your personal leadership statement has quantitative goals.

Your leadership statement will inevitably alter as you mature as a person and your goals shift. Because of this, you’ll need to update your statement over time to match your current objectives. To assist you in prioritizing your task, make sure your goal has a definite deadline.

“It is hard to reach the pinnacles of what the corporation can do without a solid team. As the leader, I will focus on establishing a good and healthy workplace culture that encourages everyone to reach their full potential.”

Annesha Basu

Chief Managing Officer, Stand Up Paddle Boards Review

You have to address what others are worried about in a leadership statement

A leadership statement has to inform and inspire equally . Self-assess and identify the core values that make you the leader you are.

Everyone has roughly the same goals; as a leader, there must have been something differently you’ve done that made you fit to lead. Identify the behaviors and traits that helped you get results.

You have to address what others are worried about in a leadership statement. This will change as your audience changes.

Understanding what your audience is worried about will help you know what to say. If you’re addressing:

• Beginners – you have to instill confidence in them and lay any fears they may have to rest.
• An experienced audience – your speech needs to be along the lines of growing expertise and income .

Omer Usanmaz

CEO and Co-Founder, Qooper Mentoring & Learning Software

Keep your statement inspiring, representing who you are as a leader

A leadership statement is a declaration of your beliefs and values as a leader. It can be used to introduce yourself to others or remind yourself of what you stand for when things get tough.

To write a leadership statement:

• Start by thinking about what you believe in and what values are important to you.
• Write down a few sentences that express your beliefs and values clearly and concisely.
• Keep your statement positive and inspiring , and make sure it represents who you are as a leader.

A leadership statement doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, a good example can be something as simple as the following:

“As a leader, I am always looking for ways to improve my team’s performance. Whether through coaching and mentoring or providing support and resources, I am committed to helping my team reach its goals.”

“I strive to create a positive and productive work environment where my team can thrive, so I always encourage open communication and feedback. This helps me maintain a clear understanding of my team’s needs.”

“I believe in setting clear expectations and providing regular feedback so that my team knows what is expected of them. I also recognize and reward good performance so that my team knows that their hard work is appreciated. “

Kimberly Silva

CEO, Find People First

Keep in mind what you want to convey

Effective leadership statement meets the needs of people who are reading it. It may contain elements that make the statement easy for a person to read, such as an example or personal story.

Writing a leadership statement is a job interview’s first impression. It’s essential to have a concise, compelling statement summarizing your leadership skills, interests, and accomplishments.

There are also times when a leadership statement emphasizes specific skills and abilities or provides information that is particularly relevant to the person reading it. To have a compelling statement, keep in mind what you want to convey , who you are talking to, and how you want to be perceived .

“Due to the success of my leadership at ABC Company, I have opportunities to head up new departments and lead diverse teams, from strategy and finance to customer service. I take calculated risks and work hard to ensure my team members can give 110% commitment.”

“I am a strong believer in developing my employees. I empower them to grow in their skills, take on more responsibility and contribute more broadly to the company.”

“I believe that people are the key to our success, and therefore it is my responsibility to create an environment where they can thrive. I’m a results-driven leader with a proven track record of developing and managing teams in the SaaS industry.”

“I have experience launching, managing, and marketing products, as well as designing and implementing pricing models. I have strong analytical skills, deep technical knowledge, and excellent interpersonal skills .”

Related: What are Interpersonal Skills & How to Improve Them

Steve Scott

Chief Technology Officer, Spreadsheet Planet

Develop a list of your fundamental principles and prioritize them

I would advise that before you go into drafting your statement, review a few sample personal statements and observe how the writers highlighted their leadership priorities and beliefs.

Most leaders have grandiose plans but fail to articulate why they aspire to accomplish their objectives. As a result, this lack of clarity impacts the leader and instills confusion throughout the business.

It is better to develop a list of all your fundamental principles and prioritize them.

Therefore, before creating your personal leadership statement, determine your fundamental goal as a leader to steer your employers in the appropriate route.

“Without a strong team, it is impossible to accomplish the organization’s full potential. As a leader, I will focus on establishing a good and healthy work culture that encourages everyone to reach their full potential.”

Daniel Foley

Marketing & SEO Specialist, Emma Sleep

Every statement represents your current aims and values

Remember that there are no wrong answers when creating a personal leadership statement.

Every statement is unique to each individual and represents your current aims and values. Your account would evolve, depending on your development and changing perspectives on leadership.

• Your attitude towards leadership

Another important aspect of your leadership statement is how you describe and see your role as a leader .

• Your behavior as a leader

With their values and demeanor, a good leader can guide others. As a result, these skills are critical in your actions to achieve your leadership objectives.

Even though the work may appear complicated, there are numerous leadership statement examples to refer to if you’re having trouble figuring out how to include these elements into your statement.

• Understanding your core purpose as a leader

Before writing your statement, look through some sample personal statements to see how other people have highlighted their leadership priorities and values.

It’s preferable to make a list that focuses on your key principles and then rank them in order of priority .

Most leaders have lofty plans, but they don’t explain why they want to achieve them. As a result, the lack of a defined purpose has an impact on the leader and confuses the business.

So, before you write your leadership statement, find out what you want to accomplish as a leader to steer your company in the right direction.

Karl Tippins

Editor-in-Chief, Age Holdings

Allow ideas to flow freely

My advice when crafting a leadership statement is to visualize the future.

Create a list of the essential components of your vision statement. To begin, grab a piece of paper or visit a whiteboard and jot down any terms that spring to mind when you consider the company’s future.

When brainstorming, avoid tailoring your thoughts; instead, allow ideas to flow freely. Dare to fantasize about achieving challenging goals as your firm expands.

Additionally, zero in on notions that strike a chord with you and attempt to picture the details. The more precise the visualization of your dreams, the stronger the flashlight that will guide you in the proper direction.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should i update my leadership statement .

Your leadership statement should reflect your current goals and values as a leader. As you gain new experiences and insights, it’s important to review and update your statement so that it accurately reflects your evolving leadership philosophy.

As a general rule of thumb, you should review and update your leadership statement at least once a year. However, you may also want to update it more frequently if your role changes significantly or you reach important milestones.

By keeping your statement up to date, you can ensure that it remains relevant and meaningful to support your leadership decisions and inspire others.

What should I do if I’m struggling to write my leadership statement?

Break it down:   Try tackling your leadership statement into smaller parts to make it more manageable.

Use a framework:   A “ What, How, Why ” framework can help you organize your thoughts and capture all the critical aspects of your leadership style.

Solicit feedback:   Share your explanation with colleagues, mentors, or friends and consider their suggestions for improvement.

Be authentic:   Write from the heart and stay true to yourself to build trust and credibility as a leader. Seek help when needed:  Consider working with a professional writing or coaching service for guidance and support.

Reflect on your leadership experiences:   Think about your successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses, and the values and principles that guide your leadership style.

Should my leadership statement focus on short-term or long-term goals?

The answer to whether your leadership statement should focus on short-term or long-term goals isn’t black and white. It depends on several factors in which you write your statement and your leadership style.

Here are some things you should consider:

Context:  Your leadership statement should be tailored to the context in which you’re writing it. If you’re applying for a new job, you should focus more on short-term goals and show that you can make an immediate impact.

If you’re writing your statement for an established team or organization, you should focus more on long-term goals that align with the company’s vision and values.

Leadership style:  Some leaders focus on quick wins and immediate improvements, while others take a more strategic and long-term view. Your statement should reflect your unique leadership style and values.

Balance:  Your statement should strike a balance between the two. It’s essential to have a clear vision for the future, but it’s also important to address the immediate needs of your team or organization. Set specific short- and long-term goals that align with your leadership vision and values.

Flexibility:  As a leader, being flexible and adaptable is important. While it’s important to have goals and a clear vision, circumstances can change quickly. Ensure that your statement allows for adjustments to short-term and long-term goals.

By considering these factors, you can create a statement that effectively communicates your leadership philosophy and inspires others to follow your lead.

How can I tailor my leadership statement to a specific audience?

To tailor your leadership statement to a specific audience, first consider who it’s intended for. Consider what values or goals are important to this group and sense how your message may resonate with them.

You may need to adjust the language or tone of your statement to better appeal to the target audience.

For example, if you’re speaking to a team of engineers, you may want to focus on technical or problem-solving skills in your leadership statement. If you’re speaking to a board of directors, you might want to emphasize financial results or strategic planning.

Also, consider using examples or stories that are relevant to your audience. This can help make your message more vivid and memorable.

What is effective leadership, in simple words?

Effective leadership is the ability to inspire and motivate others toward a common goal. This includes setting a clear direction and vision, communicating effectively, and creating a positive and inclusive work environment.

Effective leaders lead by example and empower others to contribute to the success of the team or organization. They demonstrate empathy, respect, and integrity in their actions and decisions.

In simple words, effective leadership means bringing out the best in others and achieving success through collaboration and shared values.

Can anyone write a leadership statement?

Yes, anyone can write a leadership statement. A leadership statement is a personal reflection of your values, beliefs, and vision as a leader. No special qualifications or training are required to write them.

However, writing an effective leadership statement that truly inspires and motivates others requires some practice and self-reflection. It’s essential to take the time to understand your values and goals and how they align with those of your organization.

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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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A Professional Guide to Writing an Inspiring Leadership Essay

Quick Navigation

• 1. Leadership Essay – What it Means?
• 2. What Makes a Good Leadership Essay?
• 3. Topics You Can Explore for Writing Leadership Essays
• 4. How to Write a Leadership Essay – Pre-Writing Stage
• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.3 Conclusion
• 6. Leadership Essay Topic Ideas
• 7. Write an Essay That Inspires!

The power of leadership stems from its ability to make an impact on people, earn respect, and put words into action. As a result, students in schools and universities are often tasked with writing leadership essays to recognize the importance of leadership in both personal and professional realms. This assignment not only helps improve writing skills but also challenges critical thinking abilities by encouraging reflection on personal experiences or evaluating the leadership qualities and styles of prominent figures.

This leadership essay writing guide offers suggestions and tips for mastering the craft of leadership essay writing, including focusing on essay structure, clarity of arguments, and content quality. Additionally, this guide provides appealing essay ideas, topic choices, an outline example, and other resources to assist in crafting a thoughtful leadership essay. In case you have no time to write your essay, you can give us a nudge by saying ‘ write my essay ‘ and get well-researched authentic papers crafted by our accomplished writers on any topic.

Leadership Essay – What it Means?

A leadership essay is a type of academic or personal writing that focuses on analyzing, evaluating, or discussing the concept of leadership, its various styles and theories, and the qualities and characteristics of effective leaders. The purpose of a leadership essay may vary depending on the assignment or context, but it typically aims to provide insights into leadership, its importance in organizations and society, and its impact on personal and professional development. A leadership essay may also require the writer to reflect on their own experiences as a leader or evaluate the leadership qualities and style of a prominent leader.

To write a perfect essay on leadership, the writer must define and apply the main concepts of leadership to real-life situations. This involves researching the history of the term and the various leadership styles employed worldwide. The essay must also evaluate the researched information and its application to human behavior and attitudes. Personal strengths and weaknesses in communication and daily interactions with others should be assessed. This format is commonly required for entering a business administration major in college, with the goal being to understand personal traits as a leader and explain them in writing. Remember, the key to writing a good leadership essay is to write about something that will inspire your readers.

What Makes a Good Leadership Essay?

A good leadership essay should have a clear and concise thesis statement that outlines the main argument of the essay. It should also provide relevant and credible evidence to support the argument, such as real-life examples and data. The essay should be well-organized, with a logical structure that guides the reader through the argument.

In addition, a good leadership essay should demonstrate the writer’s critical thinking skills and ability to analyze and evaluate information. The essay should also showcase the writer’s writing skills, including their ability to use appropriate language, grammar, and style.

Finally, a good leadership essay should offer insights and perspectives that are unique and thought-provoking. It should encourage the reader to think more deeply about the concept of leadership and its significance in personal and professional contexts.

Topics You Can Explore for Writing Leadership Essays

A leadership essay can cover a wide range of topics related to leadership. Here are some examples of potential topics:

• Leadership styles and theories: Explore the different styles and theories of leadership, such as transformational, situational, autocratic, and democratic leadership, and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
• Qualities of effective leaders: Discuss the key qualities and characteristics that make an effective leader, such as integrity, empathy, vision, communication, and decision-making abilities.
• Diversity and inclusion in leadership: Discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in leadership, and analyze the impact that inclusive leadership can have on organizational culture, productivity, and innovation.
• Leadership and ethics: Analyze the relationship between leadership and ethics, and discuss the importance of ethical leadership in creating a positive impact on society.
• Women in leadership: Discuss the challenges that women face in leadership roles and analyze the impact that increasing gender diversity in leadership can have on organizations and society.
• Leadership and innovation: Analyze the role of leadership in promoting innovation and discuss the qualities that effective leaders possess to foster a culture of innovation.
• The role of leadership in change management: Discuss the importance of leadership in managing change within an organization, and analyze the strategies that leaders can use to effectively implement change.

These are just a few examples of potential topics for a leadership essay. Depending on your interests and experiences, you can choose a topic that resonates with you and allows you to showcase your knowledge and insights on leadership. Additionally, you can talk about your personal experience in your leadership essay. Here are some examples of how you can do that:

• Using personal experiences to illustrate your points: Here you can discuss how personal experiences can be used to illustrate key points in your essay. For example, if you are writing about the importance of effective communication in leadership, you can draw on a personal experience where you witnessed or demonstrated effective communication skills.
• Reflecting on what you have learned about leadership from your experiences: You can talk about the importance of reflecting on what you have learned about leadership from your personal experiences. For example, if you are writing about the qualities of an effective leader, you can reflect on how your own experiences have taught you the importance of those qualities.
• Tying personal experiences back to the broader topic and argument of your essay: In this section, you can discuss how to ensure that your personal experiences are tied back to the broader topic and argument of your essay. For example, if you are writing about the role of leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion, you can use personal experience to illustrate how a leader’s actions can impact diversity and inclusion in the workplace or society.

Whether you need a hand with writing a critical essay or a thematic essay, let us know and we will assist you.

How to Write a Leadership Essay – Pre-Writing Stage

The first step in composing a leadership essay is to understand what leadership means. Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence others toward a common goal. A leader is someone who inspires, motivates, and guides others toward achieving success.

Step 1: Define Good Leadership

Before beginning to write an essay online , take a moment to contemplate the defining characteristics of exceptional leadership. Consider the essential and impactful qualities of a great leader, such as the ability to inspire and motivate others, lead by example, and possess integrity, empathy, accountability, responsibility, humility, resilience, vision, influence, and optimism. If you are writing about yourself, reflect on your qualities as a leader. On the other hand, if you are writing about a prominent leader, conduct thorough research on the individual to gain insight into what makes them a great leader and why they are so effective in their role. Additionally, when writing about a successful leader, be sure to analyze the various leadership styles they employ.

Step 2: Select an Inspiring Topic

The key factor in creating a good leadership essay lies in selecting an appropriate topic. If you are writing a biography of a successful and prominent leader, it is crucial to focus on their leadership qualities and on what makes them an effective leader. The topic should align with the objectives of the essay and highlight your writing strengths. Conducting thorough research and reflecting on your leadership traits can help you identify a suitable topic.

To make your essay more compelling, you can compare and contrast different leadership styles, such as authoritarian and democratic approaches. It is essential to choose a topic that emphasizes the importance and relevance of your essay. The essay should also focus on practical strategies that can be applied in real-life situations to develop effective leadership skills. Providing examples of how your essay can be used to support future practice and study can also be beneficial.

Step 3: Researching Your Topic

Once you have chosen your topic, the next step is to research it thoroughly. This will help you to develop a deeper understanding of the subject and to identify key ideas and arguments that you can include in your essay.

• Determine your research question: Before conducting research, it’s essential to determine your research question. This will help to focus your research and ensure that you gather the information that is relevant to your essay topic. Your research question should be specific, clear, and concise.
• Use credible sources: You can research your topic by reading books, articles, and other relevant sources, as well as by conducting interviews with experts in the field.
• Consider multiple perspectives: When conducting research, consider multiple perspectives. This will help to provide a balanced view of your topic and ensure that you consider different opinions and viewpoints.
• Take notes: Take notes while conducting research. This will help to keep track of the information you gather and ensure that you don’t forget any critical points.
• Organize your research materials: It’s essential to organize your research materials to make it easier to access and use the information you gather. Some effective strategies for organizing research materials include creating an annotated bibliography or using a citation manager like Zotero or EndNote.
• Review and analyze your research: After gathering your research materials, review and analyze the information. Identify key themes, arguments, and evidence that support your essay’s main points.

Step 4: Create an Outline and Write the First Draft

Once you have gathered your research materials, it’s time to organize them in the form of an essay outline . To organize your thoughts and prepare for writing your leadership essay, it’s essential to create an outline. This involves summarizing and arranging all the information you’ve gathered into an organized structure that will guide your writing. The essay can follow a standard five-paragraph format or have additional body paragraphs as required. The outline should include the following sections:

• Introduction: Start with a hook to capture the reader’s interest and provide a clear thesis statement that highlights the main argument you’ll discuss in the essay.
• Body paragraphs: Include three to four paragraphs, each presenting a unique perspective that supports your argument. Use examples, evidence, statistics, anecdotes, and other supporting details to connect each paragraph to the thesis statement.
• Conclusion: Wrap it up by summarizing the key points discussed, reiterate the thesis statement, and with a strong statement that reinforces your opinion on what good leadership is and the importance of developing leadership skills.

Once you have organized your thoughts into an outline, you can begin writing your essay. In the next section, we have provided a thorough structure and an idea of how to write the introduction, body, and conclusion of a leadership essay.

Step 5: Editing and Proofreading

Once you have written your essay adhering to the outline, the next step is to edit and proofread it. This involves reviewing your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, as well as for clarity and coherence.

Crafting a Leadership Essay – Complete Structure

Introduction.

• The introduction of a leadership essay is critical as it sets the tone for the entire paper and establishes the reader’s expectations. To make it engaging and persuasive, a hook sentence is essential. The first two sentences of the introduction should demonstrate the quality of the content and captivate the reader’s attention. It’s crucial to personalize the text by connecting it to your knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Incorporating a story in the introduction can also pique the reader’s interest by providing a background that will be further explored in the body paragraphs of the essay.
• If you are wondering how to title an essay , keep in mind to choose a title that is both attention-grabbing and informative. You may include a hook phrase that accurately reflects the content and avoid clichés.
• The introduction of a leadership essay should provide background information on the topic and set the stage for the rest of the essay. One way to do this is by providing a brief history of leadership and its evolution over time. This can help the reader understand how leadership has changed and developed, and how it is viewed in different contexts and cultures.
• The thesis statement in a leadership essay introduction should clearly state the main point or argument that will be discussed in the essay. It should be concise and specific, providing a roadmap for the reader to understand what the essay will cover.
• Example of a hook statement in a leadership essay:

Quotation hook: As John C. Maxwell once said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

Interesting Fact Hook: Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. was only 26 years old when he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and became one of the most iconic leaders of the civil rights movement?

Statistic Hook: According to a recent study, companies with a gender-diverse leadership team are 21% more likely to outperform their peers in profitability.

• Background information on leadership:

The study of leadership and its evolution can be traced back to the ancient philosopher Socrates, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that scientists began delving deeper into its development and impact.

• Thesis statement example for a leadership essay:

“Effective leadership requires a combination of personal qualities, such as integrity and empathy, and practical skills, such as communication and decision-making, to inspire and guide individuals towards a common goal.”

This thesis statement sets up the argument that leadership is a multifaceted concept that involves both personal and practical elements.

The body paragraphs of a leadership essay should contain the main arguments or points that support the thesis statement. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea and provide evidence, examples, facts, or statistics to support the argument. It is important to organize the body of the essay logically and clearly, such as through chronological order, cause and effect, or problem and solution.

Some possible topics for the body of a leadership essay could include discussing different leadership styles, examining the qualities of effective leaders, exploring the challenges of leadership, or analyzing a specific leader and their impact on their organization or society. Discuss respective topic sentences in individual paragraphs along with supporting statements and evidence and make sure to stick to the thesis statement.

The conclusion paragraph of a leadership essay should effectively summarize the main points of the essay and restate the thesis statement in a different way. It should also provide a final thought or message to the reader, leaving them with a lasting impression. The conclusion can also include a call to action, encouraging the reader to apply the leadership principles discussed in the essay to their own life or work. Additionally, it can suggest areas for further research or discussion on the topic of leadership. A well-written conclusion should leave the reader feeling satisfied and informed, with a clear understanding of the importance of good leadership.

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Leadership Essay Topic Ideas

Some various topics and sub-topics fall under the broad subject of leadership. If you are looking for some inspiration for your leadership essay, then here are some brilliant ideas that are worth exploring:

• Authentic Leadership: What it Means and Why it Matters
• A Comparative Analysis of Leadership Styles: Democratic vs. Authoritarian Leadership
• Servant Leadership: A Model for Effective Leadership in Modern Organizations
• The Importance of emotional intelligence in effective leadership
• The Impact of Leadership on organizational culture and employee satisfaction
• The challenges of ethical leadership in modern organizations
• The Role of Resilience in effective leadership
• The Impact of Diversity on Leadership and organizational success
• The relationship between leadership and innovation in the workplace.
• Overcoming Adversity: Lessons from Great Leaders Who Have Faced Challenges
• Examples of effective and ineffective leadership in the history
• The Role of Effective Communication in Leadership
• Exploring Transformational Leadership in the Workplace
• American Civil War Strategy and Leadership
• Contemporary Issues in Management: Gender and Leadership
• Impact of Gender Differences on Leadership Styles
• Authentic leadership: being true to yourself while leading others
• The Impact of Globalization on leadership practices
• Cross-cultural leadership: adapting to different cultural norms
•  A time when you displayed your leadership skills

Write an Essay That Inspires!

A well-crafted leadership essay should be inspirational and relatable. Writing such an essay requires a deep understanding of the subject matter and a careful selection of words and phrases that can effectively convey your ideas. At PenMyPaper, we understand the challenges of crafting a compelling leadership essay, and we are here to help. Our team of professional experts is dedicated to delivering high-quality essays that meet your specific requirements, exceed your expectations, and are delivered within your desired timeframe and budget.

• How to Structure a Leadership Essay (Samples to Consider)

Leadership is a complex concept, but it’s essential for boosting your career. That’s why a leadership essay focuses on applying the theoretical models and concepts of successful management to real-life situations. 

If you don’t know where to start writing such a paper, please read on for professional tips!

What Is Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay is a paper that analyzes leadership concepts and their application to real-life situations that may involve everyday business management, crisis situations, and other scenarios. 

Every essay on leadership is about defining a concept. Then, it’s either comparing it to similar management tools or proving that it’s useful (or not).

While some students enjoy writing such papers, other learners hate them. The below samples will come in handy, no matter which group is yours.

What Does Leadership Mean to You? (Essay Sample)

It is one of the most popular topics for a leadership essay. If you need to write a paper like that, ask yourself:

• Who is a good leader?  
• What style do they use?  
• What are the situations when they might switch styles?

You may take a more personal approach to such an essay if your professor allows you to. In the example below, you will see the academic approach to this topic. It analyzes three leadership styles to discover which one corresponds to the meaning of leadership if one thinks of it as guidance and support.

Why I Want to Participate in a Leadership Program (Essay Sample)

It’s another example of a popular topic. Such papers often have a meaning beyond the classroom since they may decide whether you plan to participate in a specific program. It’s critical to make them as effective and compelling as possible.

A personalized approach is the best when it comes to essays like this. In the example below, you will see the paper that relies on individual beliefs and a personal life story to explain why it’s so important for the specific student to participate in the chosen program.

How to Write a Leadership Essay

Like every other essay, this paper has an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion summarizing your thoughts. (1) The most important part of the introduction is the final sentence,  aka  a thesis statement. That’s where you state your claim to prove or develop in your leadership essay.

Each body paragraph should correspond to the purpose of your essay. To ensure you don’t stray from the aim you’ve established in the thesis statement, write the topic sentences for all your paragraphs in the outline . In simple words, write the first sentence of every paragraph to define its development in advance and see if you cover everything you need.

And now, to the conclusion:

Its most essential element is thesis restatement or the first sentence of that paragraph. It’s not just paraphrasing your thesis; it’s also considering the new information you’ve discovered while writing the essay.

Structure :

• Introduction (End it with a thesis statement.)
• Body paragraphs (Each one starts with a topic sentence.)
• Conclusion (Start it with a thesis restatement.)

Understand the purpose of a leadership essay

When starting to write, think about why you’re creating this paper. Before you sit down and type the words, think about the ideas you want to convey and their meaning in your life:

Can this essay teach you to take responsibility? Or maybe will it help you understand how to be a leader in crisis situations? When you’ve answered the “why” question, begin outlining.

Build a strong thesis

Always start with your thesis statement. It will help incorporate your answer to that notorious “why” question into your essay. Once done, you can plan out the rest of the paper and start working on the body paragraphs as soon as you finish the introduction.

There’s another important tip —don’t rush into writing the conclusion before you finish everything else!

It might seem like a good idea to create a thesis statement and thesis restatement right off the bat. However, you’ll find yourself with more refreshing ideas after completing all the research and thinking necessary for the introduction and each body paragraph.

Decide on a structure; format accordingly

Even if your essay about leadership seems not so formal, and you can use personal pronouns, you still need a clear structure.

The best way to write any academic paper is to keep your introduction and conclusion as short as possible. (But no shorter than three sentences and four lines of text). 

Another important tip is to try making all your body paragraphs equal in length. That way, you’ll give the same attention to all the vital points of your essay.

Ready to Write Your Essay on Leadership Now?

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the most critical elements of a leadership essay. 

Remember the structure, grammar, and appropriate academic style to create a top-level paper. Please don’t forget to answer the “why” question and remember  why  you’re writing. Then you’ll impress everyone with your results!

References:

• https://lsa.umich.edu/onsf/news-events/all-news/directors-blog/writing-leadership-essays.html
• Essay samples
• Essay writing
• Writing tips

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How to write a thesis statement + examples

What is a thesis statement?

Is a thesis statement a question, how do you write a good thesis statement, how do i know if my thesis statement is good, examples of thesis statements, helpful resources on how to write a thesis statement, frequently asked questions about writing a thesis statement, related articles.

A thesis statement is the main argument of your paper or thesis.

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing . It is a brief statement of your paper’s main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about.

You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the question with new information and not just restate or reiterate it.

Your thesis statement is part of your introduction. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our introduction guide .

A thesis statement is not a question. A statement must be arguable and provable through evidence and analysis. While your thesis might stem from a research question, it should be in the form of a statement.

Tip: A thesis statement is typically 1-2 sentences. For a longer project like a thesis, the statement may be several sentences or a paragraph.

A good thesis statement needs to do the following:

• Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences.
• Answer your project’s main research question.
• Clearly state your position in relation to the topic .
• Make an argument that requires support or evidence.

Once you have written down a thesis statement, check if it fulfills the following criteria:

• Your statement needs to be provable by evidence. As an argument, a thesis statement needs to be debatable.
• Your statement needs to be precise. Do not give away too much information in the thesis statement and do not load it with unnecessary information.
• Your statement cannot say that one solution is simply right or simply wrong as a matter of fact. You should draw upon verified facts to persuade the reader of your solution, but you cannot just declare something as right or wrong.

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement should answer a question.

If the question is:

What do you think the City of New York should do to reduce traffic congestion?

A good thesis statement restates the question and answers it:

In this paper, I will argue that the City of New York should focus on providing exclusive lanes for public transport and adaptive traffic signals to reduce traffic congestion by the year 2035.

Here is another example. If the question is:

How can we end poverty?

A good thesis statement should give more than one solution to the problem in question:

In this paper, I will argue that introducing universal basic income can help reduce poverty and positively impact the way we work.

• The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina has a list of questions to ask to see if your thesis is strong .

A thesis statement is part of the introduction of your paper. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph to let the reader know your research purpose from the beginning.

In general, a thesis statement should have one or two sentences. But the length really depends on the overall length of your project. Take a look at our guide about the length of thesis statements for more insight on this topic.

Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

Every good essay should include a thesis statement as part of its introduction, no matter the academic level. Of course, if you are a high school student you are not expected to have the same type of thesis as a PhD student.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial showing How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements .

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

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What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

• Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
• Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
• Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

• What impact did reality TV have on American society?
• How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
• Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

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Thesis Statement Examples

The complexity and requirements of a thesis or dissertation can vary according to the university, program or even country you are studying in. Regardless of the these factors, a good thesis statement is essential to ensure that your thesis can stand its ground and enable you to actively pursue your academic endeavors without any hiccups.

Writing a Good Thesis Statement

Examples of thesis statements related to covid-19, example of thesis statements related to education, examples of thesis statements related to healthcare, examples of thesis statements related to employment, examples of thesis statements related to science, examples of thesis statements related to technology, examples of thesis statements related to environment, examples of thesis statements related to social issues, examples of thesis statements related to psychology, examples of thesis statements related to history, using a powerpoint presentation for thesis defense, final words.

What makes a good thesis statement? Simple answer, precision and enough evidence to support your statement. Writing a statement that appears too broad and is merely based on value judgment isn’t going to win you any points. You also need to determine whether your thesis statement is going to be persuasive/argumentative, expository or analytical. Bear in mind that your thesis statement should be easy enough for you to support your research. If you struggle to write your paper, it would most likely be due to a weak statement. Students can get carried away due to the pressure of writing a compelling thesis statement, only to realize they cannot support the statement they have picked with the required evidence to make the argument stick.

Let’s take a look at a few thesis statement examples, with some tips regarding how to go about writing a research paper based on the examples. The following is meant to provide readers with ideas regarding what type of statements can help them with their thesis and how they can back it up with evidence. You might also want to check out our post about how to write an essay to get ideas regarding how to go about writing a quality thesis to support your statement.

Thesis Statement: The rise of online shopping in the wake of COVID-19 might lead to the permanent closure of millions of brick-and-mortar outlets.

The above statement can be deemed analytical, with a need for evidence to support the statement. There have been several research reports, statistics and forecasts on the rise of online shopping retailers like Amazon amidst the crisis. Similarly, many outlets including Microsoft’s retail outlets have closed permanently during the pandemic. There has also been closure of virtually every type of business from across a wide array of industries due to COVID-19, especially the ones that have failed to digitize. You can also make your statement more specific by focusing on closure of retail outlets, eateries, etc.

Note that the above statement does not discuss the closure of businesses but the physical outlets. For example, Microsoft closed its retail outlets but the products can still be bought online or through various other vendors/stores.

Thesis Statement : Because many people might be unwilling to vaccinate in country x due to their reluctance towards a COVID-19 vaccine, the government must ensure that mass awareness campaigns regarding the need to vaccinate starts prior to the launch of the vaccine.

This statement makes a case for the use of vaccination by convincing people to vaccinate as soon as a new vaccine becomes available. This is a persuasive statement, which can be backed by evidence regarding how anti-vaccination drives and misconceptions have in the past led to the spread of disease. For example, misconceptions and resistance towards the polio vaccine has resulted in cases still being reported in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Thesis Statement : As physical libraries become obsolete due to digital devices, the government should fund digital libraries instead of physical ones to ease the economic burden of students required to buy expensive e-books.

The above statement would require the individual writing the paper to make a strong case regarding why physical libraries are more expensive and less efficient to manage as compared to virtual libraries that can help students acquire books without incurring heavy charges for renting or purchasing e-books. You can also make a case for open education resources to help students excel in their studies.

Thesis Statement:  The government should digitize libraries and provide increased resources to support digital devices, such as new computers, high-speed internet connectivity for remote devices and online access to books.

The example statement above is an alternative version of the statement which suggests increased digitization of libraries. The research paper can include arguments regarding the changing nature of how people now prefer e-books instead of paperback and how students require high-speed internet to connect to a number of remote devices and make the entire library available online. The thesis statement is referring to the government in your country. It is quite possible that your country does not yet offer one or more of the aforementioned services in government-run libraries and they might be becoming irrelevant.

Thesis Statement:  The cost of healthcare services for most people in country X is unbearable due to low average incomes, high prices of essential medicines and lack of government-funded hospitals.

This analytical statement singles out a country and mentions that the majority of people are unable to afford healthcare services due to low average incomes, expensive essential medicines and lack of government-funded hospitals. There are a number of developing countries which suffer from this phenomenon. Some low-income countries even have one hospital per five million people and not even a basic health unit in most parts of the country. Furthermore, medicine prices are heavily impacted by exchange rates and a weak currency is likely to drive up prices for poor countries relying on imported medicine. All the required information such as average income, data on government hospitals and medicine prices can be usually acquired for a country through official sources, as well as independent research. This can help provide enough evidence to back your statement.

Thesis Statement:  Increased taxation on cigarettes can help save the government on healthcare-related expenditure which can be used for improving healthcare services in the country.

There are three aspects to cover in this statement. One is the application of taxes and to prove that it will help people move towards smoking cessation or alternatives. This will have to be backed by similar results from other countries. For example, countries like the UK and New Zealand have over the years heavily taxed cigarettes and reduced smoking. The evidence related to this can be used for this statement. The second part deals with the government saving on healthcare expenditure which will require explaining the existing burden on healthcare due to e.g. increase in cigarette-induced cancer and other diseases such as tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart diseases, etc. Lastly, a case can be made regarding the need for improving healthcare services and how the money from a reduced healthcare burden can help do that.

Thesis Statement: A diverse group of people working on projects related to human development can help improve the planning and efficiency of development programs designed for marginalized communities.

Development sector organizations, especially international non-government organizations often try to account for diversity, where people from different, ethnic, religious and educational backgrounds are hired for executing human development programs. Many times, some people are also hired from other countries to bring their experience to the table.

Thesis Statement:  Blue-collar workers whose jobs are vanishing in province X should be retrained for work in green energy to reduce unemployment, improve the environment and local economies.

In recent years, many blue-collar jobs have vanished in many countries due to slowing global demand, global recession, the rise of Chinese manufacturing firms and more recently, COVID-19. This statement can also be limited to a local economy to further narrow its scope. The statement can be backed by evidence related to vanishing of jobs for blue-collar workers, the need for improving the environment, e.g. due to deteriorating air quality, solid waste management challenges, rise of plastic pollution, etc.

The case for reducing unemployment and improvement in local economies can also be made by pointing towards data related to unemployment rates, closure of industries in province x and how green energy initiatives can help cope with environment and socio-economic problems. You can make a case for either using green energy for local consumption or to export electricity to neighboring countries with increasing electricity demands and low capacity.

Thesis Statement:  Wind turbines need to be replaced with alternative sources of green energy due to their hazardous effect on human health and wildlife.

The above statement makes a case against wind turbines. While they were hailed as an alternative source of renewable energy in the past, research has suggested that the noise and effects of wind turbines on humans and wildlife can be quite adverse. This includes not only birds dying due to collisions with the turbines but also the noise pollution caused by them. To back such a thesis statement, you will have to not only state facts and research related to the subject but also state viable alternatives and comparisons, proving why they are better than wind turbines.

Thesis Statement:  Governments should prioritize climate change adaptation since global warming cannot be reversed.

This is an example of a fairly ambitious thesis statement. It caters towards not only covering climate change but makes a bold statement that global warming cannot be stopped. This topic is subject to much debate, with claims that the carbon in the atmosphere can no longer be reduced. The topic has enough research and data available to make a case. Furthermore, climate change adaptation is a hot topic and many governments around the world are working on their adaptation strategies. However, such a topic can still be quite controversial and undertaking such a thesis can be ambitious, as the counter-arguments can be as strong as the narrative you might present.

Thesis Statement: The integration of blockchain technology in supply chain management can enhance transparency, traceability, and efficiency, reducing the risk of counterfeit products and ensuring product authenticity.

Thesis Statement: The development of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in customer service has the potential to revolutionize customer interactions, providing personalized assistance and improving overall customer satisfaction.

Thesis Statement: Implementing 5G technology can accelerate the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, enabling seamless connectivity and driving innovation in various industries, such as healthcare, transportation, and smart cities.

Thesis Statement: The transition to renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, is essential for mitigating the impacts of climate change and reducing carbon emissions globally.

Thesis Statement: Sustainable waste management practices, including recycling and waste-to-energy technologies, can significantly reduce waste and create a circular economy.

Thesis Statement: Biodiversity conservation and protecting endangered species are critical for maintaining ecosystem balance and preserving the planet’s natural resources for future generations.

Thesis Statement: Implementing comprehensive gun control measures is necessary to reduce gun violence and enhance public safety in communities.

Thesis Statement: Addressing income inequality through progressive taxation and social welfare programs is crucial for promoting social equity and reducing poverty rates.

Thesis Statement: Promoting gender equality in the workplace, including equal pay and representation in leadership positions, is essential for achieving inclusive economic growth and sustainable development.

Thesis Statement: Mindfulness-based interventions can effectively reduce stress and anxiety levels in individuals, improving their overall mental well-being and resilience.

Thesis Statement: Early intervention and access to mental health services for children and adolescents can prevent the development of mental health disorders and improve long-term outcomes.

Thesis Statement: The study of cognitive biases and heuristics provides valuable insights into decision-making processes, leading to a better understanding of human behavior in various contexts.

Thesis Statement: Analyzing primary sources and historical documents can lead to a deeper understanding of historical events, shedding light on the perspectives and motivations of different actors.

Thesis Statement: The study of colonialism and its impact on indigenous cultures can provide insights into the historical roots of present-day social and cultural dynamics.

Thesis Statement: Examining the role of women in historical revolutions can reveal their contributions to social and political change, challenging traditional narratives of male-dominated history.

You might need to present a PowerPoint presentation to defend your thesis. In such a case there are a number of things you can do to make sure that you are able to concisely explain your argument while keeping your audience engaged. You can read all about our tips from this post about thesis presentation .

A good thesis statement is the foundation for your thesis. A weak statement is likely to lead to a roadblock in proving your statement. Your thesis statement should be flexible enough for adjustment, as sometimes a student might need to rewrite a thesis statement for a working thesis. In such a case you can save time and effort by leaving room for flexibility so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a thesis statement examples.

A thesis statement is a concise declaration that encapsulates the main argument or focus of an academic paper or essay. It serves as a roadmap for readers, conveying the purpose and direction of the work. For instance, in an essay about climate change, a thesis statement could be: “The urgent need to mitigate climate change is evident through the alarming rise in global temperatures, the increased frequency of extreme weather events, and the rapid melting of polar ice caps.” This statement clearly outlines the essay’s key points, guiding the reader on what to expect and highlighting the author’s stance.

Are thesis statements used in fictional writing?

Thesis statements, including research papers and persuasive essays, are primarily used in nonfiction writing. In fictional writing, such as narrative essays, authors may use a thesis statement to emphasize the story’s significance or the intended lesson they want readers to take away from the narrative.

Can a thesis statement be two sentences long?

While a thesis statement can be two sentences long, it is often preferred to keep it concise and limit it to one sentence. A single-sentence thesis statement is easier for readers to identify, and placing it at the end of the introductory paragraph allows for a clear and focused presentation of the topic.

Can a thesis statement be too broad or too narrow?

Yes, a thesis statement can be problematic if it is too broad or too narrow. A good thesis statement should strike a balance and have a strong focus. If it is too broad, it becomes challenging to cover all aspects within the scope of the paper. Conversely, if it is too narrow, insufficient research or evidence may support the claims effectively. Aim for a thesis statement that clearly identifies the topic and presents your stance, providing readers with a clear understanding of what to expect in the paper.

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Writing a Paper: Thesis Statements

Basics of thesis statements.

The thesis statement is the brief articulation of your paper's central argument and purpose. You might hear it referred to as simply a "thesis." Every scholarly paper should have a thesis statement, and strong thesis statements are concise, specific, and arguable. Concise means the thesis is short: perhaps one or two sentences for a shorter paper. Specific means the thesis deals with a narrow and focused topic, appropriate to the paper's length. Arguable means that a scholar in your field could disagree (or perhaps already has!).

Strong thesis statements address specific intellectual questions, have clear positions, and use a structure that reflects the overall structure of the paper. Read on to learn more about constructing a strong thesis statement.

Being Specific

This thesis statement has no specific argument:

Needs Improvement: In this essay, I will examine two scholarly articles to find similarities and differences.

This statement is concise, but it is neither specific nor arguable—a reader might wonder, "Which scholarly articles? What is the topic of this paper? What field is the author writing in?" Additionally, the purpose of the paper—to "examine…to find similarities and differences" is not of a scholarly level. Identifying similarities and differences is a good first step, but strong academic argument goes further, analyzing what those similarities and differences might mean or imply.

Better: In this essay, I will argue that Bowler's (2003) autocratic management style, when coupled with Smith's (2007) theory of social cognition, can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover.

The new revision here is still concise, as well as specific and arguable.  We can see that it is specific because the writer is mentioning (a) concrete ideas and (b) exact authors.  We can also gather the field (business) and the topic (management and employee turnover). The statement is arguable because the student goes beyond merely comparing; he or she draws conclusions from that comparison ("can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover").

Making a Unique Argument

This thesis draft repeats the language of the writing prompt without making a unique argument:

Needs Improvement: The purpose of this essay is to monitor, assess, and evaluate an educational program for its strengths and weaknesses. Then, I will provide suggestions for improvement.

You can see here that the student has simply stated the paper's assignment, without articulating specifically how he or she will address it. The student can correct this error simply by phrasing the thesis statement as a specific answer to the assignment prompt.

Better: Through a series of student interviews, I found that Kennedy High School's antibullying program was ineffective. In order to address issues of conflict between students, I argue that Kennedy High School should embrace policies outlined by the California Department of Education (2010).

Words like "ineffective" and "argue" show here that the student has clearly thought through the assignment and analyzed the material; he or she is putting forth a specific and debatable position. The concrete information ("student interviews," "antibullying") further prepares the reader for the body of the paper and demonstrates how the student has addressed the assignment prompt without just restating that language.

Creating a Debate

This thesis statement includes only obvious fact or plot summary instead of argument:

Needs Improvement: Leadership is an important quality in nurse educators.

A good strategy to determine if your thesis statement is too broad (and therefore, not arguable) is to ask yourself, "Would a scholar in my field disagree with this point?" Here, we can see easily that no scholar is likely to argue that leadership is an unimportant quality in nurse educators.  The student needs to come up with a more arguable claim, and probably a narrower one; remember that a short paper needs a more focused topic than a dissertation.

Better: Roderick's (2009) theory of participatory leadership  is particularly appropriate to nurse educators working within the emergency medicine field, where students benefit most from collegial and kinesthetic learning.

Here, the student has identified a particular type of leadership ("participatory leadership"), narrowing the topic, and has made an arguable claim (this type of leadership is "appropriate" to a specific type of nurse educator). Conceivably, a scholar in the nursing field might disagree with this approach. The student's paper can now proceed, providing specific pieces of evidence to support the arguable central claim.

Choosing the Right Words

This thesis statement uses large or scholarly-sounding words that have no real substance:

Needs Improvement: Scholars should work to seize metacognitive outcomes by harnessing discipline-based networks to empower collaborative infrastructures.

There are many words in this sentence that may be buzzwords in the student's field or key terms taken from other texts, but together they do not communicate a clear, specific meaning. Sometimes students think scholarly writing means constructing complex sentences using special language, but actually it's usually a stronger choice to write clear, simple sentences. When in doubt, remember that your ideas should be complex, not your sentence structure.

Better: Ecologists should work to educate the U.S. public on conservation methods by making use of local and national green organizations to create a widespread communication plan.

Notice in the revision that the field is now clear (ecology), and the language has been made much more field-specific ("conservation methods," "green organizations"), so the reader is able to see concretely the ideas the student is communicating.

Leaving Room for Discussion

This thesis statement is not capable of development or advancement in the paper:

Needs Improvement: There are always alternatives to illegal drug use.

This sample thesis statement makes a claim, but it is not a claim that will sustain extended discussion. This claim is the type of claim that might be appropriate for the conclusion of a paper, but in the beginning of the paper, the student is left with nowhere to go. What further points can be made? If there are "always alternatives" to the problem the student is identifying, then why bother developing a paper around that claim? Ideally, a thesis statement should be complex enough to explore over the length of the entire paper.

Better: The most effective treatment plan for methamphetamine addiction may be a combination of pharmacological and cognitive therapy, as argued by Baker (2008), Smith (2009), and Xavier (2011).

In the revised thesis, you can see the student make a specific, debatable claim that has the potential to generate several pages' worth of discussion. When drafting a thesis statement, think about the questions your thesis statement will generate: What follow-up inquiries might a reader have? In the first example, there are almost no additional questions implied, but the revised example allows for a good deal more exploration.

Thesis Mad Libs

If you are having trouble getting started, try using the models below to generate a rough model of a thesis statement! These models are intended for drafting purposes only and should not appear in your final work.

• In this essay, I argue ____, using ______ to assert _____.
• While scholars have often argued ______, I argue______, because_______.
• Through an analysis of ______, I argue ______, which is important because_______.

Words to Avoid and to Embrace

When drafting your thesis statement, avoid words like explore, investigate, learn, compile, summarize , and explain to describe the main purpose of your paper. These words imply a paper that summarizes or "reports," rather than synthesizing and analyzing.

Instead of the terms above, try words like argue, critique, question , and interrogate . These more analytical words may help you begin strongly, by articulating a specific, critical, scholarly position.

Read Kayla's blog post for tips on taking a stand in a well-crafted thesis statement.

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25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze

Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. If you find yourself struggling to make sense of your paper or your topic, then it's likely due to a weak thesis statement.

Let's take a minute to first understand what makes a solid thesis statement, and what key components you need to write one of your own.

A thesis statement always goes at the beginning of the paper. It will typically be in the first couple of paragraphs of the paper so that it can introduce the body paragraphs, which are the supporting evidence for your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement should clearly identify an argument. You need to have a statement that is not only easy to understand, but one that is debatable. What that means is that you can't just put any statement of fact and have it be your thesis. For example, everyone knows that puppies are cute . An ineffective thesis statement would be, "Puppies are adorable and everyone knows it." This isn't really something that's a debatable topic.

Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's cuteness is derived from its floppy ears, small body, and playfulness." These are three things that can be debated on. Some people might think that the cutest thing about puppies is the fact that they follow you around or that they're really soft and fuzzy.

All cuteness aside, you want to make sure that your thesis statement is not only debatable, but that it also actually thoroughly answers the research question that was posed. You always want to make sure that your evidence is supporting a claim that you made (and not the other way around). This is why it's crucial to read and research about a topic first and come to a conclusion later. If you try to get your research to fit your thesis statement, then it may not work out as neatly as you think. As you learn more, you discover more (and the outcome may not be what you originally thought).

Additionally, your thesis statement shouldn't be too big or too grand. It'll be hard to cover everything in a thesis statement like, "The federal government should act now on climate change." The topic is just too large to actually say something new and meaningful. Instead, a more effective thesis statement might be, "Local governments can combat climate change by providing citizens with larger recycling bins and offering local classes about composting and conservation." This is easier to work with because it's a smaller idea, but you can also discuss the overall topic that you might be interested in, which is climate change.

So, now that we know what makes a good, solid thesis statement, you can start to write your own. If you find that you're getting stuck or you are the type of person who needs to look at examples before you start something, then check out our list of thesis statement examples below.

Thesis statement examples

A quick note that these thesis statements have not been fully researched. These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ideas into one that you think of independently. As such, you should not use these thesis statements for your own research paper purposes. They are meant to be used as examples only.

• Vaccinations Because many children are unable to vaccinate due to illness, we must require that all healthy and able children be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity.
• Educational Resources for Low-Income Students Schools should provide educational resources for low-income students during the summers so that they don't forget what they've learned throughout the school year.
• School Uniforms School uniforms may be an upfront cost for families, but they eradicate the visual differences in income between students and provide a more egalitarian atmosphere at school.
• Populism The rise in populism on the 2016 political stage was in reaction to increasing globalization, the decline of manufacturing jobs, and the Syrian refugee crisis.
• Public Libraries Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
• Cyber Bullying With more and more teens using smartphones and social media, cyber bullying is on the rise. Cyber bullying puts a lot of stress on many teens, and can cause depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Parents should limit the usage of smart phones, monitor their children's online activity, and report any cyber bullying to school officials in order to combat this problem.
• Medical Marijuana for Veterans Studies have shown that the use of medicinal marijuana has been helpful to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Medicinal marijuana prescriptions should be legal in all states and provided to these veterans. Additional medical or therapy services should also be researched and implemented in order to help them re-integrate back into civilian life.
• Work-Life Balance Corporations should provide more work from home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office workers have a better work-life balance and are more likely to be productive when they are in the office.
• Teaching Youths about Consensual Sex Although sex education that includes a discussion of consensual sex would likely lead to less sexual assault, parents need to teach their children the meaning of consent from a young age with age appropriate lessons.
• Whether or Not to Attend University A degree from a university provides invaluable lessons on life and a future career, but not every high school student should be encouraged to attend a university directly after graduation. Some students may benefit from a trade school or a "gap year" where they can think more intensely about what it is they want to do for a career and how they can accomplish this.
• Studying Abroad Studying abroad is one of the most culturally valuable experiences you can have in college. It is the only way to get completely immersed in another language and learn how other cultures and countries are different from your own.
• Women's Body Image Magazines have done a lot in the last five years to include a more diverse group of models, but there is still a long way to go to promote a healthy woman's body image collectively as a culture.
• Cigarette Tax Heavily taxing and increasing the price of cigarettes is essentially a tax on the poorest Americans, and it doesn't deter them from purchasing. Instead, the state and federal governments should target those economically disenfranchised with early education about the dangers of smoking.
• Veganism A vegan diet, while a healthy and ethical way to consume food, indicates a position of privilege. It also limits you to other cultural food experiences if you travel around the world.
• University Athletes Should be Compensated University athletes should be compensated for their service to the university, as it is difficult for these students to procure and hold a job with busy academic and athletic schedules. Many student athletes on scholarship also come from low-income neighborhoods and it is a struggle to make ends meet when they are participating in athletics.
• Women in the Workforce Sheryl Sandberg makes a lot of interesting points in her best-selling book, Lean In , but she only addressed the very privileged working woman and failed to speak to those in lower-skilled, lower-wage jobs.
• Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide should be legal and doctors should have the ability to make sure their patients have the end-of-life care that they want to receive.
• Celebrity and Political Activism Although Taylor Swift's lyrics are indicative of a feminist perspective, she should be more politically active and vocal to use her position of power for the betterment of society.
• The Civil War The insistence from many Southerners that the South seceded from the Union for states' rights versus the fact that they seceded for the purposes of continuing slavery is a harmful myth that still affects race relations today.
• Blue Collar Workers Coal miners and other blue-collar workers whose jobs are slowly disappearing from the workforce should be re-trained in jobs in the technology sector or in renewable energy. A program to re-train these workers would not only improve local economies where jobs have been displaced, but would also lead to lower unemployment nationally.
• Diversity in the Workforce Having a diverse group of people in an office setting leads to richer ideas, more cooperation, and more empathy between people with different skin colors or backgrounds.
• Re-Imagining the Nuclear Family The nuclear family was traditionally defined as one mother, one father, and 2.5 children. This outdated depiction of family life doesn't quite fit with modern society. The definition of normal family life shouldn't be limited to two-parent households.
• Digital Literacy Skills With more information readily available than ever before, it's crucial that students are prepared to examine the material they're reading and determine whether or not it's a good source or if it has misleading information. Teaching students digital literacy and helping them to understand the difference between opinion or propaganda from legitimate, real information is integral.
• Beauty Pageants Beauty pageants are presented with the angle that they empower women. However, putting women in a swimsuit on a stage while simultaneously judging them on how well they answer an impossible question in a short period of time is cruel and purely for the amusement of men. Therefore, we should stop televising beauty pageants.
• Supporting More Women to Run for a Political Position In order to get more women into political positions, more women must run for office. There must be a grassroots effort to educate women on how to run for office, who among them should run, and support for a future candidate for getting started on a political career.

Still stuck? Need some help with your thesis statement?

If you are still uncertain about how to write a thesis statement or what a good thesis statement is, be sure to consult with your teacher or professor to make sure you're on the right track. It's always a good idea to check in and make sure that your thesis statement is making a solid argument and that it can be supported by your research.

After you're done writing, it's important to have someone take a second look at your paper so that you can ensure there are no mistakes or errors. It's difficult to spot your own mistakes, which is why it's always recommended to have someone help you with the revision process, whether that's a teacher, the writing center at school, or a professional editor such as one from ServiceScape .

Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
• makes a claim that others might dispute.
• is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :

• Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to  be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

• Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

• Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

• Do I answer the question? Yes!
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Developing Strong Thesis Statements

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The thesis statement or main claim must be debatable

An argumentative or persuasive piece of writing must begin with a debatable thesis or claim. In other words, the thesis must be something that people could reasonably have differing opinions on. If your thesis is something that is generally agreed upon or accepted as fact then there is no reason to try to persuade people.

Example of a non-debatable thesis statement:

This thesis statement is not debatable. First, the word pollution implies that something is bad or negative in some way. Furthermore, all studies agree that pollution is a problem; they simply disagree on the impact it will have or the scope of the problem. No one could reasonably argue that pollution is unambiguously good.

Example of a debatable thesis statement:

This is an example of a debatable thesis because reasonable people could disagree with it. Some people might think that this is how we should spend the nation's money. Others might feel that we should be spending more money on education. Still others could argue that corporations, not the government, should be paying to limit pollution.

Another example of a debatable thesis statement:

In this example there is also room for disagreement between rational individuals. Some citizens might think focusing on recycling programs rather than private automobiles is the most effective strategy.

The thesis needs to be narrow

Although the scope of your paper might seem overwhelming at the start, generally the narrower the thesis the more effective your argument will be. Your thesis or claim must be supported by evidence. The broader your claim is, the more evidence you will need to convince readers that your position is right.

Example of a thesis that is too broad:

There are several reasons this statement is too broad to argue. First, what is included in the category "drugs"? Is the author talking about illegal drug use, recreational drug use (which might include alcohol and cigarettes), or all uses of medication in general? Second, in what ways are drugs detrimental? Is drug use causing deaths (and is the author equating deaths from overdoses and deaths from drug related violence)? Is drug use changing the moral climate or causing the economy to decline? Finally, what does the author mean by "society"? Is the author referring only to America or to the global population? Does the author make any distinction between the effects on children and adults? There are just too many questions that the claim leaves open. The author could not cover all of the topics listed above, yet the generality of the claim leaves all of these possibilities open to debate.

Example of a narrow or focused thesis:

In this example the topic of drugs has been narrowed down to illegal drugs and the detriment has been narrowed down to gang violence. This is a much more manageable topic.

We could narrow each debatable thesis from the previous examples in the following way:

Narrowed debatable thesis 1:

This thesis narrows the scope of the argument by specifying not just the amount of money used but also how the money could actually help to control pollution.

Narrowed debatable thesis 2:

This thesis narrows the scope of the argument by specifying not just what the focus of a national anti-pollution campaign should be but also why this is the appropriate focus.

Qualifiers such as " typically ," " generally ," " usually ," or " on average " also help to limit the scope of your claim by allowing for the almost inevitable exception to the rule.

Types of claims

Claims typically fall into one of four categories. Thinking about how you want to approach your topic, or, in other words, what type of claim you want to make, is one way to focus your thesis on one particular aspect of your broader topic.

Claims of fact or definition: These claims argue about what the definition of something is or whether something is a settled fact. Example:

Claims of cause and effect: These claims argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event to occur. Example:

Claims about value: These are claims made of what something is worth, whether we value it or not, how we would rate or categorize something. Example:

Claims about solutions or policies: These are claims that argue for or against a certain solution or policy approach to a problem. Example:

Which type of claim is right for your argument? Which type of thesis or claim you use for your argument will depend on your position and knowledge of the topic, your audience, and the context of your paper. You might want to think about where you imagine your audience to be on this topic and pinpoint where you think the biggest difference in viewpoints might be. Even if you start with one type of claim you probably will be using several within the paper. Regardless of the type of claim you choose to utilize it is key to identify the controversy or debate you are addressing and to define your position early on in the paper.

25 Thesis Statement Examples

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

A thesis statement is needed in an essay or dissertation . There are multiple types of thesis statements – but generally we can divide them into expository and argumentative. An expository statement is a statement of fact (common in expository essays and process essays) while an argumentative statement is a statement of opinion (common in argumentative essays and dissertations). Below are examples of each.

Strong Thesis Statement Examples

1. School Uniforms

“Mandatory school uniforms should be implemented in educational institutions as they promote a sense of equality, reduce distractions, and foster a focused and professional learning environment.”

Best For: Argumentative Essay or Debate

Read More: School Uniforms Pros and Cons

2. Nature vs Nurture

“This essay will explore how both genetic inheritance and environmental factors equally contribute to shaping human behavior and personality.”

Best For: Compare and Contrast Essay

Read More: Nature vs Nurture Debate

3. American Dream

“The American Dream, a symbol of opportunity and success, is increasingly elusive in today’s socio-economic landscape, revealing deeper inequalities in society.”

Best For: Persuasive Essay

Read More: What is the American Dream?

4. Social Media

“Social media has revolutionized communication and societal interactions, but it also presents significant challenges related to privacy, mental health, and misinformation.”

Best For: Expository Essay

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Social Media

5. Globalization

“Globalization has created a world more interconnected than ever before, yet it also amplifies economic disparities and cultural homogenization.”

Read More: Globalization Pros and Cons

6. Urbanization

“Urbanization drives economic growth and social development, but it also poses unique challenges in sustainability and quality of life.”

Read More: Learn about Urbanization

7. Immigration

“Immigration enriches receiving countries culturally and economically, outweighing any perceived social or economic burdens.”

Read More: Immigration Pros and Cons

8. Cultural Identity

“In a globalized world, maintaining distinct cultural identities is crucial for preserving cultural diversity and fostering global understanding, despite the challenges of assimilation and homogenization.”

Best For: Argumentative Essay

Read More: Learn about Cultural Identity

9. Technology

“Medical technologies in care institutions in Toronto has increased subjcetive outcomes for patients with chronic pain.”

Best For: Research Paper

10. Capitalism vs Socialism

“The debate between capitalism and socialism centers on balancing economic freedom and inequality, each presenting distinct approaches to resource distribution and social welfare.”

11. Cultural Heritage

“The preservation of cultural heritage is essential, not only for cultural identity but also for educating future generations, outweighing the arguments for modernization and commercialization.”

12. Pseudoscience

“Pseudoscience, characterized by a lack of empirical support, continues to influence public perception and decision-making, often at the expense of scientific credibility.”

Read More: Examples of Pseudoscience

13. Free Will

“The concept of free will is largely an illusion, with human behavior and decisions predominantly determined by biological and environmental factors.”

Read More: Do we have Free Will?

14. Gender Roles

“Traditional gender roles are outdated and harmful, restricting individual freedoms and perpetuating gender inequalities in modern society.”

Read More: What are Traditional Gender Roles?

15. Work-Life Ballance

“The trend to online and distance work in the 2020s led to improved subjective feelings of work-life balance but simultaneously increased self-reported loneliness.”

Read More: Work-Life Balance Examples

16. Universal Healthcare

“Universal healthcare is a fundamental human right and the most effective system for ensuring health equity and societal well-being, outweighing concerns about government involvement and costs.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Universal Healthcare

17. Minimum Wage

“The implementation of a fair minimum wage is vital for reducing economic inequality, yet it is often contentious due to its potential impact on businesses and employment rates.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Raising the Minimum Wage

18. Homework

“The homework provided throughout this semester has enabled me to achieve greater self-reflection, identify gaps in my knowledge, and reinforce those gaps through spaced repetition.”

Best For: Reflective Essay

Read More: Reasons Homework Should be Banned

19. Charter Schools

“Charter schools offer alternatives to traditional public education, promising innovation and choice but also raising questions about accountability and educational equity.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Charter Schools

20. Effects of the Internet

“The Internet has drastically reshaped human communication, access to information, and societal dynamics, generally with a net positive effect on society.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of the Internet

21. Affirmative Action

“Affirmative action is essential for rectifying historical injustices and achieving true meritocracy in education and employment, contrary to claims of reverse discrimination.”

Best For: Essay

Read More: Affirmative Action Pros and Cons

22. Soft Skills

“Soft skills, such as communication and empathy, are increasingly recognized as essential for success in the modern workforce, and therefore should be a strong focus at school and university level.”

Read More: Soft Skills Examples

23. Moral Panic

“Moral panic, often fueled by media and cultural anxieties, can lead to exaggerated societal responses that sometimes overlook rational analysis and evidence.”

Read More: Moral Panic Examples

24. Freedom of the Press

“Freedom of the press is critical for democracy and informed citizenship, yet it faces challenges from censorship, media bias, and the proliferation of misinformation.”

Read More: Freedom of the Press Examples

25. Mass Media

“Mass media shapes public opinion and cultural norms, but its concentration of ownership and commercial interests raise concerns about bias and the quality of information.”

Best For: Critical Analysis

Read More: Mass Media Examples

Checklist: How to use your Thesis Statement

✅ Position: If your statement is for an argumentative or persuasive essay, or a dissertation, ensure it takes a clear stance on the topic. ✅ Specificity: It addresses a specific aspect of the topic, providing focus for the essay. ✅ Conciseness: Typically, a thesis statement is one to two sentences long. It should be concise, clear, and easily identifiable. ✅ Direction: The thesis statement guides the direction of the essay, providing a roadmap for the argument, narrative, or explanation. ✅ Evidence-based: While the thesis statement itself doesn’t include evidence, it sets up an argument that can be supported with evidence in the body of the essay. ✅ Placement: Generally, the thesis statement is placed at the end of the introduction of an essay.

Try These AI Prompts – Thesis Statement Generator!

One way to brainstorm thesis statements is to get AI to brainstorm some for you! Try this AI prompt:

💡 AI PROMPT FOR EXPOSITORY THESIS STATEMENT I am writing an essay on [TOPIC] and these are the instructions my teacher gave me: [INSTUCTIONS]. I want you to create an expository thesis statement that doesn’t argue a position, but demonstrates depth of knowledge about the topic.

💡 AI PROMPT FOR ARGUMENTATIVE THESIS STATEMENT I am writing an essay on [TOPIC] and these are the instructions my teacher gave me: [INSTRUCTIONS]. I want you to create an argumentative thesis statement that clearly takes a position on this issue.

💡 AI PROMPT FOR COMPARE AND CONTRAST THESIS STATEMENT I am writing a compare and contrast essay that compares [Concept 1] and [Concept2]. Give me 5 potential single-sentence thesis statements that remain objective.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Number Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Word Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Outdoor Games for Kids
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 50 Incentives to Give to Students

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How to Start An Essay- Steps with Examples

Once you have a single idea to anchor your essay, build the entire piece around it. Starting an essay can be challenging; it's like revving up the engine and keeping your ideas flowing throughout. But I've got a foolproof plan for you. In this article I will show you how to start an essay and write a powerful, impactful piece for your class.

What is the Process of Writing an Essay?

Just like any task that requires organization, writing an essay follows a structured process. If you want to ensure that your essay is well-organized and not just a free flow of ideas, consider the following process:

Read and Understand the Prompt: Begin by carefully reading the essay prompt to fully grasp what is being asked of you. Break it down into manageable parts to ensure you cover every aspect in your essay.

Plan Your Essay: Take time to brainstorm and organize your ideas. Creating an outline or a web of your ideas and supporting details will make the writing process much smoother. This will help you structure your essay logically and ensure all your points are well thought out.

Use and Cite Sources: Conduct thorough research to gather information and evidence to support your arguments. Use quotes and paraphrases from credible sources, but always avoid plagiarism by properly citing your sources.

Write a Draft: Start by writing a rough draft. As Ernest Hemingway said, “The first draft of anything is always crap.” This stage allows you to get all your ideas down without worrying about perfection. Drafts are essential for organizing your thoughts and refining your arguments.

Develop a Strong Thesis: Your thesis statement is the main argument of your essay and the most important sentence you'll write. Make it clear and compelling, setting the stage for your entire essay.

Respond to the Prompt: Once you've refined your draft, ensure that you are directly addressing every part of the prompt. Your final draft should be a polished version of your ideas, with a clear and logical flow.

Proofread: Review your essay carefully to catch any grammatical errors, typos, or awkward sentences. Proofreading is crucial because even small mistakes can undermine the professionalism and clarity of your essay.

What is the Structure of an Essay?

Although more advanced academic papers have their own unique structures, the basic high school or college essay typically follows a standardized five-paragraph format:

1.Introduction

Writing a well-structured essay is crucial for clearly conveying your ideas and arguments. While advanced academic papers may have complex structures, the basic high school or college essay typically follows a standardized five-paragraph format. This format includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion, each serving a specific purpose to guide the reader through your argument.

The introduction paragraph is where you start by grabbing the reader’s attention with an engaging "hook," such as a relevant quote or a surprising fact. Following this, you introduce your thesis statement, which is the central argument or point of your essay. To set the stage for the rest of the essay, you provide a brief preview of the three main points that will be covered in the body paragraphs.

The first body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that introduces the first subtopic related to your thesis. This paragraph includes supporting details or examples that illustrate your point, followed by an explanation of how these details or examples support your thesis. This structured approach ensures clarity and coherence, making your argument more persuasive.

The second body paragraph follows a similar format. It starts with a topic sentence that introduces the second subtopic. Again, you provide supporting details or examples and explain their relevance to your thesis. This repetition of structure helps reinforce your argument and makes it easier for the reader to follow your reasoning.

The third body paragraph introduces the third subtopic with a topic sentence. Just like the previous paragraphs, it includes supporting details or examples and explains how they support your thesis. This consistent format throughout the body paragraphs ensures that each point is clearly presented and thoroughly examined.

3.Conclusion

The conclusion paragraph begins with a concluding transition, such as "in conclusion," signaling that you are wrapping up your essay. You restate your thesis in a new way to reinforce your main argument. Then, you summarize the key points discussed in the body paragraphs, tying them back to your thesis.

Finally, you end with a "global statement" or call to action, leaving the reader with a final thought or suggestion related to your topic. This structured approach to essay writing helps ensure that your arguments are clear, cohesive, and compelling from start to finish.

How to Start an Essay [3 Steps with examples]

Starting an essay can bring a mix of thoughts: how to begin, how to end, what supporting points to use. This confusion often leads students to produce subpar essays. Writing an essay is a process that requires structure, which is why learning how to start an essay is crucial.

From my experience, the first tip is to analyze the question and begin brainstorming. This is followed by a series of steps I'll discuss to help you craft an essay that communicates your message effectively. Let's explore how to start an essay, including examples, samples, and techniques like opening with a thought-provoking question. Whether you're looking for "how to start an essay with examples" or a "how to start an essay sample," these tips will guide you towards a strong introduction that sets the tone for your entire piece.

1.Writing the Introduction

Your introduction sets the tone for your entire essay. It's your opportunity to grab the reader's attention and provide a roadmap for what's to come. Let's break down the key components following up with how to start an essay examples:

The hook is your opening statement that captivates your audience. It should be intriguing, thought-provoking, and relevant to your topic. A strong hook can take various forms, such as a startling statistic, a provocative question, or a vivid anecdote. The key is to pique your reader's curiosity and make them eager to read more.

a) "Imagine a world where your morning coffee could power your entire house for a day. While this might sound like science fiction, recent advancements in bioenergy are bringing us closer to this reality."

b) "In the time it takes you to read this sentence, over 200 species will have gone extinct. The alarming rate of biodiversity loss is not just a statistic—it's a call to action that we can no longer ignore."

Context / Background

After hooking your reader, provide context that helps them understand the significance of your topic. This background information should bridge the gap between your hook and your thesis statement. Explain why your topic matters, touch on recent developments or historical context, and set the stage for your main argument.

"The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved from the realm of science fiction to a cornerstone of modern technology. Over the past decade, AI has permeated various aspects of our lives, from voice assistants in our homes to complex algorithms driving social media platforms. As AI continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, it raises profound questions about the future of work, privacy, and even what it means to be human. Understanding the implications of this technological revolution is crucial as we navigate an increasingly AI-driven world."

Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the cornerstone of your essay. It clearly articulates your main argument or purpose, providing a preview of what you'll discuss in the body of your essay. A strong thesis should be specific, arguable, and concise. It sets expectations for your readers and guides the structure of your essay.

"This essay will examine the ethical implications of AI development, arguing that while artificial intelligence offers tremendous benefits in fields such as healthcare and environmental protection, it also poses significant risks to privacy, job security, and social equality. By analyzing these challenges and proposing a framework for responsible AI development, I aim to demonstrate that proactive ethical considerations are essential to harnessing AI's potential while mitigating its dangers."

Overview Ending (Optional)

To round off your introduction, you might choose to provide a brief overview of your essay's structure. This can help orient your readers and give them a clear idea of what to expect. However, be careful not to give away too much—you want to maintain some element of anticipation.

"In exploring the ethical landscape of AI, we will first delve into its transformative potential across various sectors. Then, we'll critically examine the challenges and risks associated with widespread AI adoption. Finally, we'll propose a set of ethical guidelines and policy recommendations aimed at fostering responsible AI development. Through this analysis, we'll uncover how balancing innovation with ethical considerations is crucial for creating an AI-enhanced future that benefits all of humanity."

Once we have written our overview ending, our introduction paragraph is complete. Here is an example of an introduction paragraph:

This might initially appear daunting due to its size, but leveraging WPS AI can streamline and condense the content effectively. Here's how you can simplify and refine it:

Step 1: Select your entire introduction paragraph, and then click on the "WPS AI" icon in the hover menu.

Step 2: From the list of WPS AI options, click on "Make shorter" to help reduce the length of your content.

Step 3: WPS AI will display a shorter version of your introduction in a small window; click on "Replace".

Step 4: The introduction paragraph will now be replaced with a shorter version for your essay.

2.Writing the Body

The body of your essay is where you develop your arguments and provide evidence to support your thesis. It's the meat of your essay, where you dive deep into your topic and showcase your knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Present and develop the main arguments that support your thesis statement. Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea or argument that contributes to your overall thesis. This structure helps your reader follow your logic and understand your points clearly.

Let's say your thesis is about the impact of renewable energy on climate change mitigation. One argument could be:

"The widespread adoption of solar power technology has significantly reduced carbon emissions in countries that have invested heavily in this renewable energy source."

Support each argument with solid evidence that reinforces your point. Evidence can include facts, statistics, research findings, expert opinions, or examples from real-life situations. The stronger and more varied your evidence, the more convincing your argument will be.

"According to a 2023 report by the International Energy Agency, countries with high solar power adoption have seen an average reduction in carbon emissions of 15% over the past five years. For instance, Germany, a leader in solar energy, has cut its carbon emissions by 28% since 2010, with solar power contributing to more than half of this reduction."

Ideas (Paragraphs)

Organize your ideas into coherent paragraphs. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. Follow this with your evidence and analysis, explaining how this information supports your argument and relates to your thesis.

Topic sentence: "Beyond reducing carbon emissions, solar power adoption also stimulates economic growth and job creation in the renewable energy sector."

Evidence and analysis: "A study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that solar panel installer will be the fastest-growing job in the United States over the next decade, with an expected growth rate of 52%. This surge in employment opportunities not only helps to offset job losses in traditional energy sectors but also contributes to overall economic resilience. For example, in California, the solar industry has created over 86,000 jobs, boosting the state's economy while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint."

This structure is followed for each body paragraph added. So, if you think you have 3 sub-topics, you will have 3 body paragraphs, stating the sub-topic followed by evidence to back your argument.

Transitions

Use transitions to link your paragraphs and ideas together smoothly. These can be words or phrases that show how one idea leads to another or how different viewpoints contrast. Good transitions help your essay flow logically and coherently.

"While solar power demonstrates significant benefits for both the environment and economy, it's essential to consider other renewable energy sources that complement its strengths and address its limitations."

Here is how a body paragraph would look like:

3.Writing the Conclusion

Your conclusion is your final opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your reader. It should tie together all the threads of your essay and reinforce your main points.

Summary / Synthesis

Summarize the main points you have discussed throughout the essay. This reminder helps solidify your arguments in the reader's mind.

"Throughout this essay, we've explored the multifaceted impact of renewable energy, particularly solar power, on our fight against climate change. We've seen how solar technology significantly reduces carbon emissions, stimulates economic growth through job creation, and complements other renewable energy sources. Moreover, we've examined the challenges of energy storage and distribution that come with increased reliance on solar power."

Importance of Your Topic

Explain why your topic is important or relevant. Connect the discussion back to the broader context or implications of your thesis statement.

"The transition to renewable energy sources like solar power is not just an environmental imperative; it's a pivotal moment in human history. As we face the growing threats of climate change, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss, our energy choices today will shape the world for generations to come. The widespread adoption of solar and other renewable energy sources offers a path to a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future."

Strong Closing Statement

End your conclusion with a strong closing statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. This could be a call to action, a prediction, or a thought-provoking question.

"As we stand at this critical juncture, the choice is clear: embrace the power of the sun and other renewable sources, or continue down a path of environmental degradation. By investing in solar technology, supporting policies that encourage renewable energy adoption, and making conscious energy choices in our daily lives, we can harness the immense potential of renewable energy. The future of our planet is bright - if we choose to make it so. Will you be part of this solar revolution?"

The final conclusion, including all the main functions, would look something like this:

Bonus Tips: How to Polish your Essay with WPS AI

The great thing about WPS Office isn't just that it comes equipped with everything a student in any field needs and has all the tools for you to write the perfect essay, but also that WPS AI helps you improve the quality of what you have at hand.

Grammar and Spelling Check:

WPS Office includes advanced grammar and spelling check tools that automatically identify and correct errors. This feature ensures that your writing is free of typos and grammatical mistakes, enhancing the overall readability and professionalism of your essays.

Let's say you have your completed essay open in WPS Office. With the help of WPS AI spell check, proofreading and spell-checking would become much easier. Simply click on "Accept All" to make all the necessary changes.

Style and Clarity Enhancement:

Beyond just fixing errors, WPS AI offers suggestions to improve your writing style and clarity. It helps you refine your sentence structure, choose more precise words, and eliminate unnecessary jargon. This ensures that your arguments are presented clearly and effectively, making your essays more compelling and easier to understand.

Writing Assistance:

WPS AI acts as a writing assistant, providing guidance on how to continue developing your ideas. Whether you’re stuck on how to transition between paragraphs or need help expanding on a particular point, the AI offers suggestions and tips to keep your writing process smooth and efficient. This can be especially helpful in maintaining a logical flow and ensuring that all your points are well-supported and clearly articulated.

FAQs About Starting an Essay

1. what is the purpose of the introduction in an essay.

The purpose of the introduction in an essay is to familiarize the reader with the topic, highlighting its significance and relevance. It captures the reader's interest while providing essential background information. Additionally, the introduction outlines the main points of the essay and presents the thesis statement, which acts as the core argument that forms the foundation of the entire essay. By laying out these components, the introduction clarifies the importance of the topic and prepares the reader for what lies ahead in the essay.

2. What is a topic sentence?

A topic sentence is a statement that conveys the primary idea of a paragraph. It conveys the main point and establishes the paragraph's focus, ensuring that all subsequent sentences are connected to this key idea. Every paragraph in your paper should include a topic sentence to clarify its purpose.

3. Why do I need a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is crucial because it defines the main argument of an essay, guiding the writer's direction and helping the reader understand the central focus. It serves as a roadmap for the content that follows, ensuring that all points are relevant to the main idea.

4. How can I make my essay introduction stand out?

To create a memorable essay introduction, begin with an engaging hook, such as an intriguing fact, a thought-provoking quote, or a vivid illustration. Additionally, ensure that your introduction is concise, focused, and directly related to the main topic of the essay. This approach will draw the reader in and establish a solid foundation for your argument.

Create Compelling Essays With WPS Office

Learning how to start an essay will ultimately help you transform your ideas into a compelling narrative. All you need is a prompt and a topic to craft the best essay possible. Remember to infuse your work with a bit of heart to give it a personalized touch, making your writing truly unique and engaging. WPS Office is an excellent tool to help you achieve a well-crafted essay. It assists in forming proper sentences and generating new ideas, ensuring your essay is both coherent and creative.

With features like grammar and spelling checks, style and clarity enhancement, and writing assistance, WPS Office supports you every step of the way in your writing process. Download WPS Office now and experience its capabilities for yourself. It’s designed to make essay writing easier and more efficient, allowing you to focus on expressing your ideas and arguments effectively.

• 1. Amazing AI Essay Generator - Make Your Essay Writing Easier
• 2. How to Use Transitions to Start a Paragraph [Tips with Examples]
• 3. 10 Must-have software for college students to start school
• 4. How to Start an Email (in Company and College)
• 5. How to Write an Argumentative Essay- Steps with Examples
• 6. How to Craft the Perfect Academic Essay Steps & Examples

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Elon Musk to Speak to West Point Cadets

The billionaire owner of the social media platform X and Tesla’s chief executive will deliver the keynote speech at an annual event.

By Helene Cooper

Reporting from Washington

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the social media platform X and Tesla’s chief executive, will deliver the keynote speech at the annual convocation of the United States Military Academy next Friday, West Point officials said.

The speech is billed as a “fireside chat,” and attendance for West Point cadets and faculty is not mandatory, officials said. The event will be part of the academic year’s intellectual theme, “The Human and the Machine: Leadership on the Emerging Battlefield,” according to a statement provided by the academy.

“West Point routinely invites prominent thought leaders in areas related to the theme to enhance our robust academic and professional development opportunities,” the statement said.

Mr. Musk’s company SpaceX handles launch services for spy and command-and-control satellites for the Pentagon and provides internet service for Ukraine. It has received $14.7 billion in federal launch contracts over the past decade.

Last month, Mr. Musk broke with a pattern set by the leaders of other major social media firms by endorsing a presidential candidate. Some 30 minutes after Mr. Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania, Mr. Musk announced that he was backing his bid for the White House.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Mr. Musk wrote on X, sharing a video of Mr. Trump. He later endorsed Mr. Trump’s choice of JD Vance as a running mate.

In recent years, Mr. Musk has been criticized for embracing conspiracy theories and for his strident positions in cultural debates.

The White House denounced him last year for boosting an anti-Jewish conspiracy theory on X, calling his actions an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.”

Mr. Musk has had close associations with U.S. military academies. In April 2022, he visited the Air Force Academy and told throngs of cadets at a lecture that they should fight the discouragement that researchers encounter.

“Prototypes are easy; production is hard,” he said. “We remember mistakes more than successes.”

Mr. Musk attended the Army-Navy game in December at Gillette Stadium near Boston, tweeting a photo of himself with the caption “God Bless America.”

Retired Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, a West Point graduate and senior adviser to VoteVets, a progressive veterans advocacy group, criticized his alma mater’s move.

“Elon Musk is not a thought leader,” he said. “He is far from the example we should be elevating at our military academies. Why is West Point doing this?”

Mr. Musk could not be reached for comment.

Helene Cooper is a Pentagon correspondent. She was previously an editor, diplomatic correspondent and White House correspondent. More about Helene Cooper