Leadership Certificate Program. Personal Development Plan (PDP) Initial Outline

Transcription

1 Leadership Certificate Program Personal Development Plan (PDP) Initial Outline

2 What Makes a True Leader? When faced with the question of what defines a leader, many different thoughts come to mind. Someone like our President who contains the passion and motivation to change the world, someone like a professor with the focus to inspire others with their experiences, or even someone like our parents who find it important enough to raise us with a variety of experiences to help us develop into a well-rounded individual are instantly seen. Those with the willingness to produce change, the focus to bring about change, and the steadfast desire to maintain change are the true leaders in our lives. Even after looking at my time in grade school as a member of theater and in high school as a First Class Leader, I realize the importance of the characteristics I looked toward for inspiration. I found that a leader is a role model, someone who encompasses a variety of unique characteristics that appeal to a multitude of different people. To be as successful as an actor as I possibly could, as well as a successful mentor and peer in the First Class Program, self-understanding was critical. A leader guides others towards a common goal, showing the way by example while creating a welcoming and enriching environment to make a team feel actively involved. A leader maintains a strong focus on the direction they want their team to take, and how to best work as a group to achieve that particular goal. A leader recognizes that strengths and weaknesses will always be apparent, but a continuous desire for improvement should remain vital. Without each of these critical elements, a true leader does not exist. These key characteristics create the foundation for my path to becoming a well-rounded leader and aspiring role model. A true leader is not only able to lead a team, learn from others, and look to continuously improve themselves, but they are able to adapt to any situation. The strongest core value, and strongest characteristics I see in a leader, is the ability to inspire and adapt. Difficult situations are faced on a daily basis, and the way in which those situations are handled make all the difference. During my time in the Leadership Program, I plan to focus closely on how I express myself and how those expressions can be best used to inspire, and how I can better understand myself in a number of situations to become a more adaptable, focused individual. Being a part of the Leadership Program represents an opportunity not offered by any other group or in any class here on campus. During a time when I am discovering who I am and who I want to become, it is critical that components helping to define myself as a leader are prevalent. There is no better program that is more tailored and specific to helping to reveal the most effective leader I can be. My motivation to be a part of the Leadership Program, therefore, is to take advantage of the unique opportunities presented. I want to take each unique and customized aspect and really use it to build upon the attributes I already possess and uncover those I wish to possess. I hope to find a deep inspiration in those I meet and work with, and I plan on keeping a strong focus on the individual I eventually wish to become. All in all, I hope that the attributes I develop and build upon will create a stable foundation and will be maintained throughout a variety of situations I will encounter in life.

3 The Significance of Genuine Inspiration and Active Listening In order to achieve a holistic, all-encompassing leadership foundation, two critical aspects I hope to focus on involve my abilities to inspire and listen. My first goal involves my understanding of true inspiration, and how to better express myself to bring forth that inspiration. After careful thought as to my strengths and weaknesses, I have a strong desire to improve my listening skills and the way in which I utilize what I learn and experience from others. These two goals, I believe, will go hand-in-hand to create the strongest foundation they possibly can. Pursuing this combination will create a clearer picture of what I have to offer, as well as what others have to offer. Identifying areas of strength and of potential improvement is the first area I feel is important to my beginning as a developing leader, and my continuation as a leader throughout life. According to my results from the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI-U) test, there is a great deal of work I need to do when it comes to Conflict Management, creating Change Catalysts, and, ultimately, helping to Develop Others. I agree that I have a hard time defining problems in a given situation, and coming up with the means to correct those problems. It is also critical that I am able to inspire change in others, and recognize what each individual has to offer. I, many times, feel like I have very little to offer an individual or group. This greatly inhibits my motivation to express my feelings, and it greatly manipulates what I am able to contribute. I feel like an identification of my strengths, a clear idea of how I can help others, will give me a strong basis for defining my leadership abilities. After discussing these results with two close family members and a friend, I have realized that finding who inspires my life, what they do successfully and how I can mirror those actions is very important. Finding myself, improving my self-confidence and those strengths that I best use for self-expression, can best be found in my research on role models in my life. To create a focused, well-defined path, I have made a list of the top six categories the ECI-U test have indicated are my weakest, and I hope to target each group individually each semester. In this way, I plan to draw a connection between using my current strengths to strengthen areas I wish to eventually possess. Before my completion of the Leadership Program, my first goal is to have a well-rounded idea of how to better inspire change in others through self-expression. The second major goal I plan to work on simultaneously is improving my listening abilities. Although I am a very conscientious listener and I am very interested in what others have to say, I believe it is critical to not only listen but to apply the ideas others have. Especially within group activities it is essential to listen closely to others and utilize their ideas to best benefit the group. At the i-program Intersect, we were given a Personal Listening Profile (PLP) that helped to identify our unique listening styles. As an Appreciative Listener, I mainly look for inspiration in what is said by others, and seek out opportunities where I will be engaged and entertained by a speaker. After looking over the other listening styles such as Empathic, Comprehensive, Discerning, and Evaluative, I realized that the ideal listening style encompasses all of these characteristics. It is very important to note that Appreciative Listeners may not take everything a speaker says into consideration, may have selective listening, and may not question what is being said. It is critical that a leader questions what they hear, relate to what people are saying, and to be able to apply those ideas in different contexts. I hope to deviate from the idea of mainly listening to speakers for enjoyment rather than of substance, and I hope to do this by seeking out opportunities to speak to individuals I usually would not, or to attend lectures by individuals I would usually not find interesting. In this way, I hope to better learn a variety of

4 ideas, be able to question what is being said, and not primarily look for the entertainment or inspiration factors when listening to others. I believe that by concentrating on incorporating at least two of the above listening styles each semester, I will have a much more comprehensive and broad listening style that will greatly enhance my effectiveness as a leader. 11 Skills & Attributes Skill/Attribute Leadership Objective Evidence Self-Development Self Awareness By working to refine my self- * To achieve clearer awareness, I strongly aim to communication, I plan to take achieve a better understanding advantage of every of who I am and what I want to opportunity to share my communicate to others. It is opinion with others. I plan to difficult for me to express become as comfortable with myself thoroughly and speaking as possible through accurately, and so I aspire to my participation with the work on fully understanding the Board of Governors, being message I wish to get across, able to voice my opinion on a practice on properly relaying variety of topics in front of that message, and better distinguished leaders in our understand my audience and community what I hope to achieve from * To fully understand the communicating with and message I want to get across, I guiding others. plan to increase my confidence through becoming as knowledgeable as possible on the topic I am contributing on. On the Board of Governors, for example, I plan to thoroughly look over the agenda, become as familiar with the topics as possible, completely understand the issues at hand, and be able to speak as knowledgeably and genuinely as possible. Self-Management Setting achievable, worthwhile, * Making sure my goals are and measurable leadership achievable will be completed goals will be a huge aid in through constant review and improving my self-management analysis of my progress. I plan style. There are a number of to work on small aspects of skills I would like to work on improving self-confidence and before the completion of my my listening skills, and to set Leadership Certificate, but small goals I would like to

5 many of them are difficult to achieve before each i- measure and difficult to focus Program. I plan to exercise on. By focusing on the two these goals, either through a main goals of improving my better understanding or actual confidence and my skills, I practices, at both i-programs hope to refine small areas and then within my role as a within those attributes to be Committee Director with the able to effectively gain as much American Marketing benefit from this program as Association (AMA). possible. By focusing on these * Creating a through list of my two goals, knowing how to objectives and their measure these outcomes, and significance will be a great fully understanding the motivator to pushing me to importance of these goals to my better self-manage during the overall character will greatly Leadership Program, and later enhance my ability to self- in life. Overall, I hope to manage. concentrate and improve my focus. Interpersonal Development Relationship Building Teamwork is a core aspect of * To improve my listening leadership, and I greatly hope skills, I plan to take what I to build and maintain the have learned from Intersect strongest relationships I about different listening styles possibly can. The best way to and incorporate certain styles, go about this is through such as Evaluative, improving my listening skills, Comprehensive, Discerning, and being able to contribute and Empathic. The most something of substance to effective listening style is others through what I learn comprehensive, and I plan to from them. Through improving take aspects of these listening my Relationship Building styles, apply them to group skills, I plan to recognize the committee meetings within individual, unique contributions AMA each group member can make * I plan to take advantage of and to really target those all opportunities within the aspects within a group setting. Leadership Center and through the College of Business to attend lectures and speeches to refine these listening skills Communication Skills Although I do not have trouble * I primarily have trouble communicating with another speaking in front of a group of individual, I do get extremely 4 or more, so I hope to nervous when having to speak immerse myself in many to large groups. A very situations to contribute to this important skill I plan to refine size of a group. Once I

6 is my ability to communicate to become comfortable a variety of people at once. My understanding my role in major barrier involves wanting group situations and how to please each person, and others respond to my opinions, taking into account what each I plan to speak to larger and individual would want to hear larger groups with time. I plan rather than the group as a to achieve this through a more whole. I want to understand my constant sharing of opinions audience as a whole, and not during i-program group focus too closely on each activities, and through individual of that group. speeches I plan to make when running for other positions within RSOs. Ethical Practices Ethical Practices are an area I * To gain a better commonly overlook, but are understanding of ethical essential to defining yourself as practices and how they a true leader. I have a weak directly relate to leadership, I grasp on what ethical practices am attending a workshop are most important, especially through the Leadership Center in relation to the role of a focused on making ethical leader. I plan to focus on the decisions within the overall image I wish to workplace. In addition, I plan promote, and that image needs on taking advantage of every to be honest, trusting, and opportunity the College of accurate for others to be Business presents to attend respectful of my opinions. workshops dealing directly Focusing on my role within the with this issue. community and how I would * An important aspect of a like to present myself will leader is aspiration, and I plan overall improve my to focus on two individuals I understanding of ethical look up to, find what makes practices. them great leaders, and focus on how they create such an honest and understanding image. Team Development After becoming very familiar * Through my position as a with how to effectively build Committee Director with relationships, I hope to AMA, I would really like to recognize how a group can improve communication make effective change. between members and Through focusing on each enhance the excitement for the individual, understanding the Fundraising Committee. To do purpose of a group, and finding this, I plan to take every idea exactly where I fit into that into consideration and try to group will be key. I plan to make a very cohesive and target my awareness with comprehensive activity that

7 effective relationship building will get everyone involved and to not only contribute, but to interested in participating. I effectively lead a team. plan to take the overall strong team environment from the entire AMA organization and incorporate that into my individual role in the Fundraising Committee. Organizational/Group Development Leading Change Probably one of the core * There are many aspects of functions of a leader, being able the Fundraising Committee to lead change is a very that I would like to improve interesting and tricky topic. I and promote, and the best way am not sure exactly how to to do so is to fully understand approach change, let alone how those areas of improvement. to instill confidence in others to Also, observing other leaders be able to lead it. I think a core within AMA, seeing what they area to first understand before do successfully and how they attempting to lead change will lead their teams will help me be to understand and consider to better improve my the opinions of others. This will leadership style within the put into perspective exactly Fundraising Committee. what is important, and how my Focusing on the benefit of the leadership qualities can best be group, and how to best utilized to bring about this improve Fundraising for AMA change, especially when will allow me to develop considering the group benefit. better change leadership. Project and Program A key area in this skill and * Within the leadership Effectiveness attribute is focus. courses I plan on taking, I plan Understanding what you want to implement a much more and how to make that as clear and defined set of group effective as possible is goals. I hope to study how extremely important. After others are able to effectively creating a clear and defined set lead programs and projects, of goals you want to achieve and work with others to with a certain project, effective achieve this. I think the best programs can be put in place. I way to gain a strong footing in hope to learn how to create the project and program most clear and defined goals as effectiveness can best be possible, and how exactly to targeted within classes. implement this into program effectiveness when leading a group. Systems Thinking Taking each individual s * Listening skills are vital opinion into consideration is a here, and I plan to improve on vital part of having the most this critical aspect within my

8 cohesive and through group leadership style to improve dynamic. I hope to improve on Systems Thinking. At my my listening skills and my work at the YMCA, I plan to application of other s ideas into listen more closely to and help a group problem or topic. out as much and as often as I Creating a smooth and coherent can. In this way, I will gain a team is very important, and I better understanding of an hope to learn the basics of these effective system and how to attributes through different create more coherent and activities and problems comprehensive thinking encountered during i-programs. within my workplace. Community Building Along with Relationship * Within my role with the Building, being aware of your University YMCA, there are community and what you have many opportunities to be to offer those around you is involved directly within the essential. As previously community. I plan on mentioned, I hope to actively becoming familiar with and work on improving my regularly attending two of listening skills and qualities these programs, in particularly that would help to incorporate Invisible Conflicts and other s ideas into daily Alternative Spring Break. decisions. Being aware of the Through my participation I community and how I can build will be able to better upon their needs and wants is a understand and contribute to very important aspect of being my community. a well-rounded and considerate * Within my role with the leader. Board of Governors, there are many ways in which I can tangibly give back to the University YMCA and the community. Many of the topics we discuss have a direct impact on other campus relations, and I plan to make myself as knowledgeable as possible to help impact and build the community as best as possible. Transitional Development Sustaining Possibly the most important of * To never settle and to Leadership all the skills and attributes, always challenge myself is being able to maintain and probably the best way to sustain leadership is the most sustain and maintain difficult and most important leadership skills. Within the reason I am pursuing the Leadership Program, I plan to Leadership Certificate. It is eventually become a group

9 very easy for one to have moments where they exhibit leadership or encounter times when they can exercise leadership, but truly being able to maintain leadership constantly and within any situation is a huge accomplishment. Sustaining leadership proves that you are able to incorporate leadership into your lifestyle and exhibit that in your communications with others, and I truly hope to focus on and develop this aspect from the beginning of the Leadership Certificate Program until the end. leader for a couple of i- Programs. Also, I hope to take on at least two more positions within business organizations to help challenge my leadership skills.