Written by Lesallan – March 19, 2024
Ohio Christian University
LDR3200 Organizational Leadership (ONLSP24)
Dr. James G. Leak III
March 19, 2024
Personal Leadership Development Plan
Leadership development requires continuous learning, self-reflection, and commitment to growth. This personal development plan will guide this student’s journey, providing a roadmap for personal and professional development as a leader. It outlines a personal vision for leadership, the values that guide his actions, the insights gained from leadership questionnaires, and the goals he aims to achieve. The plan also includes specific strategies for achieving these goals and methods for assessing progress (DeRue & Myers, 2013).
I. Vision Statement:
This student envisions becoming a transformative leader who inspires others to reach their full potential (Proverbs 29:18, NIV).
II. Values Statement:
1. Integrity: This student also believes honesty and transparency are fundamental to effective leadership. By acting with integrity, hope is to build trust with his team and stakeholders, which is essential for successful collaboration and decision-making (Titus 2:7, NIV).
2. Empathy: Understanding and sharing others’ feelings allows this student to connect more deeply with his team. This emotional intelligence helps him motivate his team, effectively address their concerns, and create a supportive work environment (Philippians 2:3-4, NIV).
3. Resilience: The ability to recover quickly from difficulties is crucial in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world. Resilience enables this student to adapt to changes, overcome challenges, and turn failures into learning opportunities (James 1:12, NIV).
4. Continuous Learning: In a rapidly evolving world, continuous learning is vital to staying relevant and effective as a leader. This student’s commitment to lifelong learning and growth allows him to acquire new skills, stay abreast of industry trends, and continuously improve his leadership practices (Proverbs 18:15, NIV).
5. Service: This student believes in servant leadership – leading by serving others. This value guides him to make decisions in his teams’ and stakeholders’ best interest. It also motivates him to contribute positively to his community and society (Mark 10:45, NIV).
III. Summary of Questionnaire Results
Based on the questionnaires completed throughout the course, this student has discovered that his leadership style leans towards democratic leadership. This style, which involves sharing decision-making with team members and promoting the free flow of ideas, aligns well with the “best practice” standards discussed in the course. Democratic leadership fosters high productivity levels and encourages creative problem-solving, making it a highly effective leadership style.
However, the questionnaires also highlighted areas for improvement. Specifically, this student could work on enhancing his conflict-resolution skills. Effective conflict resolution is crucial in leadership as it helps maintain a positive team environment and ensures that disagreements do not hinder productivity. Additionally, improving decision-making skills can also contribute to better leadership. Good decision-making involves making clear, concise, and timely decisions while considering the team’s input and the decision’s potential impact.
In summary, while this student’s democratic leadership style aligns well with the course’s “best practice” standards, improving his conflict resolution and decision-making skills could further enhance his leadership effectiveness (Zulfqar et al., 2021).
IV. Goals for Leadership Development:
1. Self-improvement: Improve decision-making skills (Proverbs 16:9, NIV): As identified in the questionnaire results, decision-making is an area that can be improved upon. Enhancing this skill can lead to more effective and efficient leadership, allowing for better problem-solving and strategic planning. This aligns with the preferred democratic leadership style, as it involves making decisions that consider the team’s input and the decision’s potential impact.
2. Relationship improvement: Enhance communication skills to build stronger relationships (Ephesians 4:29, NIV). Communication is a crucial aspect of leadership. This student can foster stronger relationships with his team members by improving his communication skills, leading to increased trust and collaboration. This goal is directly related to democratic leadership, which promotes the free flow of ideas and ensures everyone’s voices are heard.
3. Team impact: Develop strategies to boost team morale and productivity (Romans 12:10, NIV). A leader’s role involves leading the team and ensuring its well-being and productivity. By developing strategies to boost team morale, this student can create a positive work environment that encourages creativity and productivity. This goal aligns with the democratic leadership style, as it involves creating an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated.
4. Professional contribution: Attend leadership workshops to stay updated on best practices (Zulfqar et al., 2021). Leadership constantly evolves, and staying updated on the latest best practices is crucial for effective leadership. This student can continue to learn and grow as a leader by attending leadership workshops. This goal is relevant to the continuous learning value that this student holds, and it can contribute to overall leadership effectiveness.
V. Action Plan:
1. Self-improvement: Improve decision-making skills (Proverbs 19:20, NIV). This student plans to attend decision-making workshops and read books on effective decision-making. These resources will provide the knowledge and tools to make better decisions. The aim is to start attending workshops in the next two months and read at least one book on decision-making every quarter.
2. Relationship improvement: Enhance communication skills to build stronger relationships (Ephesians 4:29, NIV). This student will enroll in a communication skills training course and practice active listening in his daily interactions. The plan is to complete the training course within six months and practice active listening continuously.
3. Team impact: Develop strategies to boost team morale and productivity (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV). This student will implement regular team-building activities and provide constructive feedback to his team members. The aim is to start team-building activities within the next six months, and feedback will be provided during regular team meetings.
4. Professional contribution: Attend leadership workshops to stay updated on best practices (Proverbs 1:5, NIV). The plan is to attend at least two leadership workshops per year to stay updated on the latest best practices in leadership. Research and registration for relevant workshops will be at the beginning of each year.
VI. Assessment:
1. Self-improvement: Improve decision-making skills: This student will assess his progress in decision-making skills through feedback from peers and superiors on his decision-making effectiveness. He will also reflect on his decision-making process after each significant decision to identify areas of improvement. Achievement of set milestones, such as attending decision-making workshops and reading books on effective decision-making, will also indicate progress.
2. Relationship improvement: Enhance communication skills to build stronger relationships. This student will assess his progress in communication skills through feedback from peers, superiors, and team members on his communication effectiveness. He will also reflect on his interactions to identify areas for improvement. Completing the communication skills training course will be a crucial milestone in this goal.
3. Team impact: Develop strategies to boost team morale and productivity. This student will assess progress in this goal through feedback from his team members on team morale and productivity. He will also monitor team performance metrics to gauge the impact of his strategies. Regularly implementing team-building activities and providing constructive feedback will be key milestones in this goal.
4. Professional contribution: Attend leadership workshops to stay updated on best practices. This student will assess progress in this goal through self-reflection on the new knowledge and skills he gains from the leadership workshops. He will also seek feedback from peers and superiors on applying the best practices learned from the workshops. Attending at least two leadership workshops per year will be the key milestone in this goal.
In summary, progress in these goals will be assessed through feedback from others, self-reflection, and achieving set milestones. This will ensure that this student continuously moves towards his leadership development goals (Galatians 6:4, NIV).
This Leadership Development Plan is a comprehensive guide for this student’s journey toward becoming a more effective leader. It provides a clear vision, values, goals, actionable strategies, and assessment methods. Adhering to this plan can ensure continuous growth and improvement in leadership capabilities, positively impacting personal and professional life (Philippians 3:14, NIV).
References:
DeRue, D. S., & Myers, C. G. (2013). Leadership development: A review and agenda for future
research. The Oxford Handbook of Leadership and Organizations, 832-856.
Zulfqar, A., Valcke, M., Quraishi, U., & Devos, G. (2021). Developing academic leaders:
Evaluation of a leadership development intervention in higher education. SAGE Open
