Success in Any Working Partnership - Example

Personal leadership development plan Personal leadership development plan An individual leadership development plan (LDP) is a tool used by employees for career and personal development. Creating and maintaining LDP is a vital step in taking control over ones career. The written document list your learning experiences, outline ones goals and record your progress. It is also used as a reference point for once personal growth and leadership. Leadership development is necessary to be able to attain optimum output from organizational executive. Planning is crucial in being an effective leader (Alexander & Ciaschi 2002). This paper explores leadership competencies and weaknesses, my leadership vision, leadership development objectives, ways of achieving the objectives, assessment of success and a timetable to achieve the objectives. Self-Assessment of Leadership Competencies and weaknesses Strengths: Strengths are positive attributes which include talents, skills and knowledge. When using strengths, one focuses more on what they are good at. Below are my strengths: Communication Skills: To realize success in any working partnership, communication skills are very important. Previous work experiences working in groups have enabled me to communicate successfully with others. Proper communication can only be accomplished if the appropriate mode of communication, which receivers can easily comprehend is used. Relationship Management. Through my involvement in the student government in college where I hold leadership roles I have recognized the importance of positive relationships. I have also learnt that keeping relationships positive and professional guarantee better regardless of the goal. I have also been involved with other organizations where I have regularly worked with others. By growing a positive relationship with them am able to achieve the goals I had previously set for myself (Atwater & Waldman 1998). Organized. Organization skill is another important skill that I have acquired throughout my education. It is essential to be organized when carrying out leadership role regardless of the leadership position one holds. I organize my weekly activities and consequently keep a detailed weekly agenda specifying which projects should be completed within the set due dates. Inspire trust. I communicate explicit values through personal conduct; maintain high standards of personal integrity; treat others fairly, value diversity and exercise good judgment. These are essential traits for leaders as they enhance the professionalism. Systems are thinking. I transform strategies into action; assume individual responsibility for improving organizational success; question and overcome barriers in the process. All this I do with an optimistic attitude and perseverance (Alldredge, Johnson, Stoltzfus, & Vicere 2003). Weaknesses: A weakness is a condition or state of lacking strength a quality feature regarded as disadvantageous. It is also referred to as a shortcoming. Accepting Failure: My passion for excellence in all my undertakings regardless of how small or big the task may be makes it hard for me to accept failure. After working towards realizing a certain goal by investing my time and resources, and the result is failure, I become totally discouraged and upset. I need to realize that it is impossible to obtain perfection all the time. Failure is a learning experience and hence maybe a bigger reward despite being discouraging (Sinnott, 2008). Time Management: Despite being an organized leader, I recognize that I have poor time management skills. I have a tendency of taking on many projects at the same time fueled by the excitement to accomplish tasks. Conversely, when I do too much at once, I pay minimal attention to fine points that are necessary and should not be overlooked (Alexander & Ciaschi 2002). In the course of my administration, I have been able to identify the strengths and weaknesses that I possess. Through maintaining a number of leadership positions, I have been in a position to work with others and spot my areas of weaknesses and work towards dealing with them. Learning from my mistakes has equally assisted me to become more successful leader. My Leadership Vision I have a vision of professionally building my effectiveness as a leader and the administrator of staff so as to be seen as someone others want to work with, an attractor of talents, by leveraging opportunities to grow, coach and nurture my employees. In doing this, I should equally acquire new skills and refine those that I already possess and this way, make a difference in my place of work (Alexander & Ciaschi 2002). The objectives/goals I hope to realize Setting goals is an important part of growth and development for a leader. Before setting goals, it is crucial ensure that they follow the SMART guidelines. The goal is said to be SMART if it is Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. I have set each of the following goals for professional and personal growth. Adjustments to each goal will be made to assure they are accomplished and that they remain SMART. (Velsor & McCauley 2004). Below are the objectives I hope to realize by the end of three months: Goals should be set so as to increase levels of achievement and accomplishment, raise the confidence of the leader, establish the direction to be taken and challenge growth. To improve relationships with everyone who works for me. This implies developing good relationships with everyone who works for me. I plan to achieve this by pursuing self-study and training so as to enhance my customer care skills. Additionally, I will meet with a number of colleagues who have been successful in developing good working relationships with their employees to get suggestions on how to improve my skills (Atwater & Waldman, 1998). I can also attend seminars and register for professional coursers in management. To develop a solid relationship with all the people who work for me. I am also determined to strengthen my leadership capabilities by developing my coaching skills so as to relate well with my staff and hence get the best from them. This will make me learn to delegate more, rather than being the sole problem solver for the staff. A number of actions such as identifying a peer couch to keep me focused in adopting a coaching style of leadership. I will also schedule meetings to get contributions from the (Abbott, Stening, Atkins & Grant 2006).staff on what they feel I should do to empower them to do their jobs and grow their capabilities. This will enhance my management and interpersonal skills. On the other hand, the organization will benefit a lot as when staff are involved in leadership, they become motivated and consequently more productive. This objective should be realized before at the age of 3 months. I intend to work towards having better time management skills so as to be more strategic. This is about assigning each project ample time to its completion and avoiding starting so many projects at the same time. Various actions will be used to realize this objective. For instance I will form staff committees that I will always consult before recommending for the start of any project. The organization will benefit in that no more resources and time will be used on projects that won’t be completed. Knowing when to do what will help me apply my time in a useful way and hence grow professionally and personally. All the above three objectives should have been realized before the end of three months (Atwater & Waldman, 1998). Specific Ways to Reach Goals I will undertake leadership programs and workshops where staff will participate so as to give their contribution on how they can be involved. I will take a short term academic course to boost my technical competence. I will attain technical competence through organizing personalized exchanges with staff with better technical skills (Hesselbein, 2008). Outcomes to the individual, peers and the organization This is what one anticipates to achieve following the proposed activity that will help one improve the leadership skill and traits. The activities chosen should provide the means to achieve set goals. Through this leadership development program, there will be a number of positive results both personal and organizational. They include; Development of talents aligned with corporate goals. Involving staff in leadership gives them freedom to explore their talents which is advantageous to the organization. The leader will equally nurture his talents (Atwater & Waldman, 1998). It will lead to improved interpersonal skills between the leader and the staff. Members of staff will also relate well following encouraged regular communication feedback and freedom of expression of ideas. Staff improved morale. The activities set toward realization of the goals foster a sense of belonging to the staff which consequently boosts their morale. It will lead to improved leadership skills. Through leadership coaching the leader will not be the only to develop leadership skills but also other members of the staff. Leadership development will be consistent measurement of development and performance. The organization will hence be able to predict the course its taking and hence make adjustments so as to effectively realize set goals (Alldredge, Johnson, Stoltzfus & Vicere 2003). Assess Progress A supervisor regularly reviews the progress on leader development plan in relations to the objectives that were set. In case the objectives change, revise the development plan to ensure its up to date and accurately reflects the learning plans (Hesselbein, 2008). Other mechanisms that can be used to achieve the objectives should also be explored in instances where first actions were unsuccessful. Time table for achieving the objectives Start Date: The beginning of the first month Revision Date: Mid-month Next Evaluation Date: End of the month Leadership Area, Skill and Goal Specific Mechanism Anticipated Outcome (Connection to Goal and Personal Intent Statement) Objective 1 Leadership Area: Personal Leadership Development Leadership Skill: Good management skills Encourage my staff members Give them task to work on Be open and available to employees Attend seminars Improved management skills. Objective 2 Leadership Area: Interpersonal Leadership Development Leadership Skill: Interpersonal skills Improve emotional connection with the employees. Uphold integrity at all times. Co-operate with all the employees. Be future focused and visionary Improved productivity and empowerment of staff Objective 2 Leadership Area: Group and Organizational Leadership Development Leadership Skill: Personal skill Being a role model. Be accessible. Be open with communication. Treat all employees equally. Improved relationship and work output. References Abbott, N., Stening, W., Atkins,.B., Grant, M. (2006). Coaching expatriate managers for success: Adding value beyond training and mentoring. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources. New Delhi: Wishwa Prakashan Alexander, J. & Ciaschi, E. (2002). Leadership development in the digital Age. Presented at the Human resource planning society annual conference. Alldredge, M., Johnson, C., Stoltzfus, J., & Vicere, A. (2003). Leadership development at 3M: New Processes, New Techniques, New Growth. Human Resource Planning Atwater, L. & Waldman, D. (1998). 360 Degree feedback and leadership development. Hesselbein, F. (2008). Emerging Leader to Leader Journal, Issue. New York Harper and Row Publishers Sinnott, D. (2008) Leadership Turnover: The health care crisis nobody talks about, Trustee Journal Ibid. 297-311 Velsor, E. & McCauley, C.D. (2004). Our view of leadership development. The center for creative leadership handbook of leadership development. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Read More