Personal Mission and Life Balance Goals - Assignment Example

 PERSONAL MISSION AND LIFE BALANCE GOALS What is your ultimate vision of excellence? Through the years achievement motivated leaders have written a clear-cut, concise statement that creates a burning desire within them to find fulfillment in their work. These statements are referred to as purpose, charter, destiny, calling, or mission statements. They enable people to think beyond what they do in their careers. These statements enable people to discover who they are and what they most desire to become. We call these Mission Statements. A Mission Statement helps you to: *establish focus *create a desire to take action *stir the gift of greatness within *more fully realize your enormous potential *make a greater difference *see yourself as who you ultimately desire to be OLS 263 – Ethical Decisions in Leadership is the perfect place to begin the creation of your Personal Mission Statement and Life Balance Goals. Ethical decision making is the very cornerstone of the Professional Mission Statement and may very well be the guiding principles of the entire document. As you progress through the OLS program of study, you will increase your knowledge, crystallize your beliefs and expand your skills. Therefore, you will keep modifying and perfecting your mission statement during the next few months and years. A mission statement should enable you to attain unsurpassed excellence, inspire you to lifelong honesty and ethical behavior, and serve as your continuous guidepost during difficult personal and professional times. Many leaders put their mission statement on their business cards, display it in their offices and/or keep a copy in their homes. The first step in writing your mission statement is to do some reflecting, soul searching, and imagining. This is often called harnessing the potential of your creative imagination and mobilizing allied forces of concentration. The sequence is: *Illumination *Fascination *Imagination *Discrimination *Destination *Determination *Domination *Culmination PREPARING YOUR PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT The first step in the process of developing a Personal Mission Statement is to outline your various roles in life and describe how you desire to be in each of those roles. You have roles in maintaining total well-being, in your family, at work, with friends, in the faith community, in lifelong learning, and in your community. It is important to maintain “life balance” in these areas. How you define each of your roles is up to you. The life roles are in the left hand column and the question about how you would like to be described in each role is in the right hand column. Please complete this worksheet: My Life Roles In Seven Areas: How Would You Like To Be Described In This Role? 1. Spiritual Well Being A source of inspiration for weak minds, a source of moderation among members of faith community and a source of ecumenical views on cross-cultural issues in the wider community. 2. Mental Well Being 3. Physical Well Being 4. Relationships/Family A friend and father that cares and shares. 5. Education/Career An intellectual that contributes to the spiral of knowledge and uses knowledge and experience to solve human problems. 6. Finances/Stewardship An enterprising figure who strives to live on legitimate earnings by exploring new windows of opportunities. 7. Service/Philanthropy A source of hope for the vulnerable and disadvantaged in the community. PERSONAL MISSION WORKSHEET After defining your roles in the seven areas, it is time to expand on your personal and professional role. The answers to the following questions may serve as the basis for the development of your mission statement: Who do I desire to become as an organizational leader? I want be to in a position where I will use the powers, virtues and expertise to influence those under me to achieve their individual and organizational goals. What do I desire for the members of my organization? I will like to see the members of my organization grow with the organization and achieve their individual life and professional goals. I want them to share my achievements, challenges and failures and aspire to independently break through. I want my leadership role to be the reason for their self-development. How would I like to serve as an agent of change in my professional role? I will like members of my organization to emulate my good behaviors and learn from my mistakes by helping me to change my bad habits and unlearning what they learnt from my working and personal relationship with them. I will like to use knowledge and experience in directing and stimulating change in my profession. PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT WORKSHEET Some mission statements are as short as a sentence or two. The average mission statement is three to five sentences. The key is for you to rally own, be inspired by, and be excited about your mission. Remember that your mission statement will change as you change; grow as you grow, both professionally and personally. Draft Number One: I will like to become a professor, who will excel in his academic work by adding to the knowledge spiral and in providing solutions to human problems. Draft Number Two: I will like to be an intellectual, whose life and work is devoted to making life better for others and making the world a better place Draft Number Three: I will like to be an intellectual instrument for promoting peace and good governance through research, exchange of ideas and sharing of knowledge. LIFE BALANCE GOALS “Life balance” goals are immediate or short-range goals that enable you to make steady progress toward your professional mission. You must balance your personal, spiritual, family and recreational roles with your professional roles. During your life journey there will be on-going career goals to balance with the aforementioned goals. Answering these questions might help you find focus as you explore your life balance goals. How can I make the right decisions? How can I prioritize big tasks? How can I divide labor? How can I maintain health, fitness, and peace of mind? What can I delegate? What can I table or suspend for now? Who can help me attain life balance? Answering these questions and others will help “trigger” life balance goals. Remember, goals enable you to do more for yourself and others! Life balance Goals Worksheet: Start all Personal and Professional Life Balance Goals with the phrase I will………….. Personal Goals (jot list) Professional Goals (jot list) I will marry and settle down with my family I will pursue my doctorate in Conflict in 3 months to remain focus in my life endeavors. Management, Development Studies or Community Development in 3-5years. I will establish businesses to provide job I will register and sit for professional opportunities, and serve as incubation centre examination as a Management Consultant for enterprising minds and a financial lifeline in next 6 months. for economically viable but sidelined individuals/groups. I will establish a charity/non-for-profit in the next I will register for short duration courses in 12-36 months to empower the weak and Project Management, Monitoring and vulnerable in the community. Evaluation and Social/Community Work in the next 6-12 months. I will establish a Consulting Firm to explore new windows of opportunities in the local and regional project-related service provider market. I will publish 3 papers in academic journals or books in the next 2 years. You have now completed the worksheets for the Personal/Professional Mission Statement and the Personal/Professional Life Balance Goals. Please examine these worksheets and create the final version of: PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL MISSION STATEMENT: (This should be no longer than paragraph ….some students create a separate personal and professional mission statement and that is fine) PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL LIFE BALANCE GOALS: (This should be no more than 7-10 life balance goals that all begin with the words “I will….”) I will become a professor and project manager whose reservoir of knowledge and wealth of experience will be useful to humanity. I will establish business and professional institutions to broaden opportunities for the young and enterprising but sidelined individuals/groups. PERSONAL DEFINITIONS During our OLS 263 course, we have articles that deal with the concepts of Leadership, Ethics, Service and Character. The question is, what do these terms mean to you? To other leaders? It is now time for you to personally define these four terms. Using your personal opinion, at least one citation/quotation from our text, and/or other resources, all students should create a personal definition for the following terms: Leadership: Leadership is the ability to influence the decisions and actions of others using power, virtues and charisma. Ethics: Ethics are beliefs and values upheld by individuals in organizational settings to define the boundaries of acceptable behaviors. Character: Character is the outward expression of the dynamism of the complex interaction between systems operating within and without human body. Service: Service is a willful action done to achieve selfless goals. References Read More