Running head: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Personal Leadership Development Plan

Personal Leadership Development Plan
An effective leader must have a plan for success. This includes a personal plan of growth as well
as a professional plan for improvement. This paper will attempt to highlight my personal
strengths and weaknesses as leader, identify the areas needed for improvement, and identify the
leadership skills and practices that I will use to become an effective leader. This paper will also
give an outline of the goals that I consider a priority and a timeline for this development. The
overall result will be an inclusive leadership plan of development that I will use to grow myself
as well as any organization that I work for in the future.
The assessments in the text allowed clear insight into areas pertaining to my leadership skills.
Each assessment challenged me to look within and theorize how I currently handle or would
handle different situations. Each scenario highlights real world applications that exhibit the type
of leader that I desire to be. This is mostly done by exposing my areas of strengths and
weaknesses in my leadership abilities.
Strengths
An effective leader should be able to draw on his or her strengths to better lead their
subordinates. I am able to identify many areas where my strengths are. For instance, I am highly
organized. Organization is a key aspect of being an effective leader. I have always found it easier
to manage my day when I have a to-do-list that I follow. This allows me to clearly the see the

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tasks that need to be completed for the day. Following the list gives order to an otherwise chaotic
situation. My subordinates will be able to look to me to provide clear instructions on the days
tasks that need to be done. This can include giving meeting agendas, personal goals and follow
up emails. This type of organization will keep goals and tasks in line.
I will apply this same type of structure in the organization that I am leading. Employees will
respond better when working with a leader that provides clear instructions. This can range from
providing meeting itineraries to giving follow up emails that ties together all the information
presented. Having tangible and well organized material can help others to work towards the same
goals. I will work with my subordinates to formulate and achieve their personal goals.
Other strengths that I exhibit include being structured, responsible, articulate, task-oriented,
determined, confident, effective planner, visionary, and possessing the ability to manage
resources effectively. Being structured allows me to set parameters that we can all work within to
achieve the overall company goals. Structure builds bonds and a sense of cohesiveness in the
workplace. This type of unity will be necessary for the success of the organization. We can all
work towards common goals if clear goals are outlined for everyone. The other strengths will all
work together as well.
Combining these skills will allow me to have followers that are knowledgeable and eager to
embark on the journey to achieving the companys goals. This will involve utilize my resource
management skills effectively as well. This simply involves fully using the resources I have in a
healthy way. Each one has something different to contribute and I should embrace and encourage
these differences so that each one will feel that they are valuable. These positive attributes will
enhance the work relationship that I have with my subordinates because they will see that they

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are following someone who is knowledgeable and capable of leading. It is my hope that these
same qualities I posses will be mirrored in those that I lead in order to secure the success of the
organization that we represent.
Weaknesses
Through reading the text and completing the assessments I was able to find my weaknesses as
well. Knowing and acknowledging my weaknesses can only serve to make me better in my
position. I am able to see the areas where work is needed so that I can lead effectively. Some of
the areas where improvement is needed include expanding administrative skills, working on
interpersonal skills, and improving self-confidence.
Because I tend to lean heavily on tasks and less on relationships I may find it difficult to enlist
the trust of my subordinates. I have issues with relating to them on a level beyond a work
relationship. It has been difficult in the past to keep those lines clear and maintain that position of
authority without sacrificing getting to know them as an individual. This is an area that I will
work to improve on. The text highlights a personal style of relationship-oriented. This refers to
connecting with people rather than seeking out tasks (Northouse 2012).
Lack of self-confidence can be a result of not be as knowledgeable in certain areas. The feelings
that others have more training or education that I have leads to feelings of anxiety which
translates in displaying a level of lower esteem for myself. This preconceived notion that others
are superior and I am sometimes inferior can be the reasoning behind my interpersonal skills as
well.
Areas for Improvement

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Any good leader should be able to outline areas where improvement is needed. This will allow
me to work to better myself so that I can be effective in leading. I have been able to identify
several areas where improvement is needed in order for me to be a successful and effective
leader. These areas for improvement include: communication skills, interpersonal skills,
confidence, focusing on relationships and not just tasks, and improving technical competence.
Communication skills are necessary to get important information across to my subordinates.
Often times the main source of office conflict is miscommunication. As a leader I should be able
to clearly articulate important information that I need to get across to my subordinates. This can
be in the form of writing or verbally. Regardless of the method of communication it should be
clear and well thought out in an attempt to keep down confusion and to ensure that all team
members are on the same page.
Interpersonal skills are people skills (pg89). This simply refers to the way that I interact with
others. I must step outside of my comfort zone in order to strengthen these skills. A sincere
approach must be made to highlight the person more and the task less. Each member of the team
should be made to feel as if they are important. This comes with being in touch with my own
feelings so that I am able to relate to the way that others are feeling as well. The text refers to this
insight as social perceptiveness. Social perceptiveness is being aware of what is important to
others, how they are motivated, the problems they face, and how they react to change (pg 89).
Technical competence involves having specialized knowledge about the work we do and ask
others to do (pg88). This is vital to being an effective leader. I must know and understand
everything about the organization before I envision change and set goals for followers. Being
flexible and varied in my knowledge will aide me in improving in this area.

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