Leadership Development Plan Essay
Running head: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN Leadership Development Plan Marcus N. T.
Smith University of Phoenix LDR 711- Leadership Theory and Practice Dr. Jane Armstrong One of the most important aspects of leadership is self-knowledge and particularly awareness of your priorities and values. As a leader it is imperative to improve your leadership ability on an everyday basis.
Great leaders have great strategic dreams, visions of what could be and what they think should be. In this paper I will be discussing my plan and the theories that support my plan.I will also be discussing my leadership strengths and weaknesses and how I will capitalize on my strengths and improve on my weaknesses. I will focus on the type of leader I am now and the steps that I will need to become the leader I want to be in the future. I will give a detailed time line and process that I will use to further the progress of my leadership skills and abilities.
I will also discuss how I will use my leadership development plan to influence every aspect of the leadership process and finally I will assess and modify my plan to ensure I stay on track.I believe everyone has a different way of leading and the leadership style depends on the type of personality and what is more comfortable. I prefer the situational leadership theory. Chen states (2005), in Situational Leadership Theory, leadership effectiveness is thought to be enhanced if a manager uses the style of leadership that best matches the readiness, ability and willingness of subordinates and that a good match between leadership style and subordinate readiness leads to a higher level of subordinate satisfaction and performance. I believe that situational leadership is based on the subordinates skill level and abilities.In my self-assessment “what’s my leadership style” I scored an eight for concern for people and 10 for concern for tasks. The analysis and interpretation states that the best leaders are ones that can balance their task/people orientation to various situations.
A high score on both would indicate this balance. There are other self-assessments that I have taken to assess my leadership ability, such as “How Charismatic Am I” which I scored 19 on management of self, “How Good Am I at Building and Leading a Team” which I scored 84, “How Power-Oriented Am I” which I scored 13, “What’s My Preferred Type of Power” which my highest score 4. was in expert and legitimate, “What’s My Preferred Conflict-Handling Style” which my highest score 18 was in compromising and “What’s My Emotional Intelligence Score” which I scored 45.
All of these self-assessments gave me insight into what my strengths and weaknesses are and what I needed to improve in order expand my leadership skills and abilities. Situational leadership is the style I use to lead my staff. My major leadership strengths are being adaptable, motivating others, and my emotional intelligence. My weaknesses are not being more empathetic to one’s needs or situation.Future leaders must understand themselves. Self-awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses and knowing one’s values and principles is essential to ethical leadership (Nahavandi, 2006). Leaders cannot achieve their full potential unless they know who they are and what they stand for.
They cannot lead others unless they know themselves where they are going (Nahavandi, 2006). I will capitalize on my strengths by continuing to educate myself, keeping up-to-date on new leadership techniques and also to keep motivating my subordinates to improve their skills.I will improve my weaknesses by continually educating myself and learning from those stronger in my areas of need. According to Yukl (2006), leadership competencies can be developed in a number of ways, including (1) formal training, (2) developmental activities, and (3) self-help activities.
Most formal training occurs during a defined time period, and it is usually conducted away from the manager’s immediate work site by training professionals (e. g. , a short workshop at a training center, a management course at a university) (Yukl, 2006).According to Yukl (2006), much of the skill essential for effective leadership is learned from experience rather than from formal training programs. A lifetime learner is accepting that you are never finished educating yourself and by continuing to educate yourself, you become self-aware that learning is an ongoing process that cannot be completed. According to Yukl (2006), leadership training can take many forms, from short workshops that last only a few hours and focus on a narrow set of skills, to programs that last for a year or more and cover a wide range of skills.The leader that I am today is confident but still inexperienced. I still have plenty to learn in order to be the leader I want to be in the future.
I want to be a leader who is always striving for perfection and always keeping an open mind to the possibility of change and new leadership techniques. Nahavandi states (2006), despite our knowledge, there is also much we still do not know. Leadership as we traditionally know it—command and control—does not address the rapid social, cultural, and organizational changes that are occurring globally (Nahavandi, 2006).This is why we need to be always vigilant and open minded to the new theories that are always being introduced in this global society.
According to Nahavandi (2006), future leaders must remain flexible and open to new experiences and welcome and manage change. Leaders in the twenty-first century need a willingness to experiment, to push the limits of their assumptions, and to consider the inconceivable (Nahavandi, 2006). There is not an accurate timeline to assess when I will become the leader I eventually want to be.I may never reach the level of leadership I want to obtain just because of my drive for perfection and the thirst I have for knowledge.
I do have a plan that will increase my leadership skills and abilities. Education is one of the major instruments in which I increase my knowledge and skill, from my service in the military, from undergraduate to graduate degree and now to the pursuit of my doctoral degree all of these are the avenues I have taken to increase my leadership skill.My experiences in the workplace and in management has given me knowledge and insight that I would have never gained from just schooling alone, other avenues that I would use to increase my leadership abilities are workshops, self-help activities, leadership development seminars and an experienced leader who have the same professional and moral beliefs to be my mentor. I have had a plan in place for years and so far it has worked well majority of the time. My plan started when I first join the military right out of high school and then on to college. My plan for increasing my leadership ability is focused on education.
I believe education is the driving force that will impact my leadership at my place of employment and in my personal endeavors. Maintaining your leadership development plan is constant everyday task. How I assess the progress of my leadership skills and abilities are the success I obtain within my organization. I have had to modify my plan quite a few times when I was an undergraduate I had to sit out of school for a couple of years so I was thrown off track for a while but by having a plan and a goal helped me to complete my degree requirements two years later.This will be the same plan I will use going forward, modifying it when life throws you a curve ball. In this paper, I have discussed my leadership style and the theories that influence my ideals and beliefs.
I plan to use my leadership development plan strategically to further enhance my leadership skills and ability at a rate most beneficial to me. I have identified my strengths and weaknesses and what I need to do take advantage of those strengths and weaknesses. I have also analyzed the leader I am today and the leader expects me to be in the future.The tools that I will use to close the gap that I am now to the leader I would like to become are in place.
The leadership development plan that I have in place is what will keep me on track with my leadership goals. References Chen, J. , & Silverthorne, C. (2005). Leadership effectiveness, leadership style and employee readiness. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 26(3/4), 280.
Nahavandi, A. (2006). The art and science of leadership (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in Organizations (6th ed. ).
: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
