Fillable Printable A Reflective Paper On
Fillable Printable A Reflective Paper On
A Reflective Paper On
Personal Leadership Development Plan
My Personal
Leadership and Development Plan
Dan Grumbles
LDR-510
Dorothy Cucinelli
January 24, 2003
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Personal Leadership Development Plan
Abstract
Executive Summary:
Personal Leadership and Development Plans have several factors involved in them. To
begin with, one needs to determine where the starting point is as well as all the various
aspects involved with current position, location and associated responsibilities. After
understanding and documenting these factors, a study of future plans is necessary.
Capturing these future plans in a written form allows a person the opportunity to make
comparative studies of both a positive and negative nature, which can be referred to as a
B verses C. These lists of positive and negative results can then be used to determine
future direction and the action plan developed and implemented to get you there. Once
the plan is developed and implemented a system for monitoring progress and
performance should be utilized to insure successful completion of the project or task.
Pre-Planning:
An example of this activity would be my decision to return to school for my Masters
Degree. I am fortunate enough to work for an employer who reimburses the costs
associated with tuition, books, supplies and fees related to a degree in a field of study
which applies to my current work assignment. While this is a very positive motivation by
itself, there are many factors that must first be considered.
Time available to complete coursework and attend classes
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Personal Leadership Development Plan
Learning ability
Travel percentage and availability of computer use
Family obligations
Work schedule changes
Costs associated with class work
Lack of consideration of any of these factors can lead to a failure to reach the goal, which
is to obtain my Masters Degree with an acceptable GPA.
Based on this process I was able to do a comparative analysis and determined the time
was right to pursue a degree program if it were based totally online. A residence program
was out of the question based on my time and travel constraints. At this point in the
process I then started a search for a program that would meet all of my specific
requirements.
My Leadership Development Plan:
Personal growth is perhaps the most important aspect of my development plan, at my
age the opportunities for my professional growth within my existing manufacturing
organization is somewhat limited. Unless I can locate another organization that is in need
of extensive experience within the manufacturing community, I am somewhat limited to
my current or perhaps one more additional level of responsibility. Even though a Masters
Degree will never hurt my professional opportunities, it is the growth in self-realization
that will allow me to contribute more to the process of positive change and continued
growth of industry; either as a leader within an organization, a teacher of future leaders or
as a consultant to existing or new organizations.
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Personal Leadership Development Plan
The following format is the method I use to base my decisions on; it allows me the
opportunity to look at various options, inputs and outcomes prior to implementation and
the resultant mistakes associated with implementing without understanding all the
variation that will impact the actions. While I will never be able to capture all the sources
of variation, by understanding the major sources, I can develop contingency plans to
address those variables that were missed in the initial process, thus reducing the extent of
any mistakes and failures based on the initial analysis.
Plan Format:
Current
Status
Associated
Conditions
Desired Results or
Outcome
Associated
Variables
Action Plan
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Personal Leadership Development Plan
Corporate
Manager
Corporate
Manager
Change
Agent
Lack of
Authority
Extensive
Travel
Lack of
positive
leadership
from
superiors
Lack of
resources
Lack of
resources
Remain
Change
Agent
Receive
backing
from
Directors
Reduce
travel by
50%
Set
example
and model
positive
leadership
for
superiors
Obtain
budget
and staff
to assist
remote
facilities
Company
may want
to restrict
change
Directors
involvement
is related to
personal
knowledge
and drive
Travel is
related to
needs of the
organization
and number
of business
units
assigned
Travel is
related to
Plant
Manager
performance
Modeling of
a positive
Leadership
style may
conflict with
directional
style of CEC
Budget is
closely
controlled
by CEC
level.
Continue to drive positive
change based on successful
outcomes. Document
improvements and present to
CEC
Challenge Director level to think
outside box and embrace positive
change as a method to future
success. Present data to show
improved metrics based on
positive changes implemented
within each business
Organize travel to address
highest level of need within each
business. Extend time within
business units to allow
completion of implementation
Continue to Model Learning
Organization Leadership Style
regardless of external and
internal pressures
Solicit independent budget for
necessary items and
resources to allow for
ongoing
Implementation of needed
positive change
Maintain tight budget
controls and
demonstrated physical
responsibility
Current
Status
Associated Conditions Desired Results or
Outcome
Associated
Variables
Action Plan
Undergraduate
Degree
Limited
opportunity for
internal
advancement
Limited
Marketability
external to
current
employer
Earn
Masters
Degree
Available
time
Available
resources
Travel
locations
Computer
access
Personal
Collect needed
data to determine
feasibility of
starting Masters
Program
Find online
Degree Program
Seek approval
from family and
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Personal Leadership Development Plan
Limited
personal growth
capability
Family
Obligatio
n
Support
from
current
employer
employer to
provide support
Complete
registration
process
Develop and
maintain schedule
for participation
Future Status Sought-after
Criteria
Desired Results or
Outcome
Associated
Variables
Action Plan
Director / Vice
President of
Lean
Manufacturing
and Quality
Director / Vice
President of
Lean
Manufacturing
and Quality
Learning
Organization
Stable
Business
Model
Growth
Potential
High
employee
morale
Long-term
planning
Embrace
positive
change
Suppo
rt structure
for
employee
growth
Integri
ty based
leadership
Benefi
ts Package
Salary
Long term
employment in a
growth oriented
Learning
Organization
Continued
potential for
advancement
based on
performance
Personal
satisfaction based
on realization of
implementing
belief structure
Personal
satisfaction based
on realization of
implementing
belief structure
Organizational
leadership in
process of
replacement
Location
Product
Manufacturing
processes and
facilities
Business Plan
Reputation
Employee
turnover rate
Future growth
plans
Personal
qualifications
Interest in my
employment
Applicable
knowledge and
experience
Collect data on
organization to
consider for future
employment
Network with trusted
associates
Develop related
questions to
determine fit into the
new organization
Provide detailed list
of personal
expectations
Consider physical
location of facilities
Collect internal data
to review current
employee relations
such as turnover rates,
EHS scores etc
Timeline:
6
Present
Masters
Seek New
Employment
Find New
Employment
1
st
. Qtr. 2003
Continued
Growth
3
rd
. Qtr. 2004
3rd. Qtr. 2003 Ongoing
Personal Leadership Development Plan
Training, Education & Experience:
Training for continued growth needs to include any external seminars relating to both
formal professional as well as personal aspects leading to a complete understanding of
Learning Organizations and their impact on professional growth within the
manufacturing community. In addition continued growth within specific disciplines
dealing with Quality and Lean Manufacturing would enhance career opportunities within
and without the resident organization.
Education would take the form of certified class work both internal and external and
completion of my Masters Degree with perhaps continuation into a Doctorate level at
some point (Which would hopefully lead to a teaching position after my legs give out).
My work experiences should continue along the same lines. I currently have exposure to
and interface with all aspects and levels of the organization. I am currently responsible
for several different plants which are all involved in manufacturing different products in
different locations throughout the world. I work closely with Vice Presidents, Directors,
Peers, Plant Managers, Business Unit Managers, Supervisors and the Shop Floor
Workforce. The most beneficial part of this current situation is that I’m able to learn from
every one of them on a daily basis.
Skills:
As I am continually exposed to the various aspects of manufacturing as well as formal
education and training, I find my skill set has never stopped growing. The primary
purpose for this is my tendency to make mistakes and learn from them. While at times I
am capable of continued or repetitive mistakes, I do try to keep the re-occurrences to a
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Personal Leadership Development Plan
minimum. An example of this occurred to me as a young boy. My father always told me
to look deeply within the worst things and take away something good. One day I was in a
horse pasture with a stick poking around in a pile of horse manure. My father saw me and
asked me what I was doing. I told him “ I’m looking for the pony”. This skill has
developed over the years and now mixed with experience I know there are no ponies in
the manure, however I also know you can grow good corn with it and feed ponies.
Monitoring Success and Failure:
Success is based on the completion of a task or goal with a positive outcome. While I
intend to earn my Masters Degree with a high GPA, it’s the actual earning of the degree
that counts the most to me and will determine success. Ego and pride, at times, can
interfere with completion of task. If a lower grade is awarded, it should in fact motivate
me to greater effort rather than causing me to give up and drop out. While, in the past I
have taken a career path based on opportunity instead of plan, I can now say I have made
many choices during the past several years based on a solid plan with considerations of
all the various aspects and variables placed before me. This has allowed me to grow both
as a professional and as a person.
One of the tools I use to track and monitor my progress is Microsoft Project. This
software is specifically designed to identify tasks and goals, provide a timeline and show
progress of the task associated with each timeline. It allows for continued edits and
additions to the list and is an easy method to track efforts. While this allows the tracking
of a project or task it is also important to evaluate the progress of the project or task. A
simple tool I use for this is shown below:
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Personal Leadership Development Plan
As you can see this provides an easy to understand visual of what needs to happen. The
green area reflects acceptable grades, the yellow area indicates additional work needs to
be done and the red area indicates a lack of effort on my part. Anything below red
indicates a failure on my part to meet my goals and objectives. Using this type of tool
helps me keep up with my progress in an easy manner. It also provides me a quick
motivational kick if and when I drop to unacceptable levels of performance.
Summary:
As a senior member of the workforce, I can rely on my years of experience to get me
through the workday. As a life long Change Agent and student of continuous
improvement I want to do more than that. In order to achieve this level of growth I must
actively pursue training, education and professional work experiences that push me
beyond my current capabilities. While this pursuit is ongoing and changes over time, I
have found that I can use many of the tools I’ve learned in earlier years to develop and
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85
Score
Min. Acceptable Score 92.5
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7
This Model Is a Sample Only.
It does not reflect actual weeks
or scores.
Personal Leadership Development Plan
track an action plan. Understanding variation, inputs and outputs allows me to make
decisions I would otherwise be un-prepared for. This ability allows for a higher success
rate and task completion at an acceptable level. To be successful you must:
Know who you are
Know where you’re at
Know where you want to go
Know how to get there
Know when you’ve arrived
Know where you want to go next
In the end it doesn’t matter how you plan it, do it and track it. As long as you plan it, do it
and track it.
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