Fillable Printable Printable Personal Development Plan Example

Printable Personal Development Plan Example

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN

FOR

TSGT SAMUEL A. MORSE

ROBERT D. GAYLOR NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER ACADEMY

DECEMBER 5, 2013

INSTRUCTOR: TSgt Hernandez

PART I: PERSONAL VALUES

Innovative expertise is essential in today’s constantly changing environment. While expertise

provides the exact right answer to a previously seen problem, innovative expertise gives the

cognitive flexibility to meet new challenges and find more efficient ways to solve current

problems. I pride myself on my ability to adapt and overcome both as a leader and as a follower.

Moral courage in the face of adversity paves the way for the rest of my personal values. It’s the

foundation on which we can get the mission completed the right way at the right time. It is also

the foundation of trust amongst my peers, my subordinates, and myself. A strong moral compass

and a truthful tongue can solve the biggest of problems.

A focus on mission success may seem to be an obvious value when it comes to leadership, but I

think it deserves specific consideration. All the hard work in the world is meaningless if the goal

is not met or the task is left undone. This is also the fine line between doing what is asked and

doing what is needed. We must always strive to look beyond the task at hand and make sure what

we do paves the way for both current and future success.

Loyal dissent is a concept borrowed from my last wing commander, Col. Mark August. It is a

value in both my subordinates and myself. The concept of loyal dissent is voicing concerns and

trepidations with the sole intent of the betterment of the organization. By encouraging loyal

dissent, I can create an atmosphere where purpose and principle are set ahead of egos and even

careers. It allows problems to be solved before the become too big to handle at the lowest level

and keeps my subordinates engaged in the task at hand, giving them ownership of the process.

Professional development in both skills knowledge and managerial knowledge cannot be

understated. Stagnation is the death morale and productivity. Continuous learning and

development can lead to fresh, new ideas and possibilities. In Public Affairs, this is especially

true because market trends and public opinion are constantly shifting. Only through research and

development can a PA professional adapt to those shifts and communicate the Air Force story

effectively.

PART II: Leadership Vision Statement

As a leader, I want to follow the transformational leadership model. I should be the idealized

influence, a person of undisputed expertise and moral courage. I should be inspirational, driving

my subordinates to work their hardest because they know I accept nothing but the best from them

and because they take personal satisfaction in a job well-done. I should be giving my

subordinates individualized consideration, so they know how much I care, and that this is not just

a job for me. I should also be able to intellectually stimulate my subordinates so they know the

only dumb question is the one never asked, and that they are free to exceed the possibilities set

by their forebears.

My goal with every team I have led, and every team I lead in the future, is to have my team set

the bar for others, to be the organization that is the undisputed leader in innovation, integrity,

service, and excellence. My team will be the one others look to when they want to see how the

mission should be done, as well as the one others wish they could be a part of.

As I ascend to higher levels of leadership, this concept will not change. If I am a MAJCOM

functional, my MAJCOM will be the best trained and most equipped. If I work for the Defense

Media Activity or Air Force Public Affairs Agency, we will be the envy of our civilian

counterparts and sister services. In the off chance I make it to be Chief Master Sergeant of the

Air Force, I will pen an new chapter of excellence in the world’s greatest Air Power.

PART III: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Throughout this course, I identified a number of strengths and weaknesses.

My first strength is my ability to communicate an idea, regardless of medium. This largely ties

to my job as a military photojournalist, but my communicative ability stems from my upbringing

amongst teachers and creative professionals. Everything from playing word games on car trips to

my eventual collegiate training in visual communications set the stage for my successes. Add to

that five years of Public Affairs experience and I’ve learned how to effectively convey a concept

or change an opinion using the least amount of words possible. That’s not to say my writings and

speeches are short, but rather that everything supports the idea and nothing is repeated.

Another strength I’ve identified is my predisposition to mediation and negotiation. Perhaps

this is another skill from my upbringing, acting as the mediator between two fighting sisters.

While I’m not generally decisive myself, I can generally work with two or more people to come

to a mutually beneficial decision. This has been particularly evident in the interpersonal

communication lessons, despite not doing so well on the formative exercise.

During the four lenses lesson, I realized that I have a unique combination of cold analysis and

empathy (i.e. a combination of blue and green as my primary color). While this can be a

weakness due to the inherent discord of polar opposites, I see this as a strength as well. The

empathy in particular is useful to me as a leader, and something I feel I should tap into more.

Finding a balance between the two will be key, as well as deferring to the appropriate side when

selecting a leadership style for a given situation.

A definite weakness I’ve realized is my lack of traditional credentials. I have two certifications

and a bevvy of other non-traditional credentials, but the Air Force needs other “boxes checked.”

I’ve known for a while that I’d like to be a tech school instructor, but I seem to have forgotten

that I need my CCAF for that position. I will also need a bachelor’s degree to really be

competitive for SMSgt and CMSgt.

Another weak area is my personal resiliency. Perhaps part of having a dominance in blue and a

lack of gold has made me someone who wears my heart on my sleeve and doesn’t always make

time to take care of myself. Many of the resiliency mechanisms discussed in class are missing in

my life. I need to find ways to prevent myself from burning out and taking things too personally.

My last weak area was actually the first identified, my terrible memory, especially with names.

While not necessarily an aspect of the course material, it posed problems when I needed to

address my classmates. It has caused problems for my job as well, being in a career which deals

with people on a regular basis. My OIC even made a comment about it shortly before I left for

NCOA, and made the observation that memory can be improved with deliberate practice.

PART IV: DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN

I plan to continue developing my communication skills through workshops and programs hosted

by the Defense Information School (DINFOS) such as the Worldwide Military Photography

Workshop (WMPW) and Public Affairs Qualification Course (PAQC) as well as local workshops

hosted by organizations such as the “Top 3.” Many of the workshops are yearly, whereas PAQC

is a one-shot item. PAQC should be completed within the next five years to prepare for a

superintendent role, class opening permitting. Success can be measured by transitioning from

participant to mentor in workshops and winning higher-level awards in the DoD information

awards programs. Success can also be measured by the successes of packages for subordinate

awards/decorations, or effectiveness of Public Affairs communications plans.

Mediation and empathy are somewhat innate skills. My primary means of developing them will

be to use them whenever possible. In the balance of my empathic and analytic sides, it will take

deliberate observation of the effect each side has when it is used on a given situation, finding

patterns to get a better feel for when one is better than the other. Leadership development

workshops held at whatever base I’m stationed at would be a good secondary means of

development. Success can be measured by degree of success in mediation sessions with Airmen,

as well as my ability to act on my empathy and analysis, creating referent power to help my

Airmen. I’m estimating promotion to MSgt within the next five years, so I should have that

referent power developed by then.

I plan to increase my traditional credentials base knowledge for future advancement through

education. Within the next year, I plan to finish my CCAF degree as I apply for a bachelor’s

degree program. My ideal program would be the new Bachelor of Science in Music Production

degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. This will not only help with my

credentials, setting me up for special duties such as tech school instructor, but also help with my

audio-visual skills development as well. Assuming the bachelor’s degree can be completed

within the next five years, a possible subsequent degree could be the Master’s of Science in New

Media Journalism from Full Sail University. Success will be measured by completion of

degree(s).

My personal resiliency can definitely use some work. I plan to take advantage of classes hosted

by base agencies such as the chapel, Health and Wellness Center, and the Airman & Family

Readiness Center. There is no specific timeframe for these classes, but success can be measured

by evening out the manic cycles of work and rest I fall into, as well taking my job less personally

while still maintaining a dedication to the mission. This will certainly be easier said than done.

Memory will be both the hardest and most straightforward weakness to remedy. I plan to make a

conscious effort to read the nametapes and ranks of everyone I encounter at work and practice

memorizing them. Hopefully, exercising my brain in this fashion will make memorization easier,

as well as make the commission of names to memory habit rather than the exception. Eventually,

this should transfer to names given over the phone as well. Practicing by memorizing names and

dates presented in the history portion of the PDG could help too, with the added benefit of

making me more ready for promotion testing. Success will be measured by how easily I can

remember names each year. If this process alone is insufficient to improve my memory, there are

other avenues and resources, such as internet-based memory exercises, which could help.