Personal Leadership Strategic Plan (Formal Paper). In a formal word document format paper, using assessments in Modules 1-3, evidence from the Review Matrix,
Personal Leadership Strategic Plan (Formal Paper)
In a formal word document format paper, using assessments in Modules 1-3, evidence from the Review Matrix, and taking into consideration what you’ve learned in your readings and assignments throughout the course, formulate a Personal Leadership Strategic Plan.
· This may present for you an opportunity to incorporate the “burning question” that you have as a nurse.
· After thoughtful reflection of previously submitted Personal SWOT Analysis (mentally reflect on your strengths, how you can use your strengths to develop as a leader throughout your career, areas that you need to develop, and strategies that you can use to overcome limitations and enhance your leadership potential)
· Construct the APA formatted narrative paper according to the following criteria:
· Introduce your personal strategic leadership plan. Provide a thesis statement. (1 paragraph)
· Write your personal leadership vision. Where do you see yourself in the context of leadership in the nursing profession in 10-20 years? How influential would you like to be in your community, nationally, or internationally? (1 paragraph)
· Write your mission or purpose as a leader in the nursing profession. What do you want to be known for and why? For example: researcher, advocator, policy maker, educator, quality improvement specialist, formal leader.
· Incorporate strengths of self-mastery from the book, Jesus CEO. (1-3 paragraphs)
· Write SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time tested) goals. Then list the actions you will take to achieve each goal and plot a timeline for each action. Incorporate strengths of action and strengths of relationships from the book, Jesus CEO. (2-6 paragraphs)
· Provide conclusion; succinctly summarize key “take home” elements for reader. (1 paragraph)
· Use all course readings and assignments; and incorporate evidence from “Review Matrix” assignment which includes literature to support your chosen vision, mission, goals, and actions.
· Utilize APA format, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics including level headings.
· Submission should be no longer than 8 pages double spaced including title page, and references
· For grading criteria, see Personal Leadership Strategic Plan Rubric.
As the name implies, a leadership development plan outlines the steps that you intend to take in order to be a better leader. A plan should include skills you need to improve, responsibilities you want to take on, and tasks that you hope to complete.
Many leadership development plans serve as agreements between an employer and an employee. In these cases, the plan has benefits that extend beyond the individual. When leadership development is aligned with business strategy, organizations are able to link their investments in supporting potential leaders—such as internal training programs or tuition reimbursements—to broader goals and strategic plans.
Such alignment increases the likelihood that your manager and other stakeholders within the organization will give your personal leadership plan the stamp of approval.
Of course, individuals can also create their own personal leadership development plans. This type of plan can be helpful if you hope to get a new job at a different company, apply your current skills to a new industry, or pursue educational opportunities, such as a degree completion program.
Prior to creating your personal leadership development plan, the American Management Association recommends that you make a list of what you feel are the 10 to 15 characteristics of an effective leader. Some of these traits should be specific to your current or desired industry or role, while others should apply to leadership in general.
Creating this list of leadership qualities will help you assess your own skills. Some of the characteristics on the list may require both professional and personal growth and are therefore worth including in your development plan. Other traits may be core strengths that are worth noting in your plan but will be a low priority for further development. Successful leaders tend to have many qualities in common, so it should be easy to identify which traits are a strength for you and which traits will require some improvement.
GovLeaders.org, a resource for managers and leaders in the public sector, suggests that you think about a “life mission statement.” Similar to a corporate mission statement, this is meant to link your leadership development efforts with your long-term personal and professional goals. This is an important step, as it ensures that the steps you take to improve your leadership skills do not conflict with the type of work that you want to do.
After you have given some thought to your long-term leadership goals and the leadership qualities you’d like to improve, it’s time to create your personal leadership development plan.
Since the document is personal, it should take on the style and format that works best for the way that you take in information. Some people may use a spreadsheet; others may prefer a chart. No matter the format, there are several key things that every personal leadership development plan should include:
Leaders have a number of job responsibilities that are specific to a role as a supervisor. These can include running meetings, providing feedback, sharing information in front of groups, and making personnel decisions. Identify the skills that align with your leadership development goals but are not part of your existing job responsibilities. If someone you currently work with has these skills, ask if you can shadow them or practice with them. If not, look for external resources that will help you build these skills.
In addition to tactical skills, there are a number of strategic responsibilities that a leader can expect to take on. These can include starting a new project, turning around a project that is not going well, managing larger and more mission-critical projects, and managing in a crisis. As with building skills, it’s important to identify these key tasks that align with your goals and develop a plan to gain the necessary experience.
As a leader, you interact with a variety of stakeholders on a regular basis. Many are within your organization and include department heads, front-line employees, and managers with different skill sets but similar tenure. Others are outside your organization and range from customers and suppliers to board members and other members of the business community. As you build a leadership development plan, identify the stakeholders with whom you’d like to have a stronger, mutually beneficial relationship and reach out to start the conversation.
Effective leaders strike a balance between day-to-day tasks and long-term responsibilities. They focus on the work that is most closely aligned with their expertise and trust others within the organization everything else, ensuring that projects are not delayed and that employees remain engaged. List the activities that are critical to professional development within your role, along with the activities that others are capable of completing themselves.
As noted, the specifics of a leadership development plan should include strengths as well as potential areas of improvement. For each area where you see potential to improve, include an action item, the timeframe in which you want to complete the task, and the cost (in time and/or money). Action items could include meeting with a mentor or manager, reading a book on leadership, completing a leadership assessment, or identifying training or educational opportunities.