Personal Leadership Development Plan Dave Forsberg Bethel University BUSN 600 Foundations of Business 3/20/2011
The Personal Leadership Development Plan will serve as my guide to personal and leadership growth. My focus is to become a value-based leader by serving my family, company, and community. I will take a critical review of how my strengths and development needs will affect these aspirations. Part 1 - Self-Assessment The review of the three assessments provided some revealing insights into my strengths and development areas as a values based leader. I discovered that I have established a core component of the 4-R model with my D.I.C.E relationship configuration. My strengths in the relationship area were recognized and validated by my leadership and peer groups. However, moving forward I need to create opportunities to learn and demonstrate effective abilities in the roles and responsibilities segment of the model. My priorities in life are structured as follows: my relationships with family and friends, my career and the community. My relationship with God has evolved over the past 25 years. I have maintained a strong personal relationship with God through engaging in daily dialogue and prayer. This open door policy is the foundation of the relationship role. Dynamic determination is my internal motor that pushes me to achieve my goals. The 360 feedback indicated that sustained determination was a recognized strength. It stated that I demonstrated energy and enthusiasm for my work, persisted in the face of obstacles, and believe that future challenges will be met successfully. My arranger and responsibility themes spoke to this relationship as well. When these themes align, they allow me to have the resolve to follow through on the numerous engagements I have undertaken. My determination will be critical in realizing my personal, professional, and community goals. Intellectual flexibility is critical for thought leadership. It provides me with the ability to take in a substantial amount of information, synthesize it, and then determine the best course of action to take. My colleagues indicated that I consistently ask questions, seek new knowledge, learn from past success 2
and mistakes, and am always open to new ideas. I am naïve enough to try almost any approach to a situation or problem. This has helped me to find unique solutions and maneuver difficult projects since I openly try different action plans to see what will be effective. These behaviors are all natural instincts stemming from my learner strength. I have an internal drive to learn. Target s leaders have recognized this theme as my signature strength. As a result, in 2011 they will be opening doors for me to grow and support the organization in new ways. My emotional EQ also revealed this aptitude by scoring high for flexibility. This shows that I have an effective ability to adjust thoughts to changing situations and conditions and am open-minded to differing opinions and ways of thinking. This strength is an incredible resource; however, it will drive me to seek new professional experiences in different areas of the company that can stimulate my interests. Character is the foundation that I have built my reputation on. I take personal accountability very seriously. Without character, my effectiveness as a values-based leader would not be possible. I appreciated and was humbled by the recognition that my leaders and peers indicated character as my top strength. I take pride in keeping promises, acting with integrity and always taking the responsibility for my actions. I find it very unfortunate when I see others failing to live up to higher standards. This element of the D.I.C.E is connected to my responsibility strength. Gallop states that those individuals with this strength take psychological ownership for anything they commit to and are emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. While I still consider this a strength, I have to remain aware that at times this strength will push me too hard to follow through on commitments. Lastly, BarOn revealed social responsibility is linked to my character as I am looking for ways to contribute to the community at large. I am actively seeking a role in local government. This experience will provide a great resource for developing the direction setter and change agent roles. Emotional maturity is my strength to connect, understand, and engage with the world. My relator strength coupled with my Empathy and Emotional self-awareness creates powerful tools to 3
engage in difficult situations in both the private and public arenas. In the work setting, this strength allows me to remain calm and resourceful in stressful situations. This is invaluable, as I typically do not succumb to rash decision making that can be crippling if it is a consistent theme in your execution capabilities. In my personal life, it allows me to be an understanding husband and friend. Empathy and emotional self-awareness are also strong traits. Having the awareness and appreciation of the feelings of others combined with my own comfort level of expressing my feelings has allowed me to connect with people in deep and meaningful ways. As a result, I often forge deep connections with people and learn a lot more about who they and how I can serve them in their own journey. My relator theme also plays a key role because people feel comfortable talking to me as a trusted confidant and friend. My relationship to God and my D.I.C.E foundation allow me to engage and utilize my collaborative quotient. The 360 feedback confirmed that my approach is positive and that I can create the networks and partnerships that deliver results. I accomplish this by earning the trust and respect of my colleagues. The assessments indicated that I successfully form agreeable relationships and alliances. I am interested in contributing to a larger narrative of life and realizing this will only be possible through the partnerships I create. I enjoy being a part of team and collectively working for something bigger than ourselves. While my D.I.C.E foundation is strong, I have development opportunities for the some of the roles and responsibilities. In the short term, I will have to focus on influencing without authority in the workplace. My specific development needs are for the roles of direction setter, change agent, and coach. I will also need to work on the responsibility themes of vision casting, aligning, and motivating. First, I believe that my 360 feedback did not rate me as favorably for the roles of direction setter and change agent since I am not in the traditional management role. Regardless, I need to invest more time into thought leadership regarding the direction my company is headed. Taking this approach will 4
also develop my vision-casting skills as it will incorporate the company s vision into new actionable steps. This will involve being more intentional in making process improvements and recognizing business opportunities that are not under my direct management. The lack of a Driving theme from Strengths Finder also fits this assessment, as I will need to take better ownership of the company s direction. I also need to evolve in the change agent role. This will involve identifying obstacles to change in our organization. When I recognize obstacles, I have to take action and not wait for it. I can actively promote new solutions or ask to head a new project team, anything to drive our change efforts. Without a formal position of authority I have sometimes waited for the direction. This will no longer be acceptable. Forming and driving new project teams will also allow me to develop my aligning responsibility. Success will only be possible if I am leading everyone towards the same goal. The last role that I want to challenge myself to improve in is coaching. Effective coaching is the key to developing an organization and society full of leaders. In light of the 4-R model and values-based leadership, I think it is even more important as to the how we develop those individuals. I take a very active role in developing relationships with my friends, peers and cross-functional partners. My social responsibility and interpersonal relationships allow these relationships to develop organically; and a deeper connection is made possible through my relator strength. However, I need to take more ownership of sharing my experience and expertise with these individuals. I will work on energizing my colleagues to reach key benchmarks. My ability to encourage comes through in my passion for what I am working on. When engaged with a new issue or situation, I feel like my enthusiasm is contagious. I need to be more thoughtful in asking the right questions instead of providing the answer when questioned. This will allow my peers to think critically on the issues rather than seek me out for the solution. I believe I have an incredible capacity to teach and therefore need to evaluate my approach to 5
this role moving forward. To be better equipped for this endeavor, I also need to start working regularly with my own coach. This will provide some powerful insight into the mentee/mentor relationship. The conclusion of the 4-R model is the results that my relationships, roles, and responsibilities allow me to achieve. The 360 feedback revealed that I drive results. My D.I.C.E foundation will allow me to continuously achieve the goals that I have set. Though I have some development needs in the roles and responsibility section of the model, I believe these are rough edges and not fatal flaws. I will use my relationship strengths outlined above to help round out some of these edges while remaining committed to maximizing my strengths. Step 2: Ten Questions 1. How do I fulfill my true potential? I believe all that God is doing in my life has a purpose. Constantly striving to better myself will allow me to maximize the strengths He has provided. 2. Am I constantly challenging myself to grow personally and professionally? Goal setting has been a key instrument in my development. I believe Bethel s MBA program will also provide a good framework for both areas. 3. Have I created a healthy life-work balance? My family is my first priority. Constant consideration of what my commitments will require will be the key for maintaining a healthy balance. 4. How do I demonstrate the roles of direction setter and change agent in my company from a position that has no executive powers? I have to demonstrate influencing without authority on a daily basis. Understanding and taking action on my organizations obstacles before directed will be a starting point. 5. How can I use strengths to contribute to a larger narrative? I want to use my strengths to obtain a more formal leadership role in my community. 6. Am I passionately engaged with my current career choice? Passion is a key ingredient for long-term success. While I am currently enjoying my role, I am looking at where my passion resides and how to align that with a new role. 6
7. What parts of my 360-feedback assessment are fatal flaws or rough edges? The feedback reveals only rough edges. However, I will take ownership to develop my roles and responsibilities to evolve and grow as a values-based leader. 8. How do I develop my abilities as a mentor/coach? I need more experience in this capacity. Therefore, I will actively seek out a mentoring opportunity. 9. Who will hold me accountable in my development? I will rely on my wife, close friends and peers that know me well. They will provide me with great feedback and direction on this journey. 10. Can formal leadership roles be achieved organically? Self-promotion is not in my DNA. I am team focused over individual interest. However, I am optimistic that in the right organization this is possible Step 3 Goals 1. By July 2014, I will be a father and therefore I will need to be creating the healthy balance for my life-work commitments to ensure that I am maximizing all of my relationships. Plan of Action A. By September 2011, I will have specific plans in place to ensure that I am spending quality time with family and friends. With my career on an upward trajectory and an intense MBA program, it is critical to manage my time effectively. I will set one night a week aside for time to be with my wife. She is my rock and I need to be support her in her endeavors. B. By March 2012, I will have a routine in place for family and friends to keep those relationships strong. I will create one event a month to get together with friends and family. Additionally, I will be reviewing my relationship with God to ensure this area is growing as well. C. By March 2014, I plan to be a father. I want to have created a career where I can ensure that I have the time to be present for my wife and my child. I want to be an engaged and active husband and dad. This will involve being very particular in what job opportunities I take and the requirements that will be necessary. I will strive for the life-career balance and will be as prepared as I can be. 2. By July 2014, I will have successfully served a two-year commitment to my community by serving on a city commission. This will help develop my direction setter and vision casting roles. Plan of Action 7
A. By September 2011, I will apply for a position on one of my city s commissions. I will focus on either the economic development or planning commission. B. By March 2012, I will have gained acceptance to one of the above commissions and will be an active member driving and leading community development initiatives. C. By March 2014, I will have successfully completed 2 years on the commission. To drive further engagement, I will run for city council to create more opportunities for community leadership that will entail maximizing the direction setter and vision casting roles and responsibilities. 3. By July 2014, I will have successfully transitioned into my company s government affairs or grocery pyramids to maximize and align my strengths. Both areas will be growing in the years to come and each present unique opportunities to challenge and develop several of my leadership components. Plan of Action A. By September 2011, I will have established contacts in each of the respective areas that will provide information regarding all relevant projects, job opportunities, and challenges in these areas. B. By March 2012, I will have earned a promotion to the next level in my current area. This promotion will set me up to move into a formal leadership position in one of these two identified areas. C. By March 2014, I will be interviewing for a position in one of these areas. By already being in an official leadership position in my current area, I will be ready to assume the roles of direction setter and change agent in these new developing areas. 4. By June 2014, I will have successfully established myself as a mentor captain within my organization. This will help me develop in the coach role and allow me to take more ownership of developing future leaders. Plan of Action A. By September 2011, I will be selected as a mentor for a new team member from the July 2010 training class. B. By March 2012, I will have completed mentoring my first official team member and looking for my next opportunity. In between these opportunities, I will be reviewing my approach in this capacity based on the feedback from follow up surveys that my mentee will complete. I will create action plans to address any key development opportunities. C. By March 2014, I will be a mentor captain for my pyramid. This will be the result of successfully mentoring 3-4 team members over the course of 2 years. At this point, I see my coaching role and motivating responsibility evolving to confirmed strengths. 8
Part 4 10 Resources 1. My Wife As my most trusted confidant, I always benefit from her knowledge and advice. 2. My Mentor/Coach This individual will provide me with constructive feedback for my personal and professional goals. This person will also be my key resource for how I approach and develop in my mentor role for others. 3. My Faith A powerful resource for wisdom, inspiration, and guidance. 4. My Personal Board of Directors This group will be resources for walking through strategy, holding me accountable for my stated objectives, and providing important feedback. 5. The Bethel MBA program I look to Bethel to provide a well-rounded curriculum and strong learning that will translate to actionable knowledge that I can use daily at home and work. 6. My MBO Cohort I look to my cohort to provide personal experience and insight views throughout our entire journey. 7. My Strengths Finder Results I will maximize my known strengths to achieve results in all areas of my life. 8. Meditations Marcus Aurelius A guide to practical wisdom for everyday life. to get back up when you fail, to celebrate behaving like a human-however imperfectly-and fully embrace the pursuit that you ve embarked on. 9. Mind Power Techniques to Harness the Astounding Powers of Thought John Kehoe Great insight into the power of the mind. It provides a practical guide into understanding our consciousness, reality, affirmations, and much more. 10. The Wall Street Journal Though this selection is not original, it is an excellent resource for daily use and insight. 9
References Hays, G. (2002). Marcus Aurelius: Meditations. New York: Random House, Inc. ISBN:0-8129-6825-5 Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press. ISBN: 978-159562-015-6 10