Based on the information below develop your Leadership Development Plan for 2 years.

• The development plan must link to the areas of the portfolio below.

Fill out the areas provided at the bottom

Leadership Purpose

My leadership purpose is to inspire and empower individuals to gain their highest potential while fostering a collaborative and innovative environment. In my opinion, effective leadership consists of guiding others towards a shared vision as well as enabling them to contribute their special strengths to achieving collective goals.

Values and Corresponding Behaviours

My most prominent values include:

Integrity - I make it my responsibility to always behave honestly and exercise transparency. My decisions are fundamentally based on ethical concerns as well as maintaining a consistency between what I say and how I behave (L. W. J. C. Huberts, 2018) .

Empathy -I always display understanding in all things as well as compassion towards others while listening actively to better understand and even contribute a different perspective or solutions for any issues faced (Hoffman, M. L. ,2000) .

Accountability -I make continuous efforts to take responsibility for my actions. I aim to promote a culture whereby all individuals are accountable for their decisions and performance (Mulgan, R. ,2000).

Collaboration -I consistently promote teamwork as well as open communication between everyone. I also value and leverage the assets and contributions of each person to better encourage their strategic usage (Powell et al. ,1996).

Innovation - I am motivated by creativity and experimentation. I support taking risks and even learning from mistakes as they are always opportunities for growth (Cohen et al,1989) .

Leadership Statement

I am a leader who believes in the power of transformational change. I continuously make efforts to foster a vision which will inspire and encourage others to surpass their own abilities and believe in themselves. What makes my approach unique is my ability to combine my empathy with transparency and a strategic mindset. This will allow for a strong bond filled with trust and loyalty- based relationships while driving innovative solutions to difficult obstacles.

Leadership SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. Strategic Thinking:I excel at developing long and short term planning which entails setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) goals.
2. Effective Communication:I am capable of conveying thoughts and ideas clearly as well as considering feedback thereby encouraging an open dialogue where it is safe to express oneself respectfully.
3. Adaptability:I flourish in dynamic environments and have the ability to adjust my approach and solve problems to meet the needs of the changing environment
4. Team Building:I have the ability to spot good characteristics within a person and nurture these assets in order to have a cohesive and high performing team.

Weaknesses

1. Lack of Delegating:On numerous occasions I struggle with distributing tasks to ensure that no one is overloaded with tasks but more for myself this would apply as I tend to take on too much myself.
2. Work-Life Balance:My commitment to work would frequently result in neglecting my personal time as well as self care.
3. Avoidance of Conflict:I prefer to be at peace with everyone but in some cases I would avoid confrontation to maintain some semblance of peace and not address the issue directly.
4. Perfectionism:I tend to have high standards for myself and others which can result in me being a bit hard on others but more on myself.

Opportunities

1. Professional Development:I am currently and have other plans to pursue leadership training and learn directly under leaders to enhance my skill set.
2. Networking: Given my current position, I will have many opportunities to build relationships with various types of leaders and colleagues to exchange insightful knowledge and useful practices.
3. Technological Advancements:There are numerous softwares and technological assists which can be utilized to improve team productivity and efficiency.
4. Organizational Growth:Larger initiative and responsibilities will be tackled as the organization expands to result in the desired incremental growth over time.

Threats

1. Economic Uncertainty:There are possibilities of fluctuations within the economy that may be impactful on the stability and growth of a company.
2. Competition:Failure to hold a constant competitive advantage could prove detrimental for the organization as well as its employees.
3. Changing Regulations:There is also a possibility of changes in rules and regulations when it comes to business which could affect the operational process.
4. Resistance to Change:If individuals are not able to adapt to current changes within the organization, this could hinder its progress and efficiency.

Leadership Questionnaire Results and Analysis

Question 1

Table 5: Self Observer Score Higher

Scale	Self-Assessment Score	Average Observer Score	Difference
S4 Credible Leadership	22	23.5	1.5
S7 Confident Leadership	20	21.75	1.75

When evaluating my self assessment scores (S4 & S7), they were 1.5 and 1.75 points lower than the ratings given by the respective observers. These results show how I may not fully understand the magnitude of my dependability and self assurance. It seems that observers consider me as more credible and confident than I may realize which is eye opening and could also depict a level of humility in my self evaluation.

With regards to Credible Leadership, the disparity could result from my personal beliefs and high expectations. I consistently analyze myself and aspire to achieve growth while I make efforts to maintain discipline and consistency.

When it comes to Confident Leadership, this shows that the observer scores depict that I have a lot more self-confidence than I initially realized. This would attest to my strategic mindset and proficient communication skills. Nevertheless my self- evaluation may suggest that I may need to reflect on myself deeper and even focus on improving as well. Understanding these results will encourage me to have more confidence in my abilities and to continue to lead with assurance.

Question 2

Table 6: Highest Observer Raw Scores

Scale	Highest Observer Raw Scores
S4 Credible Leadership	24
S7 Confident Leadership	22

Based on the results from table 3, I gained my highest ratings from Credible Leadership (scale 4) and Confident Leadership (scale 7). This actually aligns with my predictions as I pride myself on dependability and confidence. I often make efforts to set a positive example and maintain a strong sense of integrity. Emitting these characteristics fosters trust between team members and establishes standards for individuals to emulate.

My aim is to transparently and confidently communicate with others, ensuring that my innovations and expectations are understood. This confidence would facilitate motivation between others and aid in overcoming challenges and attaining purpose among team members. Based on what the observers' ratings showed, it highlighted that these characteristics are essential to my leadership identity and are significant for efficient team leadership.

Question 3

Table 7: Lowest Observer Scores

Scale	Lowest Observer Raw Scores
S5 Caring Leadership	17
S9 Visionary Leadership	18

Even though one of my strengths is my empathy, it seems as though my perfectionism is more prominent when it comes to expected results from the team. My aim to complete tasks efficiently takes more priority over my ability to understand and manage emotions in a leadership role. These results were somewhat expected as I do tend to exhibit this behavior more than often however what was surprising was the rating for Visionary Leadership given that I always believed that I was good at planning and communicating. However this revelation has brought to my attention the need for growth when it comes to my strategic thinking, but more so my communication skills to ensure full comprehension and proper execution.

Question 4

Table 8: Highest Self and Observer Scores

Scale	Highest Self-Assessment Score
S4 Credible Leadership	22
S7 Confident Leadership	20
Scale	Highest Observer Scores
S4 Credible Leadership	24
S7 Confident Leadership	22

Given that my Credible Leadership and Confident Leadership rating is consistent with that of the observer ratings, this confirms that my self perception is accurate despite the difference in rating. Consistency, reliability, and self-assuredness are the core attributes that define my leadership approach when it comes to these two types of leadership styles. Exuding credibility and confidence fosters trust and admiration among my team members as well as improves my ability to achieve desired outcomes. Besides these ratings, it is something that I hear often from colleagues and superiors. To enhance these characteristics further, I plan to continue and even exhibit more of my dependability and assurance traits in my everyday life, not just at work. Feedback will also be requested from coworkers and surrounding leaders which will highlight areas for improvement or best practice which I should start incorporating into my life. Participating in leadership programs will also provide new approaches to incorporate in my everyday life. Incorporating mentoring influences would also be advantageous to leveraging strengths and guarantee ongoing development.

Question 5

Table 9: Lowest Self and Observer Scores

Scale	Lowest Self-Assessment Score
S5 Caring Leadership	18
S9 Visionary Leadership	19
Scale	Lowest Observer Scores
S5 Caring Leadership	17
S9 Visionary Leadership	18

These low ratings highlight areas where I can improve my leadership skills. Even though these may not be my natural strengths, I know that I can be an even better leader if I develop these characteristics.

To change these ratings in the foreseeable future I can develop my emotional intelligence better. This would entail reflection where I delve deeper into understanding my own emotions and others. This includes developing my ability to manage and respond to these emotions in a logical and professional manner. I will also participate in workshops and courses specifically geared towards enhancing these attributes (building empathy, active listening, and effective communication).

I will need to improve my strategic communication skills as well. It is important to clearly articulate my vision and break it down into manageable steps which will ensure that everyone is able to understand how it aligns with the desired target and properly execute these actions. Additionally, I will also receive feedback in this are to better understand their perspectives and determine the specific areas I will need to improve on. Anonymous servers, one-on-one meetings can all be incorporated to obtain this information. When including these approaches to my development plan I will be able to build a more inclusive and collaborative environment which inspires team members to contribute their best efforts. This will encourage increased engagement, foster more creativity and all rounded team efficiency resulting in organizational success.

Areas of Impact

The journey throughout this program proved to be significantly insightful, providing students with the knowledge and skills to become dynamic and effective leaders. This section depicts the top 5 academic theories and perspectives taught throughout the program that have significantly impacted how I view and developed my leadership skills. I will explore how my past behavior has been affected by improving and changing during the program as I practiced what I learned in the working world. Additionally, I will highlight future opportunities to leverage these new approaches learnt.

1. Transformational Leadership (SLIN 6001: Leadership)

Impact on Leadership Skills/Effectiveness

The transformational leadership theory introduced by Burns (1978) and expanded by Bass (1985), captivated me as I learnt how to inspire and motivate individuals to achieve desired outcomes and more. This has been one of the aspects I needed to develop based on the ratings previously and I have learnt a lot and plan to implement into my approaches in the future. In fact I have already begun to introduce aspects of this teaching by fostering an environment of intellectual stimulation and providing individualized consideration, both which I am getting better at.

Past Behaviour

Prior to this program, I found my leadership style was more of a transactional style, meaning I only focused on rewards and punishment to drive performance. Even though this ensured compliance it only provided short term results and lacked the ability to inspire and foster collaboration among team members.

Changes during the program

Throughout this particular course, I learnt that there were many other ways to lead others and my knowledge was limited. I learnt to adopt the transformational approach and many others but this theory in particular allowed me to inspire and highlight my vision which fell more in line with my personality. This encouraged my team to embrace innovation and foster creativity more frequently by creating new marketing strategies, facilitating brainstorming sessions and collaborating even better than before.

Future Opportunities

In the future I will make more efforts to incorporate transformational leadership to drive organizational change and innovation. I know I have just scratched the surface and need to apply it more but by continuing to inspire and motivate my team I will be able to make a culture for continuous improvement and enhanced performance.

1. Strategic Decision Making (SLIN 6002: Strategic Decision Making)

Impact on Leadership Skills/Effectiveness

With regards to this course I was able to learn how to make strategic decision making by analyzing complex situations, determining numerous alternatives as well as execute decisions which aligned with the organization's targets. More specifically, one thing that stood out was the Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy by Michael Porter. He analyzed how these five forces can help an organization assess the attractiveness of an industry, which industries different companies should compete in and ways in which they can position themselves to attain success. These positions included the threat of substitute products/ services, bargaining power of supplies, bargaining power of buyers, rivalry among existing competitors and the threat of new entrants.

Past Behavior

Before my decision making was usually reactive, where I would rely on limited information or intuition as it proved successful but not for long. This approach may work in some instances however there was no guarantee of success as opportunities were missed and outcomes may not have been fully achieved.

Changes during the program

Throughout this course I gained tools such as SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and even the prior mentioned Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy. I would now approach situations more systematically, I would consider long term results and even include significant stakeholders if needed. For example, when entering into a new market I utilized the forces to assess the market's risk as well as opportunities which allowed me to approach with a more successful strategy.

Future Opportunities

Though it has only been a short period of time being introduced to these approaches, I will make significant efforts to incorporate this into my leadership style as well as it has proven successful thus far. My hope is to execute more informed and data driven decisions which would better align with the company's goals and foster growth.

1. Change Management (SLIN 6006: Customer Experience and Change Management)

Impact on Leadership Skills/Effectiveness

This particular course focused on helping guid and organization through efficient transitions. Thai is where the significance of communication will be needed as well as stakeholder engagement and dealing with resistance. In particular, one thing that stood out to me was the McKinsey 7-S model. This highlights 7 factors which are essential to execute an effective strategy, which include Strategy, Structure, Systems, Staff, Skills, Style/Culture and Shared Values.

Past Behaviours

Previously, my approach was more top-down which sometimes limited the amount of input expressed by those affected. This resulted in resistance and decreased moral from time to time.

Changes During the Program

The course taught me how to structure the organization in such a way that facilitated harmony among the 7 S's in order to coordinate resources allocation, incentives and efficient actions throughout the organization. Of course it is still ongoing as this has been implemented recently and will take some time to adjust and fully implement.

Future Opportunities

This would involve leading more change initiatives and developing this current approach which was mentioned. Of course constant communication and evaluations will need to be carried out to measure the effectiveness of these changes and adjustments needed based on feedback.

1. Human Centered Innovation (SLIN 6003: The Human Side of Innovation)

Impact on Leadership Skills/Effectiveness

Majority of my time pondering on innovations, I always believed it dealt more with technology than anything else. After this course I realized just how involved and significant the human aspect was. It helped me understand and address the needs and experiences of individuals in the innovation procedure. This has significantly influenced my perspective on leading innovation, one in particular being Assessing and Managing Human Resource Performance and Developing Employees. I was able to gain insight on legal and ethical issues in performance management, identifying processes of career management, training , mentorship and much more. Being that this is such a broad topic it resonated a lot with me, I even had to present on it which increased its interest.

Past Behaviours

When it comes to this particular aspect, I did not have much insight on it which made it more intriguing. My thinking was quite linear, only thinking about the asics and what was in front of me rather than establishing targets based on the business goals in its entirety and its human aspects. This often leads to certain user needs not being met.

Changes During the Program

The course highlighted the importance of empathy, mentorship (having someone to emulate, evaluating progress throughout to make adjustments to the environment, undergoing training to continuously improve. These are just some of the things that were missing prior to this course. Now there are discussions on implementing all of the above mentioned approaches in order to develop employees and strengthen the human side of the business.

Future Opportunities

In the foreseeable future I will continue to prioritize and consider the human side in all innovative initiatives. Training programs will be implemented as well to benefit others and myself to continuously grow in a way which will benefit the company in the long term.

1. Entrepreneurial Leadership (SLIN 6004)

Impact on Leadership Skills/Effectiveness

This particular course focused on taking initiatives and risks, creating a culture of innovation and productivity. This is yet another course which has shaped my perspective on leadership. It has helped recognize individuals' needs and experiences to foster a more impactful and collaborative environment. One thing which proved to be effective was the need for reflection and working with others. Most courses had group work yes but this was one of the courses that required you to reflect on what was learnt. I did not realize just how much reflection can be effective in building yourself as a leader till then. This also made it easier in group projects as I gained feedback from colleagues so I can better improve myself in the long run. This also gave me an opportunity to try different leadership styles in a small group to determine its effectiveness.

Past Behaviours

In the past I hadn't done much reflection, my previous leadership style was more risk averse and focused on achieving targets but not much all rounded research and planning was done to achieve this. This stifled my ability to achieve much change and grasp new opportunities.

Changes During the Program

I was able to gain new perspectives into how an entrepreneurial mindset should be, motivating innovation and risk taking to achieve goals. For instance, I gained several new clients after this by fostering the mentioned innovative culture throughout my team which proved the significance of the information provided.

Future Opportunities

I am going to continue to aggressively pursue these perspectives until it is perfected by creating a business plan to meet targets, have meetings to discuss collectively how the team will collaborate to achieve new innovative ideas to gain growth and success. It is important to also reflect and gain feedback on the trajectory of this initiative to avoid resistance and ensure success.

This Leadership Development Plan (LDP) presents a framework for short-term and long-term training and development activities which are intended to enhance my competencies.

Complete a short paragraph on the level of your current skills and where you plan to be in two years' time. How often will you assess your achievement against the plan?

Top Three Strengths The three strengths should come from the above areas discussed in the portfolio

Top Three GROWTH AREAS The three growth areas should come from the above areas discussed in the portfolio

GOALS and DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES

Leadership Outcomes

Choose two leadership outcomes you plan on obtaining within the two years. A leadership outcome can include obtaining a particular position, promotion, leading a team, start a business, etc.

1.

2.

Leadership Skills

Choose three leadership skills you would like to focus on and develop over the two years

1.

2.

3.

Leadership Outcome #1 - Example - Attain Board Chairmanship by the end of 2024 State where you are currently with respect to this goal and why you want it.
Developmental Activities/ Assignments	Competencies Addressed	Expected Completion Date	Measuring Progress	Expected Outcomes
Assignment #1: Identify potential next assignments (at least two per goal including timing) that would help you develop toward your career goal
Activity #1: Identify potential activities (at least two per goal including timing and frequency) that would help you develop toward your career goal
Training #1: Identify potential training (at least two per goal including timing. Remember there is a lot of free training available on the internet) that would help you develop toward your career goal

Leadership Skill #1 - Example - Self-Confidence State where you are currently with respect to this goal and where you would like to be.
Developmental Activities/ Assignments	Competencies Addressed	Expected Completion Date	Measuring Progress	Expected Outcomes
Assignment #1: Identify potential next assignments (at least two per goal including timing) that would help you develop toward your career goal
Activity #1: Identify potential activities (at least two per goal including timing and frequency) that would help you develop toward your career goal
Training #1: Identify potential training (at least two per goal including timing. Remember there is a lot of free training available on the internet) that would help you develop toward your career goal

Notes:

1. There needs to be one table per leadership outcome and each leadership skill identified.
2. There is one minor difference between the table for the leadership outcome and table for the leadership skill, that is, for the skill both the current and future state is explained.
3. Leadership skills is the development of soft skills, and the plan should be made up of appropriate future steps identified from all the sections of the portfolio.
4. An assignment is equivalent to a project; it is made up of many activities. It is something significant.
5. Training can include: paid training; free training (there are a lot of alternatives here); YouTube videos; reading books capturing the ideas and putting into practice.
6. The Leadership Development Plan does not require you to have your employer, manager and or mentor to sign off. It is self-led and self-directed in keeping with the theme of this portfolio. If you would like to have input from persons in your network or organizations, you can solicit same for feedback and or guidance.
7. If you are currently unemployed, assignments can be replaced by activities.