VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Framework
Engineering Leadership Individual Development Plan
Introduction
The Attributes of a Gator Engineer (below) were developed as part of the University of Florida
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering (the College) 2010 centennial celebration. The
attributes are comprised by 5 overarching categories of qualities, each of which contain key
characteristics that more fully define each category. Collectively, the attributes form the essence
of what Gator Engineers represent and what they can provide to help lead the next era of
technological revolution and solve the complex challenges of the 21st century.

Leadership is a key attribute category that underpins the potential for Gator Engineers to be
successful in their careers. As a result, the College established the Engineering Leadership
Institute (ELI) to focus on creating leaders for a new world, where technology plays a major role
and the need for principle-based, character-focused leaders is now more than ever demanded by
our country and the world. Through the Institute, UF aims to be at the forefront of a national
movement transforming the way in which engineers impact society through their leadership. Part
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of instilling a culture of leadership involves providing experiential and curricular-based

education that focuses on delivering key leadership-related attributes (or competencies) that
distinguish and prepare Gator Engineers to assume engineering leadership roles in their
professional careers.
An integral part of being a credible leader involves developing an introspective understanding
about the values and beliefs.your credo.that form the basis for your behaviors and decisions.
Establishing your core values then become a unique representation of your both as an individual
professional and a leader.

Purpose
Engineering Leadership (EGS 4038/6039) serves as ELIs fundamental course designed to
introduce engineering students to the concepts, theory and practice of modern-day engineering
leadership and help prepare them to assume leadership roles in their engineering careers. The
course content was developed considering available academic guidance about leadership
programs as well as curriculum course content offered by other engineering leadership programs.
To promote a more complete understanding and application of this course content, students will
be required to complete an Individual Leadership Development Plan (ILDP). The ILDP is
intended to assist students in understanding and applying key competencies that are related to the
course content and their individual strengths, and considered necessary for student effectiveness
in their careers as engineering leaders. The ILDP is a requirement and a key deliverable for
completion of the Engineering Leadership course.

Background
During her former role as Director of Leadership Programs at the University of Arizona, Dr.
Corey Seemiller conducted extensive research into student leadership competencies (SLCs)
essential for leadership effectiveness across a broad spectrum of careers (including engineering).
Results were published in the Student Leadership Competencies Guidebook (Seemiller, 2014).
Table 1 summarizes the research results and shows 60 SLCs that were identified and integrated
into 8 main categories. Seemiller used the term competencies given the common use of the
term in many professional organizations (Seemiller, 2014).
The defined SLCs considered standards and guidance for leadership programs from several
organizatons. These included:
the standards for student leadership programs outlined by the Council for the
Advancement of Standards in Higher Education;
learning outcomes by the 72 programmatic organizations accredited or endorsed by the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors who collectively accredit 475
undergraduate and graduate academic programs (including the Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology, or ABET) in the U.S.; and
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the content of commonly-used leadership learning frameworks (including the Relational

Leadership Model that is an integral part of the base textbook used in the Engineering
Leadership class).
The SLCs were defined on the basis of the knowledge, values, abilities and behaviors necessary
for an individual contribution or successful engagement in a role. As defined by Seemiller
(2014):

Knowledge includes information needed for an individual to value a competency and

practice an intended behavior;

Values are individual attitudes or beliefs that confirm a competency as being important;

Abilities reflects an individuals ability or motivation to effectively practice an intended

behavior;

Behaviors involve the effective practice of a competency as appropriate situations arise.

In addition to the Table 1 SLCs, the following additional information may provide assistance in
helping students understand and correlate lists of SLCs:

Table 2 re-summarizes the Seemiller SLCs, along with corresponding best-matches

with the leadership-based Attributes of a Gator Engineer, and corresponding leadership
components and skills outlined in the Relational Leadership Model (Komives, et al.,
2013) that serves as the base text book for the Engineering Leadership course.

Table 3 re-summarizes the leadership-related Attributes of a Gator Engineer; includes the

16 leadership competencies identified through research that differentiated the top 10
percent of all leaders evaluated (Zenger and Folkman, 2014); and lists the Top 10 skills
needed for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (WEF, 2016).

These broad lists of SLCs are intended to serve as a toolbox for current and future use by
students, as frequently-needed and effectively-applied competencies will vary by the context of
the leadership roles as well as specific competencies that may be valued by individual
organizations. The goal is not necessarily for each individual to develop all competencies; rather,
research has shown that leadership development is far more successful when leaders focus
primarily on their key strengths (Folkman and Zenger, 2014).

General Approach
Each student will be required to evaluate their understanding and application of the course
content via a student-defined, leadership-related experience that they are part of during the
semester. Students will be required to define and discuss the selected experience by the end
of the 4th week of class. This is explained further under the Instructions and Grading Rubric
section below.
An engineering-based experience is preferable. However, some variation is expected based on
the types of leadership experiences available to students, as well as in the depth and breadth of
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leadership experiences that the opportunities afford the students. Leadership opportunities may
include but not be limited to:

work-related project or task assignments, or other company or work-group initiatives

internships or externships
design team or other team-based assignments
research laboratory roles
student organization roles (e.g., student professional societies or groups, ROTC
requirements, sport teams, fraternity/sorority roles, other clubs)
university or other community volunteer organizations and roles

Students may choose multiple experience opportunities for the IDLP application. Prior
experiences cannot stand alone for the ILDP application but can be included using the multipleexperiences approach.
In addition to identifying the leadership experience that students will be completing, the next
critical step in development of the ILDP will be to select target SLCs for application and
development. To assist in the process, students must complete the Clifton StrengthsQuest
assessment and the VIA character strengths assessments, as outlined in the base course text book
by Komives et al., 2013, to obtain a better understanding about their current key strengths. Free
access to the Clifton StrengthsQuest assessment is provided via a code that is included in new
versions of the base course text book by Komives et al., 2013. Students purchasing a used
version of, or renting, the text will still need to complete the Clifton StrengthsQuest assessment
by purchasing an on-line access code through www.strengthsquest.com for a cost of
approximately $10. The VIA character strengths assessment is a free resource and the text
provides instructions about accessing this resource.
Students will use results from the assessments to identify 10 SLCs that play to their strengths and
best meet their individual development needs, for application to their leadership experience.
Tables 1, 2 and 3 may be useful in helping identify the focal SLCs. Students will need to
consider and identify their Top 5 SLCs from the target list of 10 SLCs. Students will also be
asked to identify their focal core values.

Instructions and Grading Rubric

An electronic pdf version of the ILDP will be the deliverable, submitted in a timely manner (as
defined in the course schedule) through a corresponding assignment issued through the Canvas
course site. MS Word templates are provided on the Canvas course site and must be used in
developing the ILDP deliverable.
The ILDP will be a 100-point assignment weighted for 20% of the class grade. ILDP
requirements are outlined in more detail, below:

By the end of the 4th week of class, students must submit a pdf version of the completed
Leadership Experience Description and Initial Self-Assessment of SLCs and Core Values
form, using the template provided. There will be a Canvas assignment for this purpose.
Students names must be included in the header file of the submittal. The form includes
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description the selected leadership experience(s) that students will be completing during
the semester, listing of results from the two competency assessments, identification of the
10 SLCs as well as the selected Top 5 SLCs; self-assessment rating as to student current
capabilities with respect to the selected focal competencies; and a listing of student core
values.
This completed form will be worth 20% of the ILDP assignment. Late-submittals within
1 week of the due date will be accepted but for only 10% of the ILDP assignment,
reducing the maximum possible score for the completed ILDP to 90 points. Submittals
after that time will not be accepted, reducing the maximum possible score for the
completed ILDP to 80 points. MS Word versions of the document will not be accepted.

The remainder of the ILDP consists of the General Assessment of the Leadership
Experience form, and Specific Assessment of Leadership Experience forms. The General
Assessment form documents your self-assessment with respect to changes in the pre and
post-experience ratings of your SLCs, through the leadership experience. The Specific
Assessment of Leadership Experience forms are to be completed for your selected Top 5
SLCs. They provide the basis for completing the comparative assessment of your ratings
about the outcomes from applying the SLCs during the experience, as provided in the
General Assessment form. Comparative ratings of the other 5 SLCs do not require
completion of the supporting Specific Assessment form.

The completed ILDPs must be submitted in pdf format by the date and time of the
assignment. Only pdf versions of the submittal will be accepted. Late submittals will not
be accepted and students will receive a grade of 0 for the assignment (regardless of
whether or not the initial submittal was made on time).

Two key factors will be considered in grading the IDLP deliverable: the degree of
completion and the degree of professionalism reflected in the submitted ILDP. These
factors are explained in more detail in Table 4.

Effective written communications are an important part of being an engineer and

engineering leader. While students are not expected to be able to write like English
majors or accomplished authors, it is expected that sufficient care be taken in developing
assignment submittals that reflect a collegiate level of effort in terms of compositional
structure and grammar. To this end:
o It is expected that students will take ownership of producing a high-quality
assignment deliverable they would submit to their employer.
o At a minimum, it is expected that the standard resources available through MS
Word be used to search for and correct grammatical issues prior to assignment
submittal; that is, students should proof-read and check all documents for spelling
and grammar.
o It is certainly understood the English may not be the first language of many
students. However, this fact is not an excuse for a poorly-structured and
carelessly-written submittals. Individuals with English language weaknesses
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should avail themselves of the University of Floridas writing studio for

students https://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/for-students/; free support services
are available to all students for scheduling.

Table 5 provides the rubric that will be used to grade the ILDP submittals. To the best of
his ability, the instructor will evaluate each submittal objectively and strictly by the
rubric.

References
Folkman, J., 2015. Leadership Development White-Paper: Creating a Competency Model That
Works The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Insights from the Extraordinary Leader 20 New
Ideas About Leadership Development. www.zengerfolkman.com.
Folkman, J. and J. Zenger, 2014. Leadership Development White-Paper: Key Insights from the
Extraordinary Leader 20 New Ideas About Leadership Development.
www.zengerfolkman.com.
Komives, S.R., Lucas, N. and T. McMahon, 2013. Exploring Leadership: For College Students
Who Want to Make a Difference. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
World Economic Forum, February 12, 2016. The Top 10 Skills You Need to Thrive in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-10-skills-you-need-to-thrive-inthe-fourth-industrial-revolution

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Table 1
Summary of Student Leadership Competencies 1
Category 2
Learning
and Reasoning

Self-Awareness
and Development

Interpersonal
Interaction

Group
Dynamics
Civic
Responsibility

Communications

Strategic
Planning

Personal
Behavior

Competency Areas 2
Research
Synthesis
Others Perspectives
Evaluation *
Reflection and Application
Idea Generation *
Systems Thinking
Problem Solving
Analysis *
Decision Making
Self-Understanding
Scope of Competence
Personal Values
Receiving Feedback
Personal Contributions
Self-Development *
Productive Relationships
Others Contributions
Appropriate Interactions
Empowerment
Helping Others
Providing Feedback
Empathy
Supervision
Mentoring
Collaboration *
Motivation
Organizational Behavior
Group Development
Power Dynamics
Creating Change
Diversity
Social Justice
Inclusion
Social Responsibility
Others Circumstances *
Service
Verbal Communication *
Facilitation
Non-verbal Communication
Conflict Negotiation
Listening
Advocating for a Point of View
Writing *
Mission
Plan
Vision
Organization
Goals
Initiative
Responding to Ambiguity
Functioning Independently
Responding to Change
Follow-Through
Resiliency
Responsibility for Personal
Positive Attitude
Behavior
Confidence
Ethics *
Excellence

Notes:
1
Seemiller, Corey, 2014.
2
Ordering does not indicate prioritization
* Indicates the top competencies listed for Engineering - General (ABET) bachelors and masters degrees,
based on query of associated student leadership competencies database developed by Seemiller (2014).

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Table 2
Summary of Student Leadership Competencies 1

Category 2

SLC 2,3

research

others
perspectives
reflection and
application
systems
thinking

Learning and
Reasoning

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)
sound
perspective,
strong intuition,
thoughtful
skilled
communicator,
caring,
thoughtful
visionary, sound
perspective,
strong intuition
visionary, sound
perspective,
thoughtful

RLM Competencies 4
Component

purposeful

inclusive

process
oriented
process
oriented

analysis*

thoughtful,
sound
perspective

process
oriented

synthesis

strong intuition,
thoughtful

processoriented

evaluation*

sound
perspective,
strong intuition

processoriented

idea
generation*

visionary,
entrepreneurial

processoriented

problem
solving

mission guided,
confident,
thoughtful

processoriented

Skills
goal
identification;
creative thinking;
meaning-making
listening; building
coalitions;
framing and reframing
reflection;
learning;
meaning-making
learning;
challenge;
meaning-making
learning;
challenge;
collaboration;
meaning-making
learning;
challenge;
collaboration;
meaning-making
learning;
challenge;
collaboration;
meaning-making
learning;
challenge;
collaboration;
meaning-making
learning;
challenge;

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2

Understands effective research strategies and adept at

finding available resources and data sources

Considers others opinions, experiences and outlooks to

improve solutions and approaches
Able to use past experiences to better understand
conditions, strategies and decision impacts to adapt in
future situations
Understands the concept of networks (in all contexts)
and considers how actions and decisions could affect the
individual interconnected parts
Understands situation in its entirety for decision-making
purposes and analyzed information in smaller components
to identify causes, factors, features, impacts etc.
Able to look at and integrate multiple pieces of
information (that may appear unrelated) and connect the
dots to identify a central theme or trend

Able to use judgement and assimilate information to

understand its significance to specific situations

Able to think beyond convention to generate new ideas

that best fit the issue and situation (that may be dynamic)
Able to develop and assess potential solutions and select
the most appropriate solution to achieve a successful and
productive outcome, while minimizing negative impacts

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

Self-Awareness
and
Development

SLC 2,3

RLM Competencies 4
Component

Skills
collaboration;
meaning-making
learning;
challenge;
collaboration;
meaning-making
learning;
listening; talent
development

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2
to the extent possible, and preventing or mitigating
problem reoccurrence in the process

decision
making

visionary,
mission guided,
confident

processoriented

selfunderstanding

skilled
communicator,
caring

inclusive

personal
values

caring,
thoughtful

ethical

being congruent;
using moral
imagination

personal
contributions

entrepreneurial,
mission guided,
positive attitude

empowering

sharing
information;
capacity building;
promoting selfleadership

empowering

sharing
information;
individual and
team learning;
capacity building

Aware of individual limitations so as to engage actively in

appropriate situations and leverage others into situations
that require other competencies that may be outside
individual competencies

processoriented

receiving
feedback;
learning;
reflection; civil
confrontation

Able to consider feedback from others to improve

competencies and effectiveness

inclusive

talent
development;
building coalitions

Understands that the importance of self-development of

competencies individually and potentially to others

processoriented

collaboration;
learning

Able to develop productive, mutually-beneficial

relationships with others to create a trusting, caring and
collaborative environment

scope of
competences

receiving
feedback

selfdevelopment*
Interpersonal
Interaction

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)

productive
relationships

inspiring, willing
to delegate

positive attitude,
mission guided
caring, positive
attitude,
confident
skilled
communicator,
engaged and
committed,

Understands the context of each situation and able to

make the most effective, productive and sustainable
decision for the specific situation
Aware of individual feelings, beliefs, skills, personality,
etc. and able to emphasize strengths and minimize
weaknesses in adapting their leadership style to become a
more effective and authentic leader
Aware of and lives personal values, and able to base
priorities and decisions aligned with shared values

Contributes individual ideas, strengths, knowledge and/or

abilities to meet a specific need and make the situation,
group or organization better

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

SLC 2,3

appropriate
interactions

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)
willing to
delegate
professional,
skilled
communicator,
sound
perspective

RLM Competencies 4
Component

Skills

processoriented

learning;
challenge;
reflection; civil
confrontation

helping
others

caring, fair,
engaged and
committed

ethical

empathy

caring,
thoughtful

empowering;
inclusive

mentoring

visionary,
inspiring

empowering

motivation

inspiring,
thoughtful,
skilled
communicator

empowering

others
contributions

willing to
delegate, fair,
mission guided

empowering;
inclusive

being trusting and

reliable; having
courage; using
moral imagination
listening; building
coalitions; sharing
information;
encouraging or
affirming others
sharing
information;
individual and
team learning;
capacity building;
promoting selfleadership
Encouraging or
affirming others;
capacity building;
practicing renewal
sharing
information;
individual and
team learning;
capacity building;
listening; building
coalitions;
framing and reframing

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2

Able to understand the context of a person, situation or

circumstances to assess interactions that respect
boundaries, needs, and styles of others

Understands the importance of helping others to foster a

caring work environment where people help each other to
render something less difficult or more efficient

Tries to experience the thoughts and feelings of others that

helps build relationships and a sense of trust with others

Shares knowledge, ability and/or experiences to help

others develop their capabilities

Understands motivational strategies and selects and

applies individual-specific approaches

Understands benefits of individual unique ideas,

strengths, knowledge and abilities and uses; puts
people in right places; uses those assets to maximize
effectiveness and morale of individuals and groups

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

SLC 2,3

empowerment

willing to
delegate, fair,
engaged and
committed

empowering

providing
feedback

skilled
communicator,
strong intuition

processoriented

supervision

professional, fair,
mission guided

empowering;
process
oriented

collaboration*

organizational
behavior

Group
Dynamics

RLM Competencies 4

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)

engaged and
committed,
caring, willing to
delegate
sound
perspective,
professional

Component

process
oriented

Skills
individual and
team learning;
capacity building;
building coalitions
giving feedback;
collaboration;
learning;
reflection; civil
confrontation
sharing
information;
individual and
team learning;
encouraging and
affirming others;
collaboration;
civil
confrontation;
giving and
receiving
feedback
collaboration;
learning;
challenge;
meaning-making

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2
Understands benefit of empowering others and
shares power, information and resources to build
ownership mentality, engagement and commitment

Understands effective approaches in providing

feedback and does so in a clear, timely and
respectful manner

Provides oversight of others in a manner that

provides clarity and transparency about
responsibilities, expectations and processes

Fosters collaborative culture that brings people

together in intentional ways to meet common goals,
share ideas and distribute responsibilities across
group
Understands, anticipates, navigates, mitigates and
responds to behavior of organization and those in it
in order to lead it most effectively

process
oriented

meaning-making;
learning

Understand power dynamics and their impact, and

responds to power dynamics effectively in group or
organization

Fosters group development to enhance group

efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement

power
dynamics

strong intuition,
sense of humor,
entrepreneurial

empowering

capacity building;
promoting selfleadership;
collaboration;
encouraging and
affirming others

group
development

inspiring, willing
to delegate,
positive attitude

process
oriented

learning;
collaboration;

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

Civic
Responsibility

SLC 2,3

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)

RLM Competencies 4
Component

creating
change

visionary,
entrepreneurial,
confident

purposeful;
process
oriented

diversity

fair, caring,
sense of humor

inclusive

inclusion

skilled
communicator,
fair, positive
attitude

inclusive

others
circumstances*

engaged and
committed,
caring,
thoughtful

inclusive

social
justice

visionary,
inspiring, caring

inclusive

social
responsibility

fair, sound
perspective

ethical

Skills
meaning-making;
civil confrontation
envisioning;
involving others
in vision-building
process; meaningmaking; learning;
challenge;
collaboration
building
coalitions;
framing and
reframing; civil
discourse; talent
development
building
coalitions;
framing and
reframing; civil
discourse; talent
development
listening; building
coalitions;
framing and
reframing; civil
discourse
building
coalitions;
framing and
reframing; civil
discourse; talent
development
being trustful,
reliable, and
congruent; having
courage; using
moral imagination

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2

Understands the process of leading change and

applies appropriate approaches being sensitive to the
context and people involved

Understands the benefits of diverse backgrounds

and perspectives on group effectiveness; seeks and
embraces exposure to diversity

Implements ways to effectively include others in

roles, processes, and experiences that fosters a
diverse and inclusive environment

Understands conditions and situations, and engages

in inclusive behaviors so as to connect with others
with a sense of caring

Understands the concept of social power; works to

mitigate or prevent inequities and challenge
individuals, groups or systems that promote it

Engages in responsible decision-making and ethical

actions so that they have benefits to and do not
detract from societal welfare

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

SLC 2,3

service

verbal
communication*

non-verbal
communication

engaged and
committed,
positive attitude,
caring
skilled
communicator,
professional,
sense of humor
skilled
communicator,
strong intuition,
confident

RLM Competencies 4
Associated Example Leadership
Actions and Behaviors 2

Component

Skills

process
oriented

learning;
challenge;
meaning-making;
reflection

Finds meaningful ways to personally and/or

professionally participate in service that has a
positive impact on their communities

process
oriented

learning;
challenge;
reflection

Understands and applies approaches and techniques

to effectively communicate verbally in various
settings and audiences

process
oriented

learning;
challenge;
reflection

listening

fair, sound
perspective

process
oriented

learning;
challenge;
reflection

writing*

professional,
skilled
communicator

process
oriented

learning;
challenge;
reflection

facilitation

mission guided,
fair, confident

process
oriented

learning;
challenge;
collaboration

conflict
negotiation

skilled
communicator,
fair, caring

process
oriented

advocating for a
point of view

confident, sound
perspective,
sense of humor

purposeful;
process
oriented

mission

mission guided,
thoughtful,
entrepreneurial

purposeful

Communication

Strategic
Planning

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)

learning;
challenge;
collaboration;
civil confrontation
meaning-making;
creating thinking;
learning; civil
confrontation;
challenge
goals; meaningmaking; creative
thinking

Understands forms of nonverbal communication and

works to more effectively communicate nonverbally
to better express intended meaning and show others
that they care and are listening
Understands effective listening approaches and uses
them to prevent miscommunications, obtain better
ideas and feedback, and demonstrate a sense of
caring about others want to communicate
Engages effective writing techniques that helps
organize ideas, emphasize accomplishments and
otherwise effectively convey key information, and
inspire and influence others
Leads discussions effectively, ask powerful and
right questions, and synthesize information to enable
group to maximize potential to solve complex
problems, generate new ideas, and make hard
decisions
Understands their primary conflict resolution mode
and conflict resolution approaches in order to
effectively resolve conflicts in a safe, respectful and
trusting environment
Able to communicate in a clear, concise and
understandable manner that conveys the appropriate
meaning in an influential and respectful manner
while also demonstrating passion, confidence and
commitment
Understands the importance of mission statements
and ensures that actions and decisions are made in

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

SLC 2,3

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)

RLM Competencies 4
Component

Skills

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2
alignment with the values reflected in the
organizational mission.

purposeful

envisioning;
involving others
in vision-building
process; meaningmaking

Aligns strategies, goals, plans and actions with the

vision for the organization; uses the shared vision
and values to create a sense of uniqueness, unity and
commitment within the organization

purposeful

goals; creative
thinking;
meaning-making

Sets goals that effectively outline targeted,

measureable objectives that have specific time
frames for completion

plan

engaged and
committed,
entrepreneurial

purposeful

goals; meaning
making; creative
thinking

Effectively identifies tasks and sets deadlines that

reflect a course of action to complete intended
objectives (either for day-to-day operations or to
reach organizational vision)

organization

sound
perspective,
mission guided,
willing to
delegate

purposeful

Meaning-making;
creative thinking

Creates systems and structures that most effectively

use, manage and monitor information, resources and
materials within an organization

initiative

confident,
engaged and
committed

empowering

functioning
independently

professional,
confident

process
oriented

followthrough

professional,
mission guided,
thoughtful

ethical; process
oriented

responsibility
for personal
behavior

caring,
thoughtful, fair

ethical

vision

visionary,
thoughtful,
inspiring

goals

mission guided,
professional,
sound
perspective

Personal
Behavior

individual and
team learning;
capacity building;
practicing renewal
Learning;
meaning-making;
challenge;
reflection
being trustful,
reliable and
congruent;
learning;
challenge;
reflection
having courage;
using moral

Takes charge in a situation either individually to fill

a need or motivate a group to engage on an idea or
task
Functions largely without assistance or guidance
from others; monitors the quality, progress and
timeliness of their own work including getting work
checked as applicable

Sees tasks through to the end and lives up to

commitments, even in the face of adversity

Owns up to actions and admitting when theyre

wrong, apologizing and making amends, accepting
the consequences for the actions, and being mindful

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

SLC 2,3

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)

RLM Competencies 4
Component

ethics*

inspiring,
professional,
sound
perspective

ethical

responding to
ambiguity

strong intuition,
confident,
positive attitude

process
oriented

responding to
change

visionary,
entrepreneurial,
positive attitude

process
oriented

resiliency

engaged and
committed, sense
of humor

empowering

positive
attitude

positive
attitude

purposeful;
empowering

confidence

confident

empowering

excellence

professional,
engaged and
committed, fair

process
oriented

Skills
imagination;
being trusting
being trusting,
reliable and
congruent; having
courage; using
moral imagination
collaboration;
meaning-making;
challenge;
learning
collaboration;
meaning-making;
challenge;
learning; civil
confrontation
capacity building;
promoting selfleadership;
practicing
renewal;
individual and
team learning
meaning-making;
creative thinking;
encouraging and
affirming others;
practicing renewal
Gate-keeping
skills; sharing
information;
capacity building;
promoting selfleadership
collaboration;
learning;
meaning-making;

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2
of causative factors and corrective actions to avoid
future situations
Acts in a manner consistent with values system and
standards of conduct; serves as a role model for
ethical leadership

Responds despite uncertainty and incomplete

information; adapts quickly to new information

Understands the process of implementing change;

remains flexible and positive during times of
change; effectively leads implementation of change

Understands ways and has ability to recover from

failures and setbacks

Maintains an optimistic outlook by emphasizing

positive aspects of situations and a can-do attitude

Displays an air of certainty in their competencies,

convictions, and decisions

Puts forth the best effort to achieve the greatest

outcome on actions and tasks

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Category 2

SLC 2,3

Attributes
of a Gator
Engineer
(Leadership)

RLM Competencies 4
Component

Skills

Associated Example Leadership

Actions and Behaviors 2

challenge;
reflection
Notes:
1
No priority is inferred by order of the column entries
2
Adapted from The Student Leadership Competencies Guidebook Designing Intentional Leadership Learning and Development (Seemiller, 2014)
3
Student Leadership Competencies (Seemiller, 2014)
4
Relational Leadership Model competencies (Komives, et al., 2013)
* Indicates the top SLCs listed for Engineering General (ABET) bachelors and masters degrees, based query of the associated student leadership
competencies database (Seemiller, 2014).

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Table 3
Summary of Recommended Leadership Competencies1
Leadership
Attributes of a Gator
Engineer 2

16 Differentiating
Competencies 3

World Economic Forum

Top 10 Skills for 2020 4

visionary
professional
skilled communicator
engaged and committed
entrepreneurial
inspiring
fair
mission-guided
caring
willing to delegate

high integrity and honesty

technical/professional expertise
solves problems and analyzes issues
innovates
practices self-development
drives for results
establishes stretch goals
takes initiative
communicates powerfully and prolifically
inspires and motivates others to high
performance
builds relationships
develops others
collaboration and teamwork
develops strategic perspective
champions change
connects group to outside world

complex problem solving

critical thinking
creativity
people management
coordinating with others
emotional intelligence
judgment and decision-making
service orientation
negotiation
cognitive flexibility

sound perspective
sense of humor
positive attitude
confident
strong intuition
thoughtful
Notes:

1 Unless indicated otherwise, ordering in column listings does not indicate prioritization or correlation between
competencies listed in other columns.
2 Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, University of Florida
3 Zenger and Folkman, 2014
4 WEF, 2016. Listed in priority order indicated by WEF.

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Table 4
Degrees of Completion and Professionalism in ILDP Submittals
Metrics
Descriptions of ILDP Submittals

Comprehensive
reflects an aboveaverage level of effort
in answering all
questions, includes
relevant and insightful
perspectives in
discussions and rating
assessments
submitted ILDP
contains complete:
cover page

Degree of
Completion

the previouslysubmitted form

Leadership
Experience
Description and
Initial SelfAssessment of SLCs
and Core Values
the form General
Assessment of the
Leadership
Experience
for the Top 5 SLCs,
the forms Specific
Assessment of
Leadership
Experience (one for
each of the Top 5
SLCs)

Complete
reflects a minimal,
matter-of-fact
approach in
answering all
questions
submitted ILDP
contains the same
information as a
comprehensive ILDP

Incomplete
submitted ILDP
did not contain all
the required
information for the
ILDP

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

High

developed and
submitted fully in
accordance with
instructions
Degree of
Professionalism

content is substantially
free from unclear or
incomplete phrases
and statements and
grammatical errors
and/or misspellings

Medium

developed and
submitted
substantially in
accordance with
instructions

Low

not developed and

submitted in
accordance with
instructions

content contains
content contains
numerous unclear
several unclear or
or incomplete
incomplete phrases
phrases or
and statements, and/or
statements, and
noticeable
replete with
grammatical errors
grammatical
and/or misspellings
errors and/or
misspellings

VERSION 3 DECEMBER 2016

Table 5
Grading Rubric for ILDP Deliverable
Assignment Points 1

Expectations for ILDP Submittals

Undergraduates

Graduates

Degree of Completion

Degree of Professionalism

100 (A)

100 (A)

comprehensive

high

83 (B-)

79 (B-)

comprehensive

93 (A-)
94 (A)

90 (A)

89 (B+)

86 (B+)

65 (D)

62 (D)

76 (C)

89 (A-)

73 (C)

comprehensive

medium

complete

high

low

complete

medium

incomplete

N/A

complete

low

Assumes that completed Leadership Experience Description and Initial Self-Assessment of SLCs and Core
Values form was submitted on time. Otherwise, the points indicated will be reduced by 10 to 20, depending on
the timing of the completed form submittal (see explanation in Framework document).