Personal Development Plan Template

Your Definition of Leadership

The way you engage with leadership is influenced by how you define leadership. Before you continue your journey as a leader through this program,
we want you to take some time to reflect on what leadership means to you.
Step 1: Respond to the following questions (200-300 words) – How do you personally define leadership? How might your core values influence the way you
practice leadership?

I define leadership as the ability to lead a group of individuals toward a common goal. There are many types of leaders -whether it is an established
and recognized leadership position or not- and each has their own unique set of leadership styles and ways to get what they want accomplished,
accomplished. Leadership, as well as its counterpart, Followership, is an integral part of any group. In my opinion, leadership or the ability to step
up to the plate and lead the team is just as important as the followers, or the players who stand back and follow directions, allowing for a common
goal to be executed. One of the most interesting things I learned about leadership in LEAD 260 was that you cannot be a successful leader without
showing vulnerability. This is something that is very contradicted in our society especially by the people in positions of power, thinking that
showing vulnerability is showing weakness. But, according to Brene Brown who is at the forefront of leadership research, you are not able to be a
successful leader and impact your followers about your cause without showing vulnerability. Essentially, leadership is the ability to lead a group of
individuals to a common goal even through unexpected hardships and problems through showing vulnerability and honesty.

Your Leadership Coach

We aim to match every Leadership Certificate participant with a coach to guide you in your leadership development. In order to facilitate the matching process, we
need some personal information from you.

Step 2: Please share below any personal information that might help us match you with a Leadership Coach (e.g., hobbies, personality traits, campus or community
involvement, academic or career interests). If someone you know has agreed to serve as your Leadership Coach, please share their full name and email address so
we can match you with them.

My leadership coach is Rodger Cox, [email protected]

Your Leadership Competencies

Step 3: Select one competency from the Personal/Self level of practice and one competency from the Interpersonal/Team level of practice. Next, select two
competencies from any of the four levels of practice. Ultimately, you should have selected a total of four leadership competencies.
Personal Development Plan Template
 Personal/Self: Self-Knowledge, Self-Management, Reflection, Empathy, Openness, Integrity
 Interpersonal/Team: Common Purpose, Communication, Relationship Management, Group Dynamics, Followership, Cultural Competency
 Organization: Change Management, Diversity Advocacy, Systems Thinking, Innovation
 Community/Society: Human Dignity, Social Justice, Global Competence, Service-Minded, Sustainability

Fill in the competencies you have selected in the spaces below and address the following three questions for each competency. We strongly encourage participants
to complete all four modules of the ILI before finalizing this step, as it will help with developing objectives.

Justification: Why did you choose this competency?

Reflection: What do you already know about this competency?
Objective: How do you plan to develop this competency? List at least three goals for each competency.

1. Personal/Self: Openness 2. Interpersonal/Teams: Communication

Justification: I chose this competency since I scored in the developing level of Justification: I chose this competency because while I think that I have good
this category from the self-assessments. I think that I am very self-aware and communication skills, there is always more that you can do to improve
empathetic and am open to others and their viewpoints. communication skills.

Reflection: I think that I am a very open person, who is accepting and willing Reflection: I have demonstrated communication skills when I was in many
to listen to other’s thoughts and opinions. I try to surround myself with positions of leadership and followership throughout college. Whether it was
socially diverse people and learn about other identities and cultures. being in charge of my peers for Illinithon, or the president of my club The
Climate Reality Project I demonstrate excellent communication skills and
Objective: I will be attending the Inclusion iProgram this semester and am listening skills with my peers.
excited to learn about learning more about diversity and equity. Especially
with the online learning, I am going to try to explore new options of Objective: My objective for increasing my communication skills is to work
leadership. with the people in my clubs and ask them what I can do better. I think that it is
important to work on communication skills in my personal and professional
Goals/Action Steps: For this competency, I have shown openness when sorting lives because the skills carry over.
through other people’s thoughts and being open to changing ideas. In my
sorority I was in charge of the decorations committee for formal recruitment Goals/Action Steps: I have demonstrated this skill through my many
and had to make sure that the president of the sorority, head of recruitment and leadership positions. In Illinithon my goal was to communicate with the people
the other committees were on the same page with what the decorations for in the club as I was the External Communications Chair. I was in the Member
each day would look like. This required a lot of openness and changes to plans Relations Committee and I communicated with the other committees in order
trying to get everyone’s ideas and goals met. Second, I have demonstrated this to prepare for the big event, a 12-hour dance marathon. Last year as the VP of
Personal Development Plan Template
competency by attending a national Climate Reality Coalition of the Climate Reality Project I was responsible for
Leadership Convention where we learned about climate reaching out and communicating with professors and other
change and its effects and developed plans and back-up plans groups on campus. As the president of the Climate Reality
for how to get our message across when we got back to school. Project I demonstrate communication skills by sending out
Third, I will be attending the Inclusion iProgram which will emails about new meetings and climate related news.
help me in my goal of openness by learning more about
diversity and equity.

3. Organization: Systems Thinking 4. Community/Society: Global Competence

Justification: I chose systems thinking because while I scored Justification: I chose this competency because I scored in the
in the expert category, I think that while I demonstrate developing category of this category and in the expert category
adequate leadership skills and system thinking when going of the rest of the options.
through strategic planning of my clubs or classes or even
projects that there is still room for improvement. Reflection: I have worked on this competency by completing a
service trip with my sorority to help build a school in Jamaica
Reflection: I have demonstrated systems thinking capabilities and I attended the Institute by LeaderShape. I am aware of
when I was interviewing students to be on the executive board myself and my surroundings and how what I do impacts the
of my club and needed to make sure that each person’s values people and the world around me.
and goals fit those of the clubs.
Objective: I would like to become more informed about the
world around me and the impacts my actions have. Looking
Objective: I am attending the Ignite iProgram this semester to
from a sustainability perspective, I want to implement global
improve my systems thinking abilities. I think that the COVID- competence and gain a greater knowledge of other cultures
19 pandemic right now is a huge example of the need for through my Climate Reality Club.
systems planning in the healthcare industry. One of the
recommended classes is GCL 146 or the HIV/AIDS Pandemic Goals/Action Steps: For this competency, have completed a
and I think that there will be people studying this pandemic in service trip and attended the Institute by LeaderShape. I
the same way. completed the goals or action steps of traveling to gain an
awareness for other people and cultures and attended
LeaderShape to become aware of myself and the impact that I
Goals/Action Steps: I have previously demonstrated this have on society. A third step that I will be pursuing is
competency while interviewing students to be on the executive becoming more informed through reading articles and
board of the Climate Reality club I am the president of on spreading information about other cultures and their climate
campus. I also have demonstrated this competency while in problems through my Climate Reality club.
Personal Development Plan Template
Ilinithon as the External Communications Chair. I was in
charge of communicating with the other committees and
making sure that their objectives and plans matched those of
our committee and the club as a whole. Lastly, my goal is to
increase my systems thinking competency while attending the
Ignite iProgram later this semester.

Your Timeline
Step 4: Use the chart below to map out your timeline for completing the Leadership Certificate Program. This plan is intended to serve as a guide to get started and
approach your journey through the program with intentionality!

Requirements: Cohort and coach meetings, one academic course (AGED/LEAD 260), two i-Programs, two team experiences, 10 hours of leadership trainings &
workshops, and an ePortfolio.

Semester 1: Spring 2020 Semester 2: Graduating Spring 2020 Semester 3: Graduating Spring 2020

 Inclusion I-Program 4/25

 Ignite I-Program 4/18
 Completion Workshop and ePortfolio 4/15
 Graduate

Step 5: Please include a copy of your current resume when you upload your PDP to the ILC website! It will help us match you with a Leadership Coach.