Personal Development Plan
Development plan template – Week 6
Melissa Lasley
Southern New Hampshire University
MBA 530: Leading People & Organizations
Professor Ellington
4/5/24
Goal Description: To Cultivate and foster a positive practice team environment based on
a shared vision of our future related to the strategic organizational goals, and by doing so,
increase motivation and commitment from my direct reports as measured by increased
scores on the next employee survey related to the categories of working conditions,
recognition & praise, and company & strategy.
Leadership Competency: The above goal will be addressed by the leadership practice,
Inspire a Shared Vision. According to the ten Commitments of Exemplary Leadership,
this practice embodies “envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling
possibilities” (Kouzes) and “enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared
aspirations” (Kouzes). Skills associated with this leadership behavior include creative
thinking, communication, and storytelling.
Kouzes (2021) states, “Everyone has hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Everyone wants
tomorrow to be better than today. Shared visions attract more people, sustain higher
levels of motivation, and withstand more challenges than those that are exclusive to only
a few. You have to make sure that what you can see is also something that others can
see” (K-96). Developing leadership skills of communication, storytelling, and creative
thinking will assist in building team trust and will increase team motivation over time,
facilitating a shared vision in what our team’s future can look like.
Category Explanation Response
S: Specific What do I plan to
accomplish? What do I
plan to achieve? What is
the reason for this goal?
Why is it relevant?CC
Example: Ensure a
development plan, with
Develop a comprehensive,
closed looped
communication huddle tool
to increase trust between
me and my direct reports.
Trust is imperative for a
team to feel connected and
Category Explanation Response
specific deliverables, is
jointly developed withall
ofmy direct reports.
a sense of a shared vision.
Currently, our employee
survey shows a lack of trust
and connectedness.
M: Measurable What metric(s)Cwill be
used to determine if you
meet the goal?CIf more
than one milestone is
included,Cprovide the
metric that will be used to
measure performance.CC
I will use the completed
communication tools as
task complete
documentation with a
desired completion rate of
75% giving leniency for
life events to happen, and
next year’s employee
survey to measure the
ultimate success of the
above goal focusing on six
statements related to trust
and connectedness:
1- I believe the
company mission
and vision drive the
decisions that are
made.
2- I feel encouraged to
come up with new
and better ways of
doing things.
3- My work gives me a
sense of personal
accomplishment.
4- Promotes an
environment in
which employees
feel free to make
suggestions and
complaints.
5- When I am having
difficulty, my
supervisor is there
to support me, so I
do not feel
abandoned.
6- My supervisor lets
me know where I
stand and what is
expected of me.
Category Explanation Response
We are looking for a 10%
increase in scores related to
these questions.
A: Achievable What toolsCand skills do I
need to achieve the goal?
Who needs to be involved
for me to be
successful?CWhat is my
motivation for wanting to
achieve this goal?CC
I will need to hone my
skills in communication
(active listening and follow
through) as well as creative
thinking and storytelling.
These skills will help me
paint the picture of a vision
and allow for involvement,
so the vision becomes a
shared one.
I will need a
communication huddle tool
that outlines specific
communication topics to
converse about, so I am not
missing anything relevant
or important, daily face to
face huddles with
employees and virtual
platforms to reach my
remote employees, a
mentor to guide me and to
suggest changes when I
miss the mark.
I will also take a couple
courses related to the skills
of communication, creative
thinking, and storytelling to
increase my knowledge
base.
Creating a positive practice
team environment is critical
to the success of my team
and to the organization. In
meeting this goal, I will
have active participants in
the duties of my team and
possibly get great ideas to
Category Explanation Response
move us forward towards
the organizational goals.
This goal will also increase
the connectedness of direct
reports with not only me
but also with the
organization, increasing the
likelihood of retention.
R: Relevant How is this goal linked to
an overall business
objective? How will this
goal increase my
knowledge and improve
my overall performance?C
This goal is linked to the
overall business plan in that
to be successful in a new
market, we need our
employees to embrace the
organizational vision, and
feel like they have input
into the direction of this
company.
This goal will increase my
knowledge and improve my
overall performance by
increasing my ability to
create a shared vision, and
foster trust with my direct
reports. This will make me
a more well-rounded
leader. It also provides me
with a tangible tool for
communicating with my
team, allowing relevant
information to pass down
and for important feedback
to come back up to me.
T: Time Bound Provide tangible
deliverable(s) with due
dates if more than one
milestone is included.
Provide the final due date
for completion of this
development goal. C
The timeline for taking the
relevant courses and setting
up a mentor relationship is
within the next 2 months.
Creation of the
communication tool within
the 3rd month after
inception of the goal.
The new method of
Category Explanation Response
communicating will be
trialed in months 4-10 by
daily face to face and
virtual huddles with my
direct reports.
The employee survey will
take place in month 11 for a
2-week period.
Data assessment and
analysis will be given 30
days from the end of the
survey period.
Total completion is
estimated to be one year
from the start of goal
implementation, at that
time, we can look at our
scores and see if we are
successful and what
modifications need to be
made.
References
Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2021). Leadership Challenge. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
