Introduction
This is a Personal Leadership Action Plan (PLAP) based on the self-assessment results on the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) defined by Kouzes and Posner in The Leadership Challenge. The task focuses on two critical areas with relatively low scores, which include Inspire a Shared Vision and Challenge the Process.
As a future leader, I should be able to Inspire a Shared Vision among my team members. Naturally, I have imagined myself leading an exhilarating, hardworking team with a bright future in a successful organization. This reflects my vision for possibility and abilities to lead successfully in the future. Successful leaders should Inspire a Shared Vision in their teams through portraying possibilities in the future. However, after my LPI results, I have noted that there are fundamental areas for improvements in this element of exemplary leadership.
Main body
As a potential leader, I need to develop skills and abilities to look into the future, envision endless possibilities, and inspire others to share my vision. In this context, I must demonstrate that I can make a real change, show that the future will be better than today, transform group thinking, and develop new opportunities and possibilities for my constituents.
I have noted that unless I inspire others, my vision will only be limited to myself and not my team. This is deficient for a focused leadership that seeks to create a significant impact on others. I have to make my constituents to understand and incorporate my vision so that they can follow. My constituents can only be inspired by my vision and make their personal commitment, and this would eventually result in an acceptable vision for the team.
My fundamental approach to Inspire a Shared Vision involves getting to know my team members and learn to relate with them effectively. Many people usually believe that a leader must dearly hold the interests of the team at heart. Hence, I must ensure that the team understands this commitment, and I will encourage them to create unity of purpose in order to realize that the envisioned future will benefit everyone.
I must improve on my communication skills to communicate the vision. A distinct communication supported with an expressive style of communication would ensure that the vision is clear to the team. This could possibly create passion, interest, and great expectation among constituents. I must ensure that the team believes in the vision and are inspired to promote it for a better tomorrow.
For the team to understand the vision, I will have to learn task delegation and promote teamwork. Tasks delegation would develop my leadership skills and ensure that I can Inspire a Shared Vision through delegation.
A leader must Challenge the Process. That is, as an aspiring leader who wants to lead others, challenges are inevitable, and they must be sought and conquered. Every great leader must experience some sort of challenges. The Challenge the Process ensures that as a leader, I can seek chances and test, take risks, and learn from my mistakes.
Challenge the Process requires the leader to explore new unknown challenges. That is, as a leader, I must always seek change and not accept the status quo. I must look for new opportunities to create new alternatives, grow and enhance my abilities and skills. With regard to pioneering and inventions, I must also be willing to receive inputs from other members of the team, particularly during a crisis. Hence, my major role would include acknowledging and promoting imaginative ideas and always willing to challenge the team for new results.
A leader must take the initiative to ensure that an idea can work. More often, the team may not engage in other ideas if they believe that such ideas may not thrive. Persistence and willingness are qualities that ensure that a leader can Challenge the Process. It requires all team members to adopt a similar attitude.
The Challenge the Process requires me to be an early supporter and adopter of new approaches. One fundamental aspect of leadership that I must learn as a leader is that opportunities and innovations are subjected to tests, risks, experimentation, and even risks and failure.
During the implementation of new ideas, mistakes do take place. In this regard as a leader, one must not always engage in blames, but strive to find alternatives to fix the problem. Hence, learning is imperative for leadership. A good leader must promote learning to solve emerging challenges. Learning is imperative for any leader who must face various obstacles and therefore should find new opportunities in leadership.
I must be an active learner to Challenge the Process and developed strategies for overcoming identified challenges. Change is generally challenging and stressful. I must strive to create an environment that supports learning and promotes psychological control so that constituents may embrace change. Change therefore must not be overwhelming for constituents to bear.
Conclusion
As a leader, I must encourage my constituents to learn, embrace change slowly, and celebrate any wins. On this note, I must build my confidence and practice to overcome even bigger challenges. Such strategies would ensure that I develop resilience and a strong commitment to the future.