Unit 5, Modules 17-20 focus on various qualities of leadership, including how to listen, how to work in groups, how to conduct meetings, and how to present orally.
For this final blog of the course, you will create a Professional Leadership Statement based on your experience as well as your reading of these modules in your book.
What is a Leadership Statement?
A Leadership Statement is a self-reflective exercise that asks you to think about your purpose in leading, your values, and your beliefs about who you are as a leader and how you lead others.
We will begin by identifying the core experiences and role models that have influenced their leadership. Many find this to be a chance to include a personal experience of leadership (think “Class President” in high school or Shift Manager at Starbucks). Others may describe someone who has led them in the past (think Pastor Rick from church, Sargent Rios from the Army, Mrs. Smith from middle school, or Coach Thompson from pee-wee football).
Leaders understand the ‘we’ vision – something that inspires an organization, investors, or a department. No smart leader would consider leadership without thinking about others first.
Yet few leaders can clearly identify their own personal beliefs on leadership. So, if leaders consider the ‘we’ vision vital to organizational success, why don’t they think it’s equally vital to have one for themselves, given that they are leading?
What You Need to Include
As you reflect on your Personal Leadership Statement should address some these questions:
- What is your core purpose as a leader? Why are you here, doing what you do? Why would anyone want to be led by you?
- What type of leader are you? What models of leadership speak to your experience and/or how you want to be perceived when you are in a position of leadership?
- How do you demonstrate leadership through written communication? How do you use written communication to lead meetings and presentations?
- Who are your leadership role models and what did you learn from them? Who is your inspiration? What three or four critical events in your life shaped your beliefs about leadership?
- What do you believe about leading and motivating people? What values and principles are reflected in your plans, decisions, and actions when leading others?
- What can people expect from you? What are your intentions and commitments? How do you set an example?
- What do you expect from your people?
How to Create Your Leadership Statement
You may approach this assignment in several ways. You could, of course, write it out in several paragraphs (250-500 words). If you choose the paragraph format, include a graphic, photo, or other visual element to your blogs to earn full credit on the rubric.
You could re-think this statement, though by representing it through visuals or collaging it. You could create an infographic as you did for the Week 2 Blog.
Be sure to reference the ideas in your book. You do not need to quote and cite directly, but you should make it clear that you have carefully reviewed Unit 5.
