Personal Leadership Development Plan

The PTI assessment showed me that I am worthy of and suitable for my future career. It made me aware and confident of my strengths, positive traits of my personality and natural predispositions. Moreover, this report determined weaknesses some of which I had not noticed before. Perhaps the most insightful finding is that both my preference for introversion and extraversion have negative “side effects.” Although the trend for extraversion outweighs, I still have a slight preference for introversion. I believe that my shyness is one of the attributes and manifestations of introversion. I like to communicate with people, give advice and receive feedbacks (my features of extraversion), but sometimes my shyness prevents me from having a conversation in which I could be an active participant, especially when I communicate with new people. I believe that my shyness will disappear in a natural way when I become more experienced in communication and more confident of my authority. In order to do the latter, I will need to keep perfecting myself, i.e. my knowledge, leadership and professional skills. As for the negative side of extraversion of which I did not know, the PTI results emphasize that my love of change can result in difficulty staying on routine, sedentary tasks when boredom prevails on a long-term basis. Indeed, I am optimistic and full of energy when I think about my times and mission as a dean of the Education Department, however, I have never considered a scenario under which I will not be able to make rapid changes and will have to deal with monotonous work. I am not saying that I will be unsuitable for desk work (which is always a part of professions related to education), but it is the realization that it may happen that is crucial. Now that I know the possible negative turn of events and this side of my personality, the situation will not catch me off-guard. I will be ready and able to “tune” a proper mindset (“growth mindset”) in order to reach my goals and stay in a positive mood on my long way to them (Pappano, 2012).

The Leadership Style assessment showed that my style is Participative. I can accept and appreciate the input from team members while I make decisions and solve problems. However, I prefer to have a final word when the choices are made. My own research and speculations on what leaders are needed for Saudi Arabia’s education sector made me conclude that those should be servant and transformational leaders. I plan on staying participative in terms of treating students and faculty, but I see the ideal combination in servant + transformational leadership. I will be able to give my field of interest both the vision of and an impetus for a positive change and a humane leader to listen, empathize, inspire and give herself fully for the benefits of the organization and community. My Style assessment says I am a driver (indeed, I am an action- and results-oriented problem-solver) and expressive (can be motivating, inspiring and optimistic). The Thinking Style test says I have an analytical and systematic style. Lastly, I have taken initiative to try one of the free assessments at Performance Programs website. It was “Fear Your Strengths” and it showed me that I gravitated toward enabling interpersonal style and operational organizational focus. Both approaches are favorable for my future job, but the assessment warned me not to “overuse strengths to counterproductive extremes.”

The aforementioned results are a great start for becoming a leader with an educational institution. I chose these five assessments because they provided me with valuable details on my personality, leadership styles and predispositions, as well as showed how people see me and what I missed when perceiving myself. The assessments proved to be reliable because the results persist through time (in re-testing), and valid because they are objective, useful and relevant to my chosen career field.

Reflecting on the assessments and course materials, as well as the ways in which they portrayed, exposed and helped me, I can say that I have acquired a holistic picture of who I am and a better understanding of what to do in order to become who I want to be. I am an ESFP person who can use time-proved information and methods or transform them into something innovative if needed, perceive life as something planned-over, but feels free and eager to deal with unexpected problems and use her internal energy for the benefit of the team and organization. These are my features, talents and strengths. My weakness is in my shyness, inability to say “No” to people and tendency for pessimism under routine, monotonous activities that bring no positive results for a long time. To be a great leader, I must be ready to adjust my leadership style if the immediate environment demands it. Also, I have to learn to be more confident and less shy so that people would see me as a great leader whom they can trust and follow. I must not lose the positive traits which I demonstrate now and which I will need to carry through my whole life and professional activity in the field of Saudi Arabian education. I am happy to know that my calling, my choice of future career and my personality are inter-compatible. With minor changes and major effort, I will become an exemplar leader for my people.

Apart from the practical insight pertaining myself, I have also acquired valuable knowledge on the essence of leadership from this course. I now know that leadership is not all about IQ, but more about inner motivation (Pappano, 2012). I will keep in mind the five career tips and do my best to follow them. I already know how to slow down keeping my long-term goal in mind as a beacon, but living in the present day and focusing on the present needs and minor goals.