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Running head: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Chrys Quiroz Personal Leadership Development Plan Touro University Nevada

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN Personal Leadership Development Plan Mission and Vision Statement I am a compassionate, conscientious, and professional occupational therapist and leader that is rooted with integrity. I value hard work and ethical behavior and I strive to positively influence everyone I interact with. I find meaning and purpose from serving others. I gain life satisfaction when I cultivate my knowledge with each experience I encounter. I believe each experience provides a valuable lesson on self-improvement. I want to help advance the occupational therapy profession through my involvement and contributions in local, state, and national affairs. I will continue to exert my efforts in being a caring, competent, and efficient occupational therapist and leader in the profession. Strengths Upon completion of the StrengthsFinder 2.0 questionnaire, I was shown that my top five strengths are Restorative, Deliberative, Focus, Individualization, and Discipline. These five strengths truly describe my personality. The book outlined and allowed me to see these descriptive words in a positive light. Restorative is my top strength. I am the type of person that likes to fix things if they are not working appropriately. I am a very efficient individual who likes to constantly improve in all aspects of my life. I truly believe that the sky is the limit and that it is important to constantly better ones life to reach ones full potential. One of my fears in life is to cease growing as a person, and remaining stagnant. I have a tendency to want to fix things, and I may need to consistently remind myself not to be overly self-critical. This can contribute to my abilities as a leader because I will be open to helping individuals fix things, if they see that it isnt working as they had hoped.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN Deliberative is my number two strength. I am very careful, vigilant, and observant. I like to plan ahead and I consider all possible approaches and outcomes that may occur, so that I can remain better prepared. I like to make sure that all issues I support are solid. As a leader, I can work with individuals to facilitate careful decision making, which will decrease the likelihood of making hasty and impulsive decisions within the group. Focus is my number three strength. I believe in setting short-term and long-term goals. It is important to remain focused and to keep ones sight on the end goal. Efficiency also aligns with the ability to remain focused. This assists with my abilities as a leader because I do not require redirection or supervision to accomplish tasks that need to be done. Therefore, I can provide the guidance needed to complete the tasks that are set for the group. In addition to guidance, I can provide focus for the group and help my group set goals if their attention is beginning to drift astray. Individualization is my number four strength. I am able to observe and see the differences between individuals. As a result, as a leader, I can highlight and emphasize the strengths of any individual and accentuate what is unique. By doing this, I hope that I can create a sense of rapport and trust building among myself and everyone because of the personalized approach that I tend to create. Lastly, Discipline is my number five strength. I like to remain organized and predictable, and I appreciate when things are orderly and planned. As a leader, I can not only keep everyone focused, but I can advocate for discipline in order to reach our goals by creating timelines to motivate everyone to maximize their potential.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN Growth Needs In order to advance my leadership skills in the occupational therapy profession, I believe I need to work on developing my self-confidence and public speaking skills. I feel like I can tackle this obstacle through participating at the local Toastmasters meetings. In addition, after listening to the Leader Interview Presentations on Thursday, there was a comment made by one of the leaders interviewed regarding cultivating ones self-identity. I definitely believe that these three factors will contribute to me growing as a leader because they each influence one another. In order to hone my leadership skills, I think I need to assure myself that even though I am young, I still can voice my opinion and contribute as a leader. I believe I have a hard time overcoming this obstacle due to how I was raised. In the Filipino culture, I was always taught to never question my elders or authorities and that I had more to learn from them, than I had to offer (in terms of knowledge and experience). As a result, I feel that I translate this outlook and mentality to other areas of my life. I should be able to state my opinion, though often times I feel that I am not experienced enough or informed. However, Pentland (2012) introduced the idea that leaders can contribute through authentically expressing ones self and providing value to the team. They dont need to be the superior individual that knows everything; they can simply contribute by bringing out the best in everyone. Therefore, I will keep this in mind, and realign my old definition of a leader to parallel this new and inclusive definition of a leader. Leadership Style Currently, my leadership style that I gravitate towards is Situational Leadership. Whenever I partake in a group project, I notice that I base my actions and qualities of a leader based on the task and maturity level/personality of my group members. I recall recently being in a group that I felt required more direction, assistance with initiating, and delegating of tasks. For

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN this group, I used the Selling, Telling, and Delegating styles for the different components of the assignment to get the job done. However, in another group, I felt that we all had a similar work ethic and I was able to utilize a Participating style. Therefore, it really just depended on the task and my perception of the individuals commitment to the assignment. However, if I could hone my leadership characteristics and qualities and work towards a different type of style, I feel that the Servant Leadership style would suit me as well. I desire to be a Servant Leader because when I read the characteristics of this style, I felt that if someone was leading me, I would want them to have these same values and outlook of being a leader. I think it is really important to be empathetic and aware of your group, as a leader, and I also believe in fostering growth and wholeness within ones group. I feel that being a Servant Leader doesnt just look to getting the job done, but actually caring about the people that is working to get the job done. Therefore, as a future leader, I hope that my group can describe me as a Servant Leader that creates a sense of community among everyone. Goals One year goals. By March 2015, I will increase awareness of the occupational therapy profession within a smaller community, and gain the interest of at least two individuals to further consider occupational therapy as a career. More specifically, I will increase awareness within organizations I was involved with during my undergraduate career. For example, I was part of a sisterhood called Delta Phi Gamma which is a multicultural organization that firmly believes in community service and the value of education. In order to accomplish this, I will contact the current Academic Chair of the respective organization and set up a meeting to discuss my goals of increasing awareness of occupational therapy and how it can benefit their organization. I will schedule an in-service to present on occupational therapy and extend my contact information to

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN the women that may be interested in learning more about this profession. Originally coming from that area, I am very aware that the community is not familiar with occupational therapy. Some may not even know what to do with their undergraduate degree. If I am able to reach out and fuel the interest of at least two individuals and provide guidance into the application process of this field, I will consider this to be a successful outcome measure. My resources for this goal will be to research the various occupational therapy programs application process and prerequisites so that I can provide this information to the community. I will also need to use the Academic Chair and President of the organizations as resources to further understand the organizations needs and interests. Another goal I am hoping to reach by March 2015 is to volunteer abroad and provide occupational therapy in an underdeveloped country that is approved by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. Though I may not be done with the opportunity by March 2015, I definitely want to already be in the country by this designated time. I am very interested in helping those in need, especially those in countries that have a history of turmoil. Being born in a country that is considered a third-world country, I feel motivated to assist those that dont have the same opportunities to healthcare that we have in the United States. The actions that I will take to reach this goal will be to research which opportunities are available to me, securing my passport and ensuring it is up to date, buying my plane ticket, and ensuring that all obligations I have in the United States are taken care of before I head to the respective country. My outcome measure for this goal will be to successfully complete the entire trip as agreed to, and to provide occupational therapy within the context of a country that is identified as underdeveloped. The resources I will use include the World Federation of Occupational Therapists website to determine which organization I would like to partner with to complete this goal. I will also have

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN to consult and use my bank as a resource to determine my financial capabilities to pursue this goal. Three year goals. By March 2017, I will hold a Nevada Occupational Therapy Association (NOTA) position so that I may further develop my leadership skills and network with the occupational therapists within Nevada. More specifically, the position that presently interests me in the Membership Chair position. The actions that I will take to achieve this goal is to continue my membership with NOTA. In addition, I will attend the annual conference and maintain an active status within the association as a member. My outcome measure will be to increase my network of occupational therapists within Nevada, and to voice my opinions related to occupational therapy, as appropriate. The resources I will use include my current network of aspiring occupational therapists, researching what the process is to obtain a chair position, and inquiring about the schedule of NOTA so that I can attend all presentations and meetings. By March 2017, I will present a poster presentation at the annual NOTA conference to continually cultivate my public speaking skills. The actions that I will take to achieve this goal will be to maintain my membership in NOTA and to develop a presentation regarding a topic that I am passionate and knowledgeable about. The outcome measure will be the amount occupational therapists and occupational therapist students that approach my poster presentation with interest in learning more about the respective topic. The resources include the NOTA website and the evidence-based research articles that I will gather and culminate into my final poster presentation. Five year goals. By March 2019, I will have utilized the COOL! Volunteer Database regularly and have participated in at least 30 opportunities in order to further develop my participation within the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The actions that I

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN will take in order to complete this goal will be to regularly check the COOL! Database and set aside time every other month to volunteer. I will need to research the different opportunities and be realistic with what time commitments I can offer to the organization. The outcome measure will be for me to have completed at least 6 opportunities each year, which translates to every other month. However, this is the minimum and I can very well go above this goal, if desired. My resources include the AOTA website, the COOL! Volunteer Database, and my planner to organize when I can set aside time for these opportunities. By March 2019, I will present a poster presentation at the AOTA conference, in order to represent and maintain a voice within this respective profession. I foresee my poster presentation being evidence-based on a particular topic that intrigues me, such as stroke rehabilitation. My actions to complete this goal include developing a topic that I would like to present on, gathering data and evidence, obtaining approval from AOTA, and creating a poster presentation. My outcome measure would be my presentation being approved and my participation at the AOTA conference as a presenter. My resources will include the facility I work in, my patients, research journals, and AOTA. Ten year goals. By March 2024, I will be recognized as Board Certified in Physical Rehabilitation by AOTA in order to demonstrate competency and advanced practice in this area of occupational therapy. My actions to complete this goal include applying through AOTA and obtaining the required experience and documents. I will need to create a reflective portfolio with the stated requirements (such as a self-assessment, professional development plan, verification, employment background, etc.) and submit it to be peer-reviewed. My outcome measure includes being approved and recognized as Board Certified in Physical Rehabilitation. My resources include my work facility, AOTA website, and the BCPR application documents.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN By March 2024, I will be a supervisor to the Rehabilitation Department of the facility that I will work for. My actions to obtain this goal includes being a role model for other employees, being reliable and a team player, demonstrating an impressive work ethic, and striving to provide outstanding patient care. My outcome measure will be representing the facility as the lead or supervisor of the Rehabilitation Department. My resources will include my co-workers of the facility and continuing education courses on topics regarding leadership.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN References Costa, D. (2014a). Servant leadership [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://bbtun.touro.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2022067-dt-content-rid-2172192_1/xid-2172192_1 Costa, D. (2014b). Situational leadership [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://bbtun.touro.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2022067-dt-content-rid-2172190_1/xid-2172190_1 Pentland, W. (2012). When are you a leader? You might be surprised. (6), 18-19. Rath, T. (2007). Strengths finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press.

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