Professional and Leadership Development Assignment

This assignment has three main parts.  In the first part, you will be required to read a book about one of the topics we have studied in this course and provide a 2-page reflection on what you have learned and how it may impact your professional and/or leadership development.  For the second part, you will identify and communicate a personal purpose and career vision, by applying the ‘Hedgehog Concept’.  For part three, you will prepare a professional development plan , which will provide you with direction on the development activities you will pursue in an effort to work toward your career vision.  

Formatting guidelines: 
• APA Style (7th  ed.) - cover page, double-spaced, etc. – Use this link as a guide. 
• Part A – 2 pages maximum | Part B & Part C – 3 pages total maximum 
• You do not need to cite or reference course materials which were provided to you by the instructor. However, if you choose to utilize any source other than course materials, which were provided to you by the instructor, you must properly cite sources in-text as well as on a reference page. Please use this link for citing and referencing help. 
 
You are required to a read a book about one of the topics listed below and provide a 2-page maximum reflection on: 
1) three key learnings from the book, and; 
2) how each key learning may impact your professional and/or leadership development Make sure you are specific with your responses. Provide examples, specific references to quotes or pages of the book, etc.  
Select one topic that you are most interested in developing:
• Professional/career development  
• Communication (LO1) 
• Personal brand (LO2) 
• Stress management (LO3) 
• Time management (LO3) 
• Conflict management (LO3) 
• Any leadership theory (LO4) 
 
• Building trust and relationships (LO5) 
• Building a high performance team (LO5) 
• Diversity and inclusion in the workplace (LO6) 
• Coaching/developing people (LO7) 
• Motivating/empowering others (LO7) 
• Change leadership (LO8) 
• Vision (LO9) 

Next, select a book. Tips for choosing your book: 
• Ask your instructors and/or other trusted people in your life. 
• Make sure the book will provide you with meaningful insight into your selected topic. 
• Research top selling book lists (i.e., Forbes, New York Times, etc) for your topic. 
• Select a book that your instructor has talked about in class. 
 
The purpose of Part B is to guide you through a process of identifying and communicating your personal purpose and vision. 
 
1) Illustrate a personal purpose for your life. Explain why this purpose is significant and motivating to you. See the document ‘Anderson (2019)_Mastering Leadership’, page 9 for more information on personal purpose. 
 
2) Apply the ‘Hedgehog Concept’ to your life. Include insight and reflection for each of the three categories:  
a) what are you deeply passionate about;  
b) what can you be the best in the world at,  and; 
c) what drives your economic engine. 
Then, identify which jobs, careers, volunteer opportunities, etc fit within the results of these three categories. 
 
3) Creating and understanding your career vision can provide insights about your motivation to lead and guide your development efforts in a direction congruent with your long-term goals. As we have learned, people who have achieved or accomplished great 
things, first had a vision. 
a) What is your career vision?  
b) Briefly explain why this is your career vision. Provide insights into significance, motivation, and rationale.  
c) Explain how your vision relates to each of the ‘five characteristics of a vision’ as outlined in the LO9 PPT. 
 
Throughout the semester we have discussed many skill/knowledge areas that contribute to career and leadership success. Create a plan to develop a minimum of two of the skill/knowledge areas below. Select skills that you think will be most useful for where you are at in your career and leadership development. The development of these skill/knowledge areas will contribute to your career and/or leadership success. You may select the same topic as you did in Part A, but you do not have to. 
• Professional/career development  (LO1 & LO10) 
• Communication (LO1) 
• Personal brand (LO2) 
• Stress management (LO3) 
• Time management (LO3) 
• Conflict management (LO3) 
• Any leadership theory (LO4) 
 
• Building trust and relationships (LO5) 
• Building a high performance team (LO5) 
• Diversity and inclusion in the workplace (LO6) 
• Coaching/developing people (LO7) 
• Motivating/empowering others (LO7) 
• Change leadership (LO8) 
• Vision (LO9) 
For each skill/knowledge area that you select, you must: 
1)  Seek advice from two other people you respect about how to develop the skill/knowledge area. 
o What was their advice for developing your selected skill/knowledge area? 
2)  Identify a minimum of three practical steps to develop each of your selected skill/knowledge areas. Plan to actually complete these steps during or after the semester or your program is complete. 
 
o Utilize the advice you received, conduct your own research, and gather others’ opinions and experiences to identify practical steps for developing your selected skills.  
o For example, practical steps could consist of attending onsite or online workshops or training, volunteer work, reading materials, talking to topic area experts,  conducting informational interviews, becoming a member of a professional organization, continuing education, etc. 
o Be as specific as possible: For example, stating that you will attend webinars is too vague. Actually  find the webinar and state what it is, why it will be helpful to your development, how to sign up, the cost, and when you will attend. 
o Be as specific as possible: For example, stating that you will pay more attention to how you communicate with others is too vague. State your detailed plan. Will  you journal daily to reflect on your interactions? 
o Provide justification for these practical steps (i.e., how will these steps aid in the development of your selected skill).