Leadership Portfolio

MOL 630E
Professor Marianne Sullivan, PhD
Section 3

Leadership Portfolio
Introduction

What are my personal feelings of what is leadership and how have they changed?
I will then discuss the characteristics that go into making up a great leader. Next, I will
evaluate my strengths and weaknesses as an effective leader in relation to my list of great
leadership characteristics. As a final point, I will finish with how I plan on following
through with my leadership transformation.

Leadership is a difficult word to define. There are so many different meanings

that leadership has meant over the centuries. My personal definition is, "Leadership is a
method or process that helps followers to move in the right direction so they can
eventually achieve their goals and goals of the organization.
Visionary- All great leaders have the ability to visualize a future for their
company and are able to map out a path that will make that vision a reality. This skill is
essential for a leader to have because it enables a leader to take the company to new
heights where it previously has not been. Visioning is a crucial part of a leaders
repertoire. A leader without the ability to see into the future with his company in mind
will lose his organization. I also feel that the main keys are to align employees personal
goals with the companys goals.
One must not forget that leadership is a positive process that helps followers to
move in the right direction so they can eventually achieve their and organizational goals.
This personal definition helped me to define the criteria for an effective leader that turned
out to be knowledge, a motivator, risk taker, a great communicator, integrity, and a
visionary. Unfortunately, I realized that I do not have all of these qualities in the amount

Leadership Portfolio
that I feel necessary to be a perfect leader. Now that I realize this, I can work on my
weaknesses and improve my leadership skills. I must continue to build on the foundation
I gathered form the MOL program.
A second aspect of the program I felt I needed to develop is the mentoring
process. I realized that before the program I failed to focus on developing and mentoring
my bench. This was a major failure in my part. Training and mentoring is an absolute.
With the start of the MOL mentoring and coach class implemented a program I would
chose Justin Paris. He is one of my direct reports and is the Manager Northside Station.
His level is an EAS 22. The next level for him is EAS 23 and considered a senior
management position. Justin has a bachelors degree. Just is has been on a several of
position and is respected by his peers. I would mentor him and have some subject matter
expertise assist with the coaching their fundamental area.
We both looked at this style and with an in-depth look at strengths, weaknesses
and how each trait impacts personal experiences. Below is the action plan for the
program.
Change Management
Gain experience in looking for opportunities to improve operations and trying
to reward innovative ideas. The on-the-job experience will provide the opportunity to
anticipate future needs, take actions, and make plans to accommodate future needs.
Gain experience in assisting other functional managers to meet performance
cluster goals and objectives in relation to organizational change.
Gain experience in identifying those who are resistant to change and achieving
their buy-in and advocacy for the change. Provides an opportunity to articulate a clear

Leadership Portfolio
vision of the organization after the change.
Gain experience in developing communication and action plans regarding
change with prioritized key messages. The on-the-job experience will provide an
opportunity to acknowledge and empathize with change opponents and listen to the
concerns of employees regarding change.

Communication
Gain experience in adjusting communication style to the needs of the audience.
Gain experience in communicating information clearly and concisely to ensure
audience understanding. The on-the-job experience will provide an opportunity to use
body language and eye contact to enhance the meaning of the message delivery.
Gain experience describing long-term strategic goals in a manner that makes
sense and is useful for the audience.
Gain experience in discussing new processes. The on-the-job experience will
provide an opportunity to communicate to employees and customers the reasons for and
consequences of the change.
Gain experience interacting with both internal and external customers to
develop stronger communication skills that produce positive results in solving customerrelated concerns and challenges.4) Provide a detailed account of how you would go about
successfully implementing the program if you were in a position to implement it.

Decision Making
Gain experience in recognizing opportunities and taking creative risks using

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information and resources at hand. The on-the-job opportunity will provide experience in
looking at the big picture in analyzing data and identifying problems through observation.
Gain experience in recognizing the difference between a major and minor
decision. The on-the-job experience will provide an opportunity to develop and plan
strategies to support favorable outcomes for the organization.
Gain experience in making unpopular decisions and communicating the reasons
for the decision to subordinate managers. The on-the-job experience will provide an
opportunity to develop decision makers by providing practice to subordinate managers.
Gain experience making decisions and standing behind them. The on-the-job
experience will provide an opportunity to communicate the reasons for decisions to
employees and customers.
Justin was now since been promoted to the next level. He is the Manager,
Customer Service operations in Rochester, NY.
These are just a few examples of who the MOL program was prepared me to take
it to the next level as a leader. Yes there have been challenges trying to find the time
between family, work and school. I will continue to grow as a leader, network and
develop my skills that MOL program has allowed. My next goal is to become a
Postmaster of a Major metro such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York city or even
Washington D.C.

My mission statement is to develop my leadership skills. I will be

committed to developing my skills by gathering the tools I need to be
successful. These tools will include continued professional development on
diversity, cultural awareness, and communication. Further, I am committed

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to fostering a collegial environment that consists one of a sound mentoring

program. I will not only share my leadership skills with others but be open to
learning all that I can from others. My reflection and the encouragement of
reflection by others in my organization will support the leadership potential
to allow us to strive for success.