Running head: Personal Plan to Enhance Leadership Effectiveness

Personal Plan to Enhance Leadership Effectiveness

UW-Milwaukee
By: Diane DuChateau

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Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness

A quote from Father Benos homily, When one has authority it is not to have power over
others but to build up the lives of others. When I reflect back on when I have been most
effective as a leader and growing or building up others, it has been when I have stepped back,
slowed down and listened. It is through the art of asking thoughtful, provoking questions and
hearing the responses that I feel I have tried to stretch people and help them grow. This is
something I have been recently more self-aware of trying to keep in the forefront during
discussions with staff. This is an area of leadership I have been striving to enhance for
leadership effectiveness.
Reflecting back on my research paper, Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Encouraging
and Inspiring Educators, a point that was made had to do with resonant leadership (Goleman,
Boyatziz, McKee, 2004) Leading by emotional intelligence builds resonance in an organization.
Therefore, being a resonant leader is that ability to inspire people, create a shared vision and
giving purpose for what we do (Goleman, Boyatziz, McKee, 2004) This will mean for me to
continue the reflective pause practice, to be self-aware of myself, my values which can lead to an
awareness of others values, what motivates and energizes them.(Cashman, 2012)

I want to

continually work on establishing a positive energy force field (community) which is based on a
climate of trust, respect, and nurturing. Having a climate built on trust, respect and nurturing
means having a community that is able have open communication and discussions as well as one
that promotes positive feedback which can lead to positive optimism and positive problem
solving skills. One of the first steps is to develop a shared vision for the center by taking into
account the agencys vision along with shared values of center staff and families. As a leader, I
want to be able establish a shared vision that will have everyone going in the same direction
toward the same purpose.

After completing StrengthsFinder 2.0, (Rath, 2007) the top five for

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Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness

me is the following: Adaptability, Harmony, Restorative, Arranger and Input. Reflecting on this
outcome, my research paper previously mentioned, the readings from Visionary Director, (Carter
& Curtis, 2010), and Nolans, The SMART Leadeship Model: Attributes of a Leader, two key
areas come to light that I am want to enhance. One is to be able to capitalize and enhance my
skills of influencing others by utilizing Blanchards Situational Leadership Styles (Blanchard,
2010) and leading the way towards a shared vision and purpose. It is important to keep in mind
the importance of tailoring the leading and coaching style to the current skill level of the staff
member(s). Because it is through our staff that will help bring forth the shared vision and
purpose of our program.
The second area I want to enhance is the strategy, Reclaim time on behalf of your vision,
(Carter & Curtis, 2010). In the past, I have allowed myself to get bogged down in the tasky, day
to day stuff. I need to reclaim time so that I can be the leader who leads her program in the
direction of my vision, the shared center vision and the vision for the agency. This means I need
to organize this by creating and organizing blocks of time throughout the week that will allow for
me to have regular contact with all families and staff and allow to do the following consistently
and effectively (Carter & Curtis, 2010): (1) In rooms coaching and promoting reflective thinking
strategies with staff, developing the informal leaders and encouraging their leadership skills; (2)
Designating a block of time each week for reading and reflection for myself; (3) Continue to
block off time for staff meetings for sharing agency news, training, problem solving, vision
sharing and community building; (4) To continue bi-monthly professional development training
and to make sure they are relevant to the current skill levels of the staff; (5) Designating the
block of time to do the day to day task things that need to be completed such as files, parent
accounts; (6) Creating time for self well being such as going to the Y and family time. This will

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Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness

entail creating a time line, breaking down the parts of the day and reflecting currently on what I
am doing now (what is working, what is not working) and where the changes can be made. It is
my hope that this will provide direction for the vision of the program and my own personal
vision as well as enhance my leadership effectiveness as a leader in Early Childhood.

References
Blanchard, Ken, (2010) Leading at a Higher Level. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press
Cashman, Kevin, (2012). The Pause Principle. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Kohler Publishers,
Inc.
Carter, Margie & Curtis, Deb, (2010) The Visionary Director, St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press
Nolan, Tim, (1006, 2004) The Handbook for Leadership Excellence, Waukesha, WI,; Center for
Leadership Excellence, Inc.
Goleman, Daniel, Boyatzis, Richard & McKee, Anne, (2004). Primal Leadership: Learning to
Lead with Emotional Intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Rath, Tom, (2007) Strengthsfinder 2.0; New York, N.Y.: Gallup Press