My Personal Development Plan

Personal Statement
I used to have bitter feelings towards leadership. It was all for people who were just born with
special talents that I would never have, I thought in high school. As my high school and college careers
progressed, I realize that this was wrong. Im not going to pretend that there arent some leaders that fit
that description, but I started to think there was more to it when I noticed how some of my peers looked
down on others in leadership positions in activities for trying too hard. From a developmental
psychology perspective, it isnt an uncommon mentality and were all starting to grow out of it. Anyway,
I noticed this and understood that if everybody thought that these people that accused them of trying too
hard were right, very few people would ever try anything. Besides, I find that most of the people who
make that accusation are under the impression that everyone is living for them, when some people are
doing things for themselves. People often perceived me as different, eccentric, and weird, so they thought
I was trying to be something when in actuality thats just how I was as a person, somewhat removed from
certain social expectations due to a lack of social activity at a young age. Some of them might have
thought I was egotistical if they thought I wasnt doing what was expected, though I was just ignorant as
to what that was. As soon as I realized both of these false assumptions, I decided to live for myself in
such a way that it wasnt considered selfish. This became a part of my leadership definition, along with
the concept of taking initiative.
I want to go to graduate school for counseling psychology, and maybe open my own private
practice. Im not sure how Im going to accomplish this yet, but I know I definitely want to be a therapist.
I tend to look at things from a community psychology perspective, so it shouldnt surprise me that my
ethical values (according to the Integrity program) are freedom, friendships, and justice. Thats pretty
self-explanatory; community psychology has a lot to do with freedom when discussing power dynamics,
and justice in terms of social justice. Friendship is important because I could have used the type of
support a friend provides when I was going through most of my hardship and I didnt always have that, so
I want to help provide some sort of support for others in similar situations. I think the Leadership
Certificate Program helped me achieve the skills I need to be a leader, even if its just a leader/authority
figure among very few people. Furthermore, I already had a few leadership positions upon beginning the
certificate, but I was not sure where to go with them. I found out through the explorations encouraged
through the certificate requirements. After all, the selection of courses and programs teach concepts that
normally cant be taught in school. The leadership coach aspect helped me learn what I specifically need
to do so that I can start improving my weakest areas first.

Learning Goals
I was involved in leadership positions on campus before joining and I became involved in more.
To name a few, Im the secretary for the campus chapter of NAMI, the president for my residence halls
council, and I have gained leadership as the president of my sorority, Delta Xi Phi. I have gained a lot of
help in these positions from the leadership program and the leadership center continued to help me with
my self-management and my project and program effectiveness. They have been developed a lot, but I
need to apply what I have learned.

Upon entry, I needed to improve my self-management because I had a problem with goal setting. I
used to be afraid to set any sort of goals because I thought Id just be setting myself up for failure. This
was back when I thought I wasnt capable of anything. Im going to need to do a lot of goal setting in my
leadership roles and I now know how to set them up and how to divide them into reasonable steps. At one
point in the past, I seemed to be setting them too big or too small and I wound up getting stuck
somewhere along the way. Task completion is a surefire signal that Ive finally done well in the area of
goal setting. Therefore, my self-management also improved.
In regards to project and program effectiveness, I used to run into problems in previous attempts
to even propose a program because Im not creative and I was often afraid to even suggest anything.
Everything I suggest gets shot down and I tend to blame myself even if its not my fault. Sometimes, it
isnt anyones fault. It just happens. However, I would blame myself regardless and it was hard for me to
get out of that mentality. But I got out of that mentality and it turns out my organizational skills are great.
I think my problem actually lies in delegating and-again-goal setting because I was so worried about
getting my ideas off the ground that I didnt think about what to do afterwards or how to obtain it.
Successful completion of an event with very few problems in the actual process showed me that Ive
finally accomplished my goal. The leadership program has helped me combat these problems, but I need
to continue to implement my skills so that I do not lose what I have learned.

11 Skills and Attributes

Self-Development
Self-Awareness
Given that I was too afraid of criticism to even declare my interests within my mind, Im not 100% sure
of what I like. Im definitely active on campus regardless. This implies that although activities indicate
my interests and personality, I might still just be going through my everyday life without thinking about
this connection. I could appear alienated. Therefore, I resolve to keep track of my time in order to find out
more about myself.
Evidence:
-I will keep a list of activities Im in-extracurricular or otherwise- and look for trends to see if I can find
out more about myself.
-A lot of people claim that I am self-aware. Perhaps I would appear so because I have a rich inner world
that I ponder a lot. Of course, I might not know that and I cannot be completely self-aware. If I am, I
would like to keep up this trend and continue to increase it.
Update: I have examined my extracurricular activities and determined that while I like a variety, most
pertain to my majors. I have also learned more about myself through the Strengths Quest test.
Self-Management
My goal setting could really use work in that I need to be able to set goals with confidence. Sometimes,
this involves knowing when to set them up in the first place, which of course I tend to struggle to do. I
also need to break bigger goals in smaller goals in a more efficient way. Otherwise, it will be incredibly
overwhelming and I will not know where to start. Perhaps I could do this by learning to prioritize.
Evidence:
-I would like to attend an I-Program that champions this skill.
-Additionally, I would like to work within my extracurricular activities to propose and fully execute a

program through demonstrating these skills. I will know that I have accomplished this if the program is
successfully followed through with minimum flaws.
-I will reflect on my goal setting ability by writing about it and further going into depth about why I fail to
set goals.
Update: I have learned more about self-management in the Imprint program, as well as my
communication classes.
Interpersonal Development
Relationship Building
I tend to isolate myself from others, which is a terrible way to lead and/or be part of a team. Therefore, I
intend to build relationships with people in my RSOs. I have recently taken an Introduction to
Interpersonal Communication and I have learned about the stages of a relationship and how to maintain a
relationship at each stage. I hope to apply my newfound knowledge to my everyday interactions and my
team experiences so that I can lead efficiently.
Evidence:
-Perhaps I can initiate conversations and try to get more involved with other activities. If I get to be more
than a secretary, I can get them involved in my activities.
-I will get to know my sorority sisters even better as I prepare for my leadership role.
-I will further reflect on this by jotting down the states of my relationships and how I think they are going
based on what I know and what I am learning.
Update: Intro to Interpersonal Communication has helped, and I have been able to use it in my sorority.
Communication Skills
As a communications major, Im okay with communications. However, Ive noticed some common
communication barriers that occur after its too late. Additionally, I tend to have problems with
conveying tone and I might accidentally offer unsolicited advice in an attempt to make conversation. This
further complicates matters because it makes people uncomfortable, whether they know why or not, and it
just comes off as snobby. I need to stop doing that so that I do not alienate people.
Evidence:
-I will apply what Ive learned by being aware of my conversations as they happen and therefore having a
better chance of noticing the barriers as they come up.
-I will be mindful of my tone and try to change it if things are going wrong in my conversations.
-In order to evaluate myself , I want to see if I make any friends and/or keep people willingly involved in
our organizations . That way, I will measure if I am communicating myself well enough.
Update: Intro to Interpersonal Communication has helped me in this area greatly.
Ethical Practices
I really like the idea of empowering other people and Im looking to learn how to do that for career
reasons. I need to work with it more. Typically, I tend to effortlessly shy away from anything
controversial and unethical, so I do not have a problem with that. I have been to Integrity and I can
confirm that I have the right values to avoid common mistakes and unethical practices, but I do not know
to what extent this is.
Evidence:
-First, I need to define what ethical practice means to me because Im somewhat lost. I would not have

thought of empowerment beforehand. I tend to think of it in terms of what not to do as opposed to what to
do and I think this is probably the wrong way to go about it.
-I intend to review the lessons taught in Integrity about values and I hope to maintain my positions in my
RSOs by avoiding unethical practices.
Update: I have reviewed Integrity and improved my understanding of ethics.
Team Development
Im excellent at compromise and followership but I could be better at facilitation and collaboration. I tend
to facilitate well in group projects, which I know because my professors say that my classmates respect
me, regardless of what I think of me. Finally, there are definitely times in which compromise,
followership, and the like are necessary. In fact, they are preferred. However, I need to make sure I know
when these times are and when they are not.
-I would like to participate more in group work with my RSOs, specifically NAMI and LAS Council. I
believe this will help in the collaboration department if I can keep up with the compromise part.
Evidence:
-I plan to become better at facilitation by taking a higher leadership position or helping facilitate
discussions by leaving follow up questions to my comments.
-I intend to maintain leadership positions in more long-term commitments that take place outside of class.
Update: I contribute to team development as president of Hall Council.
Organizational/Group Development
Leading Change
I realize that I need to get with the times by being more creative and learning risk-taking techniques. This
is important to remember because I might have a problem with instigating change if I am too scared to do
so. As much as I hate to admit that is the case, it is. I know it is easier said than done, but it is also very
possible. I think I could combine this with team building by assembling a strong enough group of people
to support the same cause so that I do not feel afraid to speak up.
Evidence:
-I need to figure out where I stand in regards to creativity. Additionally, I need to learn not to be afraid of
taking risks and to learn to take what comes to me from the possibly resulting failure.
-I need to learn how to unite people around the same cause through my communication and team building
skills.
-If needed, I should learn how to be more creative and how to measure my creativity. I might incorporate
this activity into my acting career.
Update: I have been creative in acting, poetry writing, and by keeping my own blog (outside of this site). I
constantly lead change with Delta Xi Phi as well.
Project and Program Effectiveness
I have trouble with putting forth ideas, and so I dont always have plans on how to go through with any of
them. I know there are several tasks to divide, but I need to know how many there are and how to divide
them up. I understand that it varies as well. To complicate matters, I feel a bit odd directing people, which
could result in nothing getting done and everybody feeling mildly awkward.
Evidence:
-I intend to implement and fully carry out at least one project in my RSOs (preferably NAMI).

-If there is an I-Program that helps with the development of this skill, I will enroll in it. I think I have
heard of a new one called Innovation that might work for this one.
-I clearly need to take time when it comes to planning huge events for the first time because I do not
know where to start yet.
Update: I carry out projects through Delta Xi Phi. They vary in purpose, but most are either related to
service or recruitment.
Systems Thinking
As a psychology major, organization dynamics arent a mystery to me. However, I need to remember that
Im part of the team and not just off on my own. I do not have a tendency to do anything selfish when I
am in these situations. The only problem is that I am extremely introverted and that is not how teams
work. Granted introversion does not always mean avoiding interaction, but it often does in my case.
Evidence:
-I will analyze where I stand in my organizations and how the groups are impacted by me.
-I will try to utilize our environmental context to its maximum potential.
-I want to focus on my role as part of the group, as opposed to being off on my own. This concept also
goes along with community building to an extent.
-I will make an effort to participate in my activities specifically as part of a system
Update: As volunteer chair of UPA/Psi Chi, I am obligated to be part of a group, as opposed to just
leading it.
Community Building
Im curious as to what I can learn about the citizenship aspect of this field as well as the coalition part. I
do not think I have heard of those before. Sometimes, I feel like some of my organizations are just people
who meet once weekly as opposed to being a community because we do not do typical community
activities. Instead, we just show up and do what is expected, and sometimes I am looking to do a little bit
more than just that.
Evidence:
-Maybe I can emphasize the role of social events in my organizations
-Other than that, I am going to need to learn more about the specifics of this leadership skill.
-I will try to find ways to go beyond the weekly meetings by incorporating ice breakers or at least
suggesting them if I can.
-I will take personal initiative by interacting with others a descent amount. I think for this, I will need to
figure out to what extent is it okay to be an introvert.
Update: I have fulfilled this goal by being president of Hall Council and building community within.
Transitional Development
Sustaining Leadership
I hope to become in a position where I can share my knowledge and experience one day. I feel like I
almost always have a lot to say. It is a miracle that I have sufficient knowledge and experience to draw
from. Unfortunately, I do not know when to share it or who to share it with, so I let it out at debatably
random, inappropriate times. Sometimes this makes others uncomfortable. Perhaps I just need an outlet.
Evidence:
-Given that I just got these leadership positions last semester, I plan to stick with what I have, finish what

I start, and see where I end up in this aspect.

-I will find an outlet for my stories. Perhaps the poetry readings at the Womens Resource Center can
help, but I always feel like I burden them with the same things over and over again. I guess I need to stop
feeling that way.
Update: I still read poetry at the Women's Resource Center and I volunteered with the Human Library.