Personal Leadership Development Plan And How To Implement It

The three competencies which I have chosen for my action plan to be implemented are:

1. Problem Solving

2. Stress Tolerance

3. Optimism

1. Problem Solving

'A person who sees a problem is a human being; a person who finds a solution is visionary; the person who goes out and does something about it is an entrepreneur.' - Naveen Jain

Problem-solving is a competency that allows us to convert the initial state into a goal state using available operators during the process of which you observe and relieve the burden of constraints too.

We all have been subjected to some complicated issues at one or another instant in life and people who are good problem solvers and able to make the most out of even difficult situations prove to be the best managers in every aspect of life. Problems, whether well-defined or ill-defined have to be solved to achieve the desired targets. That's why this competency needs to be instilled and developed to stand out as the best manager.

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It's not a well-paved road that leads you to be good at problem-solving. You have to overcome the limitations you have been facing your entire life looking for solutions to your problems but once developed can reshape your future into a better one.

· Situations from the Past:

In the past, I had been subjected to many problems most of them, although, I was able to solve them made me question my ability to solve problems efficiently. For example, once in life I had to choose between two career options, and to switch from one career option to other wasn't easy as I had already submitted my tuition fees.

So, back then I panicked and wasn't able to solve the situation competently. It cost me my time, my resources, and my inner peace. After all of that, I was able to solve it. Had I been accustomed to the strategy of solving problems efficiently I would have looked into the root cause and sorted out the best possible solutions strategically, I could have solved the matter with fewer side effects. It was one of the major instants when I was able to point out my lack of problem-solving ability. The future will bring more complex situations which I need to address. That's why I should be competent enough to solve my problems in a better strategic and rational way. It's my personal leadership development plan and how does it do.

2. Stress Management

'It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.' -Lou Holtz

Stress can lead you to make unreasonable decisions regarding aspects of your life and hinder your ability to think with an open mind.

· Situations from the past:

Many times in my life stressful conditions have made me look down upon my abilities. I remember once during my school days; I was given four assignments consecutively with the same deadline of 3 days. I panicked and stressed out that I won't be able to accomplish my work in the given time. So, rather than looking for guidance from my seniors, I dwelled on the irrational opinion of mine that I was unable to do all of them, and due to the stress, I was able to do only three of them half-heartedly which cost me my grades. There were times when I came under stress because of the pressure of final exams which affected my performance and times when I was captain of my cricket team, stress hindered my ability to make the best decisions in favor of my team. So, no matter what situation you have to face if you know how to not stress out about it you will be able to handle it in the perfect way possible.

3. Optimism

'A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

Optimism, when not given chance to be part of life, can give way to negativity which ultimately blurs your path toward success.

· Situations from the past:

There have been times in the past when I was overwhelmed with being pessimistic once I wasn't able to perform well in one of my exams due to health issues which led me to believe that I can't score well because that exam didn't go well while I could have thought about remaining exams and scored better in them to make up for my not up to the mark performance in one exam. There are other examples too when my optimistic thoughts were overpowered by the pessimistic approach. So, I think by being an optimist you can achieve your goals which at first seem impossible. Moreover, your mental health gets a boost and you become more efficient and dedicated to your work when you see things playing in your favor through an optimistic approach.

SMART PLAN

1. Problem Solving

· SPECIFIC:

· I will improve my problem-solving ability by using online problem-solving scenarios from 7 pm to 8 pm daily and working on professional practice books from 8 pm to 9 pm daily for one month.

· MEASURABLE:

· I will measure my progress by comparing how long it took me to solve the problem for the first time and after 2 days.

· I will record my performance every second day.

· My indicator for improvement will be a reduction in the time needed to solve problems.

· Development of confidence and my further interest in seeing my progress will keep me motivated.

· ATTAINABLE/ ACTION-BASED:

· I will need instructions to solve particular problems in less time resulting in more efficient solutions.

· For this, I need:

· Online sources to provide me with problem-solving scenarios.

· Professional practice books regarding problem-solving from the market.

· A timer.

· Actions:

· I will first search for online resources regarding problem-solving scenarios.

· I will then choose the best online source to accomplish my goal which I will find easy to understand and will provide me with earlier results.

· I will bookmark the page and I will keep a record of the time in which I was able to complete a particular problem.

· I will purchase desired practice books from the market and give an hour daily to understand them.

· I will jot down several problems I was able to solve in one session.

· REALISTIC:

· I feel confident to solve my problems and I have resources. Taking 2 hours out of my busy schedule seems unachievable but once I see improvement in performance I feel motivated.

· Obstacles:

· Lack of time due to busy schedule.

· Lack of motivation on a specific day.

· Losing hope if I am not able to solve a particular problem.

· Inability to find required practice books.

· Ways to deal above mentioned obstacles:

· Setting reminders to take out time.

· Looking for instructions if I am unable to solve problems.

· Motivating myself to keep going by making myself look towards my improvement scale.

· Checking other markets and online book stores to find desired books.

· What can go wrong?

· I can lose my interest or motivation.

· TIME:

· I will find my online source and required books within seven days

· I will give a minimum of 2 hours from my schedule to achieve my goal.

· I will try to achieve the goal within 1 month.

SMART PLAN

2. Stress tolerance

· SPECIFIC:

I will try to cope with my stress by applying relaxation techniques such as meditation and exercise from 6 am to 7 am daily for 2 months in my garden.

· MEASUREABLE:

· I can measure progress by recording the time I can give to meditation and exercise.

· I will write down how better I feel after daily sessions.

· Indicators of progress:

· Peaceful sleep

· Decreased demonstration of type A personality trait

· Maintaining a playful attitude even in stressful conditions.

· An improvement in my overall behavior will keep me motivated.

· ATTAINABLE/ ACTION-BASED:

· Skills which I need:

· Instructions from a regular meditator.

· Training for Working out techniques.

· Things which I need:

· An instructor to guide me about meditation.

· A space in the garden to meditate peacefully.

· Light music in the background.

· Water to keep me hydrated.

· A timer.

· A mat/cushion

· Actions:

· I will look for a spot to meditate.

· I will contact a trainer to guide me about the process.

· I will look for online videos to train myself.

· I will purchase a cushion, mat, and a timer.

· I will ask others to not disturb me during this time.

Others will eventually see a positive change in my attitude and perspective to view issues. I will write down the feelings after every session and will record the number of hours of sleep I will be getting.

· REALISTIC/ RELEVANT:

· I feel motivated to accomplish my goal by applying the techniques. The cheerfulness in my mood will boost me up to move forwards with a plan.

· Obstacles:

· I can feel demotivated.

· Lack of time.

· Unavailability of instructor.

· Getting disturbed by daily distractions.

· Ways to overcome distractions:

· I will motivate myself by making myself look toward the positive changes I was able to attain by applying this plan.

· Timer will help me to be regular.

· I will ask family and friends for their instructor.

· I will keep all the distractions in silent mode.

· TIME-BOUND:

· I will buy the necessary stuff and train myself within seven days.

· I will try my best to accomplish my goal by the end of two months.

SMART PLAN

3. Optimism

SMART Plan:

· SPECIFIC:

I will practice optimism by opting positive approach daily for at least one issue which can overwhelm me in a pessimistic manner through the help of videos of motivational speakers online daily for half an hour for at least 3 months sitting in my study room.

· MEASURABLE

I will evaluate how many situations I have conquered through this technique every week.

· Indications of improvement:

· Reduced stress in life.

· Turning many 'cants' of life into 'can'

· Positive attitude towards criticism.

Betterment in my mental health and improvement in overall performance with polished skills to see positivity in every situation will keep me motivated and focused.

· ATTAINABLE/ ACTION-BASED:

· Skills needed:

· Training myself to control the situation as successful optimistic people did by reading their personal experiences.

· Ability to find the best motivational speakers' videos online.

· Instruments needed:

· Online videos of motivational speakers

· Notepad to write my opinions about what I want to do and what I should do.

· Actions:

· I will look for the situation which will urge me to behave like a pessimist like being unable to finish something by the desired deadline.

· I will jot down what normally I used to do in such circumstances i.e panic about it and make myself believe that I will be unable to do it.

· Watch motivational speakers’ videos about the issue.

· I will jot down what an optimistic person will do in such a situation.

· I will write what I should do regarding this matter being an optimist i.e will motivate myself to fully dedicate myself to complete my assignment and take help from seniors and remain helpful so that I will be able to achieve my target.

· In this way, people will see me as happier, opting more positive attitude towards my problems.

· I should stop thinking about what can go wrong if I will take decisions being an optimistic person.

· REALISTIC/RELEVANT:

· I can perceive results in the form of better performance and happiness which will keep me motivated.

· Obstacles:

· I will feel that situation is too bad to apply my strategy.

· I will not find time to see the motivational videos or read about personal experiences of successful optimistic personnel.

· I will be unable to find desired stuff i.e. online sources of motivational videos.

· I will start considering pessimism as an easy approach to my problems.

· Ways to deal with obstacles:

· I will open my notepad and will look for the circumstances when I opted optimistic approach that resulted in better outcomes.

· I will set the wallpaper of my cell phone to some motivational quotes and will hang some good pieces of optimistic advice in my room.

· I will go to the market to buy books that best describe strategies to be optimistic including the ones from motivational speakers and writers and will look at online content similar to them.

· I will ask a loyal friend to tell me from time to time about my improvement and how I am being a better and more positive person.

· TIME-BOUND:

· I will search for online content from motivational speakers and books from the market regarding strategies to improve optimistic approach within seven days.

· I will evaluate my performance every week by looking at several performances in which I changed my pessimistic approach to an optimistic one and the better results it brought.

· I will accomplish my goal by the end of 3 months.

One thing in regards which I didn't know before was that I never knew what I was able to achieve by making slight changes in life. A little more optimistic approach brings positivity to life. Moreover, I never knew that I can install these competencies in myself through practice and a proper SMART plan, and personal leadership development plan, I always thought of them as in-born qualities.

So, now whenever I will face any personal or professional problem, I will not dwell on the irrational thought of not being able to achieve my goal or thinking negatively about it rather I will have a clear-cut way to make things work for me. What else does a person needs than to make his complex situations turn into achievable one through a proper strategy?