Logan Howerton

Personal Leadership Plan

3 May 2019
Step 1: What is an exemplary leader?
An exemplary leader is a role model and a person who is looked up to for
guidance throughout the duration of a project/task. Qualities that an exemplary leader
should possess include self-awareness, confidence, sincerity, honesty, trustworthiness,
intelligence and forward-looking. They should also be competent in communication,
time management, self-motivation, conflict resolution and teaching.
The list of qualities and skills for a leader is immense, but I chose the ones that I
believe are most important in my eyes. Self-awareness embodies the knowledge and
recognition of one’s inner self. This is important to me because if you know yourself
then no one else can tell you what to be and I think a leader should be self-aware and
confident with who they are. Sincerity and honesty are also important with regard to
leading others. It is important to be transparent with the team and yourself.
Forward-looking involves a vision for the future. This allows a leader to plan and have
motivation to get to an end goal.
Communication skills are the foundation for a good relationship, whether it be a
personal relationship or work-related relationship. Communication is a term that
includes various aspects, all of which are important. Time management is also
important because getting things done in a timely manner and completed also shows
discipline and organizational skills. Conflict resolution is an aspect of communication in
the face of issues. It is important for leaders to be able to intervene when necessary.
● Qualities:
○ Self-aware, confident, sincere, honest, trustworthy, intelligent,
forward-looking
● Skills:
○ Communication, time management, self-motivation, conflict resolution,
teaching

Step 2: The five practices of exemplary leadership

● Encourage the heart (22)
● Model the way (21)
● Enable others to act (20)
● Inspire a shared vision (15)
● Challenge the process (13)

Step 3: Core Values

● Good humor-- ​I always try to find light in situations. Sometimes this is difficult to
balance depending on the situation. I feel that I can always make others feel
better by providing a puny joke or a funny face. I find that laughter is contagious
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Personal Leadership Plan
3 May 2019
and if I can put one person in a better mood then hopefully that will snowball into
a happier environment for all.
● Dependable-- ​I pride myself in dependability. If someone asks me to do
something I ask when they would like it to be done. If I cannot do something I will
figure out how because I want to build a relationship in which I am reliable and
trusted.
● Motivation--​ I am always motivated internally. I want to be the best and know the
most about what I am doing. I always set a high standard and am motivated to
met the challenges that I have set for myself.
● Tenacity--​ When there is something I want to achieve it will take a lot to bring me
down. I hold tightly to my goals and strive to reach them. I will do whatever it
takes to accomplish something I have set my mind to.
● Inquisitive--​ I always have a question about something. It took me a while to
actually grasp that no question is a dumb question. I learn from my mistakes and
I learn by asking questions. I am very interested and want to have all the
knowledge I can in order to spread the knowledge as well as for myself.

Step 4: Personal vision statement

I take each day to be a learning experience and an opportunity to grow. Each day
I strive to uphold the values of good humor, dependability, motivation, inquiry and a
welcoming demeanor. As I journey through life I envision a future full of happiness,
meaningfulness and content. I want to continue learning and contribute to the world, if
only a small part of it. I want to be a part of a team and work environment who
completes meaningful work. I am passionate about helping others whether this be
physically, mentally or emotionally. Recently, I have imagined a future serving the
medical community as a PA and also doing research and raising awareness for rare
diseases. I want to make a difference in a life or maybe even lives, but I want to start
small.

Step 5: Analysis of what others think

Self-awareness is one of the qualities that I chose as most important for the role
of an exemplary leader. Self-awareness is the knowledge that one has about
themselves. This includes knowing your strengths, weaknesses, motives, desires,
thoughts, emotions and all there is to who you are. Being self-aware allows you to
understand how you react to certain situations and other people as well as
understanding how others perceive you. This is often a difficult task to achieve without
being dishonest and judgemental of ourselves. Having self-awareness is important in
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Personal Leadership Plan
3 May 2019
life as well as in leadership roles. This quality allows the self to understand and assess
situations and how the situation will be carried out with regard to your own abilities.

● What do your coworkers, friends, employers say about you when you are not in
the room?
○ When I am not in the room others probably talk about how silly or funny I
am. People probably comment on my friendliness and ability to talk to
anyone… or they may say I talk too much. They probably also think I may
be too honest at times. They may also talk about how I deeply care for
others and have a good heart. On the other hand some may think that I
am too emotional or attached to things that I have no control over. Some
may say that I am domineering and can have some issues with proper
delegation of tasks where others may not this as a determination to get
things done.
● Do you care about others’ perceptions of you?
○ Unbiasedly speaking, yes. As much as I wish that I did not, I do. I believe
this is due in part to the way that I was raised. My mother is very aware of
others and has always been. She is very conscious about her appearance
and I believe this is due to the way she was raised. I think that it is human
nature to notice when others around you are “looking” at you. Outwardly
speaking I like to appear that it does not bother me, but internally and
truthfully I want others to look at me and think great things. In reality I
know who I am and all of the accomplishments I have made. I am the only
one who knows me best and I should be proud of everything I have done
without regard to what I may think others think of me.

● What are the expectations for professionalism and leadership in your field?
○ Professionalism is the traits that are expected of the professional. In my
field, VIR, professionalism involves various aspects of the job. Respect for
all those who work alongside you as well as respect for the patient is
expected. This includes unbiased and quality care for all patients
regardless of demographics and history. With regard to co-workers,
respect involves listening, communicating and assisting others when
needed. Along with respect, accountability is also expected. You are to
show up to work on time and show up ready to do your job. This also goes
along with the expectation of responsibility. You are responsible for the
work that you complete, which should be done to the best of your ability.
Professionalism also deals with appropriate attire, self-care and
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Personal Leadership Plan
3 May 2019
cleanliness. Leadership encompasses many of the same expectations as
professionalism. Leadership expectations includes being a good
technologist, setting an example of excellence and providing feedback for
problems noted instead of complaining. Implementing new protocols for
things that you find issue with and sharing your knowledge with others.

● Skills I possess
○ Communication skill
■ Talking, listening, writing, friendliness, empathy
○ Leadership skills
■ Facilitating, motivation, encouraging, trustworthy
○ Customer service skills
■ Empathy, responsibility, accountability, sense of humor
○ Professional skills
■ Speaking, teamwork, time management, respect
○ Hard skills
■ Computer systems (excel, word, powerpoint), equipment use

Step 6: Current and lacking leadership skills

● Personal skills
○ Time management, adaptability, dependability, loyalty, self-motivated,
willingness to learn, sensitivity, memory,
● Interpersonal skills
○ Work ethic, receptiveness to feedback, body language, collaboration,
appreciation
● Group skills
○ Organization, creativity, communication, reliability, facilitation, teaching,
respectful
● Technical skills
○ Research, design, language (spanish beginner), networking, digital media,
email, Microsoft platform, video creation

In order to become my idea of an exemplary leader I need to hone in on certain

skills as well as work and develop new skills. I need to continue to work on
conflict-resolution skills. I often find myself as someone who does not want to have to
deal with conflict so I usually am upset at first and then just let it go… and the same
things that irritate me usually happen again because I let it go. I need to work on
explaining to others when something is bothering me and listen to their feedback as
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Personal Leadership Plan
3 May 2019
well. I also need to work on self-awareness and not care as much about what others
think of me in a negative connotation. Delegation is another skill I need to brush up on. I
need to set clear expectations and explain what needs to be accomplished and when.

Step 7: Goals
SMART goal 1:​ Publish research paper

Stretch goal 1: ​Take the VI registry exam

Stretch goal 2: ​Learn medical spanish

Step 8: action plan

SMART goal 1: ​Publish my research paper
● S​pecific-- I want to publish my research paper in a popular, peer-reviewed
journal. This is important to me as a young professional in the radiology field so
that I can build my career. Myself and Dr. Haugen will be the main people
involved, as well as the committee involved with acceptance of research papers.
● M​easurable-- I will have my research paper edited and ready to be submitted to a
journal within 3 months time.
● A​ttainable-- I will have time after completing school to put towards writing and
editing my paper. I will have the appropriate resources available at my
disclosure.
● R​ealistic-- Being published in a journal will put my recent skills learned to use
and provide information to others.
● T​imely-- Completing my research will be an ongoing project I hope to have
completed by the end of this year.
Specific actions to take:​ Complete research and formatting of research paper. Submit
to Dr. Haugen for editing. Find a journal that publishes similar articles to submit my
paper to. Wait to hear back from editors and then reconvene.
Resources to assist development: ​Dr. Haugen will be my main resource after writing
is complete. Throughout writing library databases and books will be a key resource for
me.
Timeline: ​Have edits completed by the first Friday in June. Keep contact open
continuously throughout this process with Dr. Haugen. Submit article by the end of
June.

Stretch goal 1: ​Take the VI registry exam

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Personal Leadership Plan
3 May 2019
Specific actions to take: ​Complete all required procedures and have them verified.
Study and continue to learn on the job about vascular interventional procedures. Utilized
the resources around me.
Resources to assist development: ​Other staff members, Doctors, professors.
Timeline: ​I would like to work for about a year to ensure I have been exposed to all
procedures and have an understanding of workflow and equipment use. Then I will
study for around a month and take the registry within a year and a half of working
full-time.

Stretch goal 2: ​Learn Medical Spanish

Specific actions to take: ​Enroll in spanish courses at a community college. Complete
courses in medical spanish.
Resources to assist development: ​Professors, spanish speaking friends, textbooks,
online modules and videos.
Timeline: ​I would like to obtain a medical spanish minor/certificate within 2-3 years of
working.

These three goals will help to build my career and strengthen my resume. With
these goals and actions required I will build on skills necessary to become a leader. As I
publish my research and gain knowledge within my field of work I will become more
confident in my abilities to lead. I will learn more about procedures and be able to teach
and explain to staff members and patients. As I work my way up the career ladder I will
have to be in situations where conflict is present. During my time I will learn how to
better resolve said conflict. I may need to take some additional leadership programs or
attend workshops to continue to strengthen my skills and fully display my qualities that
will help me to become an exemplary leader. I realize that I may not work my way up
very quickly to the head of leadership but leading can also be done in a smaller setting.
I think that leading is done in everyday life whether we realize it or not. By being
meticulous and purposeful in my day to day life I will be able to recognize the skills that I
am working on. Learning medical spanish will allow me to be more of an asset to the
team. If I am able to communicate in two languages that is increasing my leadership
skills two-fold. I am excited to journey into the real world and have set these goals to
continue to challenge and uphold my standards of being a lifelong learner and future
technologist.