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Leadership Development Plan Part I: Assignment Guidelines and Rubric

Length: Three to four pages (not including title page), double spaced, Times New Roman 12-
point type, one-inch margins.

Value: 25 points

Objective: In this project, you will have the opportunity to strengthen your leadership capacity in
two key areas: 1) building trust as a leader 2) developing another leadership skill of your choice.
Through reflection, goal setting, and practice, you will create and execute a personal leadership
development plan. This is the first of two papers for this project.
Instructions:
 Watch the LinkedIn Learning course “Building Trust” – click the hyperlink. You will be
asked to sign in with your Suffolk credentials.
o NOTE: You do not have to pay for any LinkedIn Learning content. If you reach a
paywall, another way to access the content is to log in to MySuffolk, then on the
home page click on ‘Login to LinkedIn Learning’. You can then search for
specific courses once you’ve logged in.
 Choose one additional leadership skill from page 2 of this document that you would like
to work on this semester. Watch the videos associated with your chosen skill on
Blackboard.
 As you take notes on the videos, think about how this content relates to your own
leadership experiences and future goals, as well as where you are currently strong and
where you have room to improve.
 Develop four steps you can take to develop these two leadership skills – this is your
action plan.
o Two action steps should be related to developing trust. Describe one action step
you can practice this semester, and one action step that is longer term (that you
could work on over the next year).
o Two action steps should be related to the additional skill you chose. Again, create
one short-term action step you can work on now and one longer-term action step
for later.
Recommended structure for the paper:
SECTION ONE: (approximately 1 page) Evaluate your current leadership experiences.
Where in your life have you demonstrated leadership? Consider both formal and informal
leadership experiences you have had at school, work, and/or in your personal life. Also, describe
a leader that has made a significant positive impact on your life. This could be someone you have
personally interacted with or someone you don’t know but who has influenced you. What is it
about this person that makes them someone you look up to as a role model?
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SECTION TWO: (approximately ½ to 1 page) Discuss what you have learned from the
LinkedIn Learning videos about developing trust. Why is trust such a critical issue in
leadership? Provide a summary of the key points that you feel are the most important and how
they relate to your own leadership development. Based on what you have learned, what are your
current strengths and areas to improve in developing trust?

SECTION THREE: (approximately 1 page) Describe the additional skill you chose for this
project and what you have learned about it from the LinkedIn Learning videos. Provide a
summary of the key points that you feel are the most important and how they relate to your own
leadership development. Based on what you have learned, what are your current strengths and
areas to improve in this skill?

SECTION FOUR: (use the template provided on page 4 of this document) Finally, describe
your four-step action plan. We will use the concept of SMART goals this semester: you are
more likely to meet your goals when they are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and
Time-bounded. You are welcome to use recommendations from the LinkedIn Learning videos as
a starting point for your action plan but be sure to customize with detail that is relevant to you.

Other details:
a. Include a cover sheet with the title “Leadership Development Plan, Part I” along with
your name, date, and class section. Do not repeat this information in the body of the
paper.
b. Upload your paper to the assignment link on Blackboard on the due date.
c. Have fun with this project and take advantage of this opportunity to get course credit for
developing your skills and interests! 


Leadership Skills (choose one)

The LinkedIn Learning videos assigned for each skill are hyperlinked below – you will be
directed to log in with your Suffolk credentials to access the videos. You are only responsible for
the video(s) associated with the one skill you choose for this project.

Choose one of these skills if you want to strengthen your leadership through communication:

Communicating about Sensitive Topics

 Communicating about Culturally Sensitive Issues

Communication Skills for Critical Moments

 High-stakes Communication

Effective Listening
 Effective Listening

Public Speaking/Presentation skills (Beginner level)

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 Public Speaking Foundations

Public Speaking/Presentation skills (Intermediate level)

 Creating and Giving Business Presentations

Strengthening Overall Communication

 Communication Foundations

These skill topics relate to preparing and strengthening our minds, self-concepts, and attitudes as
leaders:

Building resilience and adaptability

 Enhancing Resilience

Creativity: Gaining Confidence in Your New Ideas

 Banish Your Inner Critic to Unleash Creativity

Developing a Growth Mindset for Leadership Success

 Cultivating a Growth Mindset

Developing Strategic Thinking

 Strategic Thinking
AND
 Cultivating Mental Agility

Harnessing Your Energy for Leadership and Career Success

 Recharge Your Energy for Peak Performance

Increasing Attention and Focus

 Improving Your Focus

Making Better Decisions in Life and Leadership

 Critical Thinking

One of these skills might be a good choice if you want to build more effective interpersonal and
relational leadership:

Assertiveness: Finding Your Voice as a Leader

 Learning to Be Assertive

Collaborative Leadership
 Collaboration Principles and Process

Developing Cross-cultural Intelligence

 Developing Cross-Cultural Intelligence
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Developing Emotional Intelligence

 Developing Your Emotional Intelligence

Developing Professional Presence

 Developing Executive Presence

Leading through Building Relationships

 Leading Through Relationships
Persuasion and Influence
 Persuading Others
AND
 Communicating to Drive People to Take Action

ACTION PLAN TEMPLATE for Section Four of your paper:

Developing trust as a leader

Action Step #1: Short-term (to be completed by the end of this semester)

1. Describe your action step:

2. Describe the timeline for your activity (how often, by when, etc.):
3. Describe where, when, and from whom you will get feedback on your progress:

Action Step #2: Longer-term (to be completed within the next year)

1. Describe your action step:

2. Describe the timeline for your activity (how often, by when, etc.):
3. Describe where, when, and from whom you will get feedback on your progress:

Your additional skill for this project:

Action Step #3: Short-term (to be completed by the end of this semester)

4. Describe your action step:

5. Describe the timeline for your activity (how often, by when, etc.):
6. Describe where, when, and from whom you will get feedback on your progress:

Action Step #4: Longer-term (to be completed within the next year)

4. Describe your action step:

5. Describe the timeline for your activity (how often, by when, etc.):
6. Describe where, when, and from whom you will get feedback on your progress: