FOUNDATIONS OF LEADERSHIP
LEARNING PORTFOLIO PACKET
TRAINING COMPETENCIES & OBJECTIVES
Unit
Training Competency
Unit 1
Able to assess one’s own strengths
and challenges as a leader and
also demonstrate
integrity/honesty in providing
personal leadership.
Unit 2
Able to describe leadership
behavior as a supervisor.
Objectives

Describe the key qualities of leaders and their
impact on child welfare systems and staff.

Based on self-assessments, identify own leadership
strengths and challenges.

Describe how the National Association of Social
Workers (NASW) code of ethics provides an ethical
base for leadership behavior.

Distinguish between behaviors of supervisors as
managers and supervisors as leaders.

Describe the importance of a systems perspective in
moving from supervisor as manager to supervisor
as leader and provide examples of the systems
perspective.
Unit
Unit 3
Unit 4
Training Competency
Understand and apply the
components and dynamics of the
Child Welfare Leadership
Framework to the work place.
Able to establish, communicate,
and implement an organizational
vision in a continuously changing
environment based on a personal
vision that guides practice and
professional development.
Objectives

Analyze and explain the balanced application of the
CW Leadership Framework’s four quadrants by
exemplary supervisor leaders.

Describe the Native American relational view of the
world, its relevance to child welfare leadership, and
its relationship to the four quadrants.

Define the five pillars or fundamental values of child
welfare leadership and their importance to child
welfare practice, commitment, and client outcomes.

Provide examples of how leadership qualities can be
demonstrated on the job.

Describe the importance of self-care in addressing
secondary trauma.

Define the two components of the regenerative role
of supervisors: as a role model and supporting the
leadership development of others.

Develop a personal vision statement based on a
holistic view of child welfare leadership.

Develop a vision statement for an organizational
change initiative.

Describe six major components of effective
leadership in the adaptive change process.
WORKSHEET #1
IDENTIFYING YOUR IDEAL
LEADER
Critical
Worksheet
Think about the individuals who have influenced you the most as a model of excellent leadership: a teacher, a relative, a friend,
a political figure, previous supervisor or manager.
For each person, identify those leadership qualities they exhibited that made them stand out as a leader and describe what they
did that influenced you. In the last column, describe the common vision that you shared. We have provided an example.
Leader who
influenced you
E.g.
Jane Doe (coworker)
Person’s leadership
qualities
Commitment, integrity, clear
values, open to new ideas.
What the person did to
influence or inspire you
(describe the behavior)?
Spoke up in meetings, clearly
expressed her values/position
even when people with more
authority disagreed with her.
What common visions did you
share (what were you trying
to achieve)?
Improved agency outcomes and
creating a better workplace.
SELF ASSESSMENT #1
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
Critical
Optional
Worksheet
Assessment
Think about the leaders you identified earlier who have influenced you in your life. How do the qualities you identified for them
match the four qualities identified through the Gallup poll?
Now think about yourself, what qualities would you ascribe to yourself as a leader and how would you rate them?
Now think about what your staff. How would they describe and rate your qualities as a leader?
Then respond to the following by putting a rating from 1 to 5 (where 5 is high) in the appropriate box. What are the behaviors
that reflect those qualities?
Leadership
Qualities
Trust
(honesty, respect, integrity)
Compassion
(caring, empathy,
understanding, sensitivity)
Stability
(strength, support, balance,
security)
Hope
(direction, faith, guidance)
Leaders who
influenced me
How I would rate my
leadership qualities
How my staff would
rate my leadership
qualities
SELF ASSESSMENT #2
LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS
Optional
Critical
Assessment
Worksheet
Read the definitions of the four domains. Then respond to the following by putting a rating from 1 to 5 (where 5 is high) in the
appropriate box.



Think about the leaders you identified earlier who have influenced you. How would you define their strengths according
to the four domains?
Now think about yourself, where are your strengths?
Now think about what your staff would identify as your strengths?
Leadership
Strengths
Influencing:
knows how to help people
reach a broader audience
Relationship-building:
knows how to hold a team
together
Executing:
knows how to make things
happen
Strategic thinking:
knows how to keep group
focused on what could be
Leaders who
influenced me
Where I identify my
strengths
Where my staff would
identify my strengths
KEY POINTS COVERED IN THE MODULE
Key points covered in Unit 1: Myself as a Leader:
1. Effective leadership is based first on an understanding of self.
2. Followers look for the following key qualities in a leader: Trust, Compassion, Stability, and Hope.
3. There are four domains of leadership strengths: influencing, relationship building, executing and strategic thinking. You
don’t have to be good in all of them to be considered an effective leader.
4. Leadership is not a position, but a way of being that can be demonstrated by anyone regardless of their position.
5. Leadership is not an inborn characteristic. Leadership can be learned developed, and shared.
Key points covered in Unit 2: Supervisors as Leaders:
1. The National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics provides the grounding for leadership behavior and
contributes to the vision of what leadership in child welfare encompasses.
2. Supervisors need to be both excellent managers and leaders. Leadership is an activity rather than a position within an
organization.
3. Leaders utilize four levels of knowledge: Knowledge of self, knowledge of others, knowledge of the organization,
knowledge of the world and community.
4. Leaders maintain a systems perspective. They step outside of the immediate interactions and get "on the balcony" or
"on the diving board" to observe patterns of behavior and craft further interventions to bring greater alignment in
behaviors relative to mission, vision and individual performance.
Critica
Workshe
Key points covered in Unit 3: Being a Leader in Child Welfare:
1. There are two major world views in our culture. The mechanistic, linear view is based on Western European philosophy
and tradition. The relational view is reflected in Native American thought and emerging management and scientific
theory.
2. The Child Welfare Leadership model is based on a relational world view and reflects the constant balancing act or
competing values that the leader experiences. It includes four quadrants: Leading in Context, Leading People, Leading
for Results and Leading Change.
3. The Child Welfare Leadership model is based on five fundamental values of leadership: Adaptive, Collaborative,
Distributive, Inclusive, and Outcome-focused.
4. Regenerative leadership is a constant process of reflection and growth including both developing self and developing
others.
Key points covered in Unit 4: Communicating Vision:
1. Leadership is an activity, not a position or set of personality traits; it’s a combination of values and action that results in
motivating others towards a common goal.
2. Change begins with a common vision. Creating shared vision requires an environment of trust, where all voices are
heard, all perspectives are respected, and leadership is genuine and hopeful.
3. Leaders differentiate between technical and adaptive challenges; they appreciate that creating long term solutions to
adaptive challenges can be difficult and painful work; when faced with an adaptive challenge they create an environment
of support, risk taking and group accountability.
4. Leadership can be enhanced by six helpful practices:

Get on the balcony; leadership is both active and reflective

Identify the adaptive challenge

Regulate distress

Maintain disciplined action

Give the work back to the people

Be open to all voices