Personal Leadership Portfolio – Self Assessments Jack Bourque HROB 2010 Foundations of Leadership Professor Wuth December 3, 2023 PLP 1 – Leadership Learning Objectives A. The Qualities of Leadership Instructions: For each of the statements below, indicate how full your cup is. That is, on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being full to overflowing, how do you measure against your own sense of the optimum? Empty to low 1 2 Half full 3 4 Full to overflowing 5 1. I know myself, my values and skills, my strengths and weaknesses. 4 2. I am confident of meeting most challenges and emerging intact and feeling good about myself. 3 3. I have a vision of where we ought to be going as a group, community, society, and people. 4 4. I call my group, community or organization to act out of values that transcend the day-today, business-as-usual, garden-variety norms of operation. 2 (weak) 5. I possess above-average intelligence; I have lived long and perceptively and use that intelligence to create wisdom, and my actions are tempered by judgment. 3 6. The learning process constantly excites me. 5 (strong) 7. I am constantly renewed by what I learn and by my interaction with others. 4 8. I am constantly amazed at how I pick out the very broadest implications of enterprises and projects that others see in narrow terms. 3 9. I see events today along a continuum in time, with major trends and the sweep of history propelling change. 4 10. I see the way to success is through steady coalition building. 3 11. I see great wisdom in building the capabilities of others, empowering them, motivating them to do their best. 5 (Strong) 12. I possess stamina, energy, tenacity, and enthusiasm for my work. 5 13. I have the courage to take on what I know is right, regardless of my critics and detractors.4 14. I possess high integrity and intellectual honesty. 3 15. I have high moral character, I know what is right and wrong, and act accordingly. 5 16. I am willing to take risks for something I believe in, whether for people or ideals. 4 17. I am an active, effective listener; people seek me out as a listener. 5 (strong) 18. I present my ideas logically, forcefully, and effectively; my ideas are often adopted. 3 19. I understand the nature of power; I exercise and respect power. 2 (weak) 20. I translate authority as responsibility and assume my share of it. 3 21. I achieve results through concentrating on clear goals over time; I build small successes into something larger. 3 22. I have a healthy sense of humour; I laugh at myself and keep cynicism and sarcasm in rein. 5 23. I keep perspective; I know where we are in a process, how far we've come, how far we've got to go, what's important in the short run and the long. 4 24. I am known for my flexibility, responding to a variety of situations with appropriate skills, styles and perceptions. 3 B. The Skills of Leadership Instructions: The following skills have been identified as important to Leadership. Use the scale to rate your skill level. Low Level of Competence 1 2 Often Practice Skill In order to Improve 3 Confident and Capable 4 5 Personal Relationship Skills (working with others): 25. I listen actively to colleagues and those with whom I work; I hear their words and their feelings. 4 26. I maintain an open, warm relationship with others, encouraging them with praise and genuine respect of their views and feelings. 4 27. I provide others with clear feedback, reinforcing positive contributions, clarifying and confronting as is helpful. 5 (strong) 28. I elicit information and ideas by asking open-ended questions. 2 (weak) 29. I mediate for others, helping them find and reinforce the common ground on which solutions can be built. 3 30. I facilitate interpersonal and group relationships, teaching by example; and by making these relationships visible I provide both knowledge and skills about productive behaviour. 4 31. I help groups maintain discipline and direction toward achievement, while suggesting ways in which all members of a group can participate. 4 Task Accomplishment Skills (getting the work done): 32. I initiate ideas, actions, solutions, and procedures. 4 33. I elaborate on ideas, using examples and definitions. 3 34. I communicate ideas effectively. 5 35. I coordinate ideas, activities, relationships, making sense out of the piece. 4 36. I seek information and clarification to shed light on ideas and suggestions. 5 37. I provide information, bringing a base of understanding to the subject at hand. 4 38. I analyze the idea, task or process, developing an understanding of each piece and its relationship to the whole. 3 39. I diagnose the sources of difficulties. 3 40. I summarize for the group, offering information, alternatives, or perspectives for consideration. 4 41. I evaluate progress, process and products, holding them up to comparison with standards or expectations. 4 42. I manage, using a combination of planning, task assignment, and guidance to meet goals. 5 (strong) PLP 2 – Reflections on Leadership Name Attribute Leadership or Management Head/Heart/Hands Kevin Bellamy – Basketball Coach 1. Inspiring coaching style 1. L 1. Heart 2. M 2. - 3. L 3. Hands 4. L 4. Hands 5. M 5. - 2. Caring personality always putting you before the sport 3. Very goal focused, wants everyone to strive for something and achieve it. 4. Enthusiastic, has a strong love for developing his players and for the game of basketball 5. Extremely motivational Daniel Bourque - Dad 1. Always available whenever I need no matter the scenario 1. L 1. Heart 2. L 2. Hands 2. Always interested in my hobbies 3. L 3. Heart 4. M 4. - 5. L 5. Heart/Hands 1. L 1. Heart 2. M 2. – 3. L 3. Hands 4. M 4. – 5. L 5. Heart 3. Treats everyone, especially my family with respect teaching me loyalty and respect in the process. 4. Showed me constructive discipline which helped shape me into a strong young adult Evan Hughes - Friend 5. Showed up for my biggest moments in life (Sport games, graduation etc.) 1. Trustworthy 2. Great advice on all aspects of life 3. Great sense of humor 4. Very intelligent, open to assisting me with schoolwork 5. Honest, lets me know when I’m wrong, has helped me grow as a person PLP 3 – Addressing Task and/or Relationship 1) I believe I am more of a task-oriented leader and here are some points why. - I am a huge believer in deadlines as it is essential for a team to have a sense of achievement. When in a leadership position, I also like to delegate tasks to certain individuals based on what I think they would thrive in. I like to work in an organized manner, dividing more complex jobs into smaller, more doable ones. To analyze team and individual performance objectively, I use performance metrics. Acknowledging successes and pinpointing areas for development can be facilitated by this knowledge. I place a high priority on establishing precise, well-defined goals for the team as a task-oriented leader. This offers a successful path forward and aids in everyone's understanding of what must be done. A) I believe that currently, my leadership tendencies fall under the (5,5) middle-of-theroad management as I still have a lot to learn about becoming a leader. B) I hope that one day I can become a (9,9) team management leader but I know that as a young inexperienced leader, I don’t quite have those abilities yet. Through this class and real-world experiences, I hope my abilities can improve to that of a team management leader. The reason I want to be a team management leader is because I believe it is important to focus on accomplishing tasks and making sure the people who are completing these tasks are well taken care of. As said in the textbook, a (9,9) leader ‘“stimulates participation, acts determined, gets issues into the open, makes priorities clear, follows through, behaves open-mindedly, and enjoys working” (Northouse, 2021, pp.269-270). These are all traits that I want my future self to have and believe I can achieve which is why I aspire to become a team management leader. PLP 4 – Gender and Leadership The Gender–Leader Implicit Association Test Instructions: This exercise begins with a practice trial. Using a pencil, classify each of the words in the middle column into one of the two categories indicated, Flower or Insect, by putting a check mark in the column to the left or the right. Please do this task as quickly as possible, taking care not to skip over any words. Practice Trial Flower Insect O Rose O O Lily O O Dragonfly O O Beetle O O Gnat O O Daffodil O O Mosquito O O Daisy O O Roach O O Tulip O You will now complete the two test trials; you will need a stopwatch for this portion of the test. For these test trials, the categories are Male or Female and Leader or Supporter, and the categories will be combined. If the word you read belongs to the Male or the Leader category, put a check in the left column; if it belongs to the Female or the Supporter category, put a check in the right column. You will record how long it takes you to complete this task by starting your stopwatch when you begin and stopping it after you make your final classification. Remember to work as quickly as possible, without skipping any words. Chapter 14 Women and Leadership 371 Test Trial A Male or Leader Female or Supporter O Emily O O Josh O O Supporter O O Leader O O Brandon O O Ambitious O O Peter O O Determined O O Donna O O Debbie O O Helpful O O Dynamic O O Understanding O O Katherine O O Ian O O Sympathetic O O Compassionate O O Jane O O Andrew O O Assertive O Time to complete Test Trial A: 34.2 seconds You will do this same task a second time, but this time the combination of categories has been switched. If the word you read belongs to the Male or the Supporter category, put a check in the left column; if it belongs to the Female or the Leader category, put a check in the right column. Again, use your stopwatch to time how long it takes you to complete the task. 372 LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE Test Trial B Male or Supporter Female or Leader O Supporter O O O O O O O O O O Emily Josh Leader Ambitious Brandon Peter Donna Helpful Determined O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O Dynamic Assertive Debbie Katherine Understanding Ian Sympathetic Andrew Compassionate Jane O O O O O O O O O O Time to complete Test Trial B: 31.4 seconds PLP 5 - Ethics Part 1 A conflict I faced during my time as an electrician was on a Friday afternoon at our lunch break when my co-workers and I as well as our supervisors decided to get lunch at a local pub. While there, we decided to grab some beers which was not out of the ordinary for a Friday as we always had sober rides home. The issue was we typically didn’t go back to work after and some of the guys wanted to finish up a few things before heading home. What did I do? - I brought up that working after having a few drinks was not a good idea, some of the guys agreed with me while others didn’t as I was simply an apprentice meant to follow the guy’s orders. We decided to text our site supervisor to see what his opinion on it was and while he wasn’t upset, he told us the extra work we had wasn’t important enough and could be handled Monday and he told us to head home. - I was motivated to speak out as I’ve seen people under the influence get injured on a jobsite before and have heard worse stories as well. I also put myself in our bosses’ shoes and if the ministry of labour were to roll around site and find out we had been drinking he would receive hefty fines. - I’m very satisfied with how I went about speaking out. I didn’t make my coworkers feel bad for wanting to work more but I made it clear that it was a bad idea that had much more downsides then benefits. - The only thing that would have made me speak out easier that is in the control of others is if I simply didn’t have to. A lot of the guys I worked with, especially the higher ups in the company were older than me with much more responsibilities. They never should have thought to go back to work and I’m very glad I changed their minds. What would’ve made it easier is if I were older and had a bigger voice in the company as people would’ve respected my words a lot more. Part 2 A conflict I faced in which I didn’t speak up on was when I used to work at my local Pharmasave. - What happened was that I was asked by my boss to change some of the light fixtures around the store on a very high unsafe ladder when I did not have any training or certificates to work at heights like I was. This conflicted with my values as I always said to myself that no matter what job I’m working if I’m uncomfortable with doing something I should speak up about it. - I didn’t speak up because I was afraid my boss would’ve been upset with me. I was already getting limited hours and didn’t want a reason to cut them even more. What would have motivated me to do so was if I felt comfortable at my job and wasn’t afraid of the consequences I would face if I were to turn down my boss’s request. - I wasn’t satisfied with the decision I made and If I could go back and change it I certainly would. I would’ve liked to tell my boss that I wasn’t comfortable working at these heights and that she should hire a professional who is trained and certified in working at heights. It was unsafe for me to work but she didn’t care as it saved her money. - Something in my control that would’ve made it easier to speak up was if I were to just let my boss know how I felt. If I were to get in trouble for explaining my concern then that’s on my boss, my safety is the most important thing in a workplace setting. Something that would have made it easier in the control of others is if they were to notice my obvious skepticism and speak up on my behalf. A lot of my coworkers at the time were full time workers at the pharmacy and if they were to defend me it would have certainly made it easier for me to explain my discomfort. PLP 6 – Leadership Traits and Skills Leadership Trait Questionnaire (LTQ) Instructions: The purpose of this questionnaire is to measure personal characteristics of leadership. The questionnaire should be completed by the leader and five people who are familiar with the leader. Make five copies of this questionnaire. This questionnaire should be completed by you and five people you know (e.g., roommates, coworkers, relatives, friends). Using the following scale, have each individual indicate the degree to which he or she agrees or disagrees with each of the 14 statements below. Do not forget to complete one for yourself. Jack Bourque (leader’s name) is Key: 1 = Strongly 2 = Disagree 3 = Neutral 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly disagree agree Articulate: Communicates effectively with others 12345 2. Perceptive: Is discerning and insightful 12345 3. Self-confident: Believes in himself/herself and his/her ability 1 2 3 4 5 4. Self-assured: Is secure with self, free of doubts 1 2 3 4 5 5. Persistent: Stays fixed on the goals, despite interference 12345 6. Determined: Takes a firm stand, acts with certainty 12345 7. Trustworthy: Is authentic and inspires confidence 12345 8. Dependable: Is consistent and reliable 12345 9. Friendly: Shows kindness and warmth 12345 10. Outgoing: Talks freely, gets along well with others 1 2 3 4 5 1. 11. Conscientious: Is thorough, organized, and controlled 1 2 3 4 5 12. 13. Diligent: Is persistent, hardworking 12345 Sensitive: Shows tolerance, is tactful and sympathetic 1 2 3 4 5 14 Empathic: Understands others, identifies with others 1 2 3 4 5 Only used my rating. PLP 7 – Leadership Styles and Approaches Style Questionnaire Instructions: Read each item carefully and think about how often you (or the person you are evaluating) engage in the described behavior. Indicate your response to each item by circling one of the five numbers to the right of each item. Key: 1 = Never 2 = Seldom 3 = Occasionally 4 = Often 5 = Always 1. 2. 3. Tells group members what they are supposed to do. 1 2 3 4 5 Acts friendly with members of the group. 12345 Sets standards of performance for group members. 1 2 3 4 5 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Helps others in the group feel comfortable. 1 2 3 4 5 Makes suggestions about how to solve problems. 12345 Responds favorably to suggestions made by others. 1 2 3 4 5 Makes his or her perspective clear to others. 1 2 3 4 5 Treats others fairly. 12345 Develops a plan of action for the group. 12345 Behaves in a predictable manner toward group members. 1 2 3 4 5 Defines role responsibilities for each group member. 12345 Communicates actively with group members. 12345 Clarifies his or her own role within the group. 12345 Shows concern for the well-being of others. 1 2 3 4 5 Provides a plan for how the work is to be done. 12345 Shows flexibility in making decisions. 1 2 3 4 5 Provides criteria for what is expected of the group. 1 2 3 4 5 Discloses thoughts and feelings to group members. 1 2 3 4 5 Encourages group members to do high-quality work. 1 2 3 4 5 20. Helps group members get along with each other. 1 2 3 4 5 Scoring The style questionnaire is designed to measure two major types of leadership behaviors: task and relationship. Score the questionnaire by doing the following: First, sum the responses on the odd-numbered items. This is your task score. Second, sum the responses on the even-numbered items. This is your relationship score. Total scores: Task= 40 Relationship= 34 94 LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE Scoring Interpretation 45–50 Very high range 40–44 High range 35–39 Moderately high range 30–34 Moderately low range 25–29 Low range 10–24 Very low range The score you receive for task refers to the degree to which you help others by defining their roles and letting them know what is expected of them. This factor describes your tendencies to be task directed toward others when you are in a leadership position. The score you receive for relationship is a measure of the degree to which you try to make subordinates feel comfortable with themselves, each other, and the group itself. It represents a measure of how people oriented you are. Your results on the style questionnaire give you data about your task orientation and people orientation. What do your scores suggest about your leadership style? Are you more likely to lead with an emphasis on task or with an emphasis on relationship? As you interpret your responses to the style questionnaire, ask yourself if there are ways you could change your style to shift the emphasis you give to tasks and relationships. To gain more information about your style, you may want to have four or five of your coworkers fill out the questionnaire based on their perceptions of you as a leader. This will give you additional data to compare and contrast to your own scores about yourself. 116 LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE Situational Leadership Instructions: Look at the following four leadership situations and indicate what the development level is in each situation, which leadership style each response represents, and which leadership style is needed in the situation (i.e., action A, B, C, or D). Situation 1 Because of budget restrictions imposed on your department, it is necessary to consolidate. You are thinking of asking a highly capable and experienced member of your department to take charge of the consolidation. This person has worked in all areas of your department and has the trust and respect of most of the staff. She is very willing to help with the consolidation. A. Assign the project to her and let her determine how to accomplish it. B. Assign the task to her, indicate to her precisely what must be done, and supervise her work closely. C. Assign the task to her and provide support and encouragement as needed. D. Assign the task to her and indicate to her precisely what needs to be done but make sure you incorporate her suggestions. Development level= S4 Action= A Situation 2 You have recently been made a department head of the new regional office. In getting to know your departmental staff, you have noticed that one of your inexperienced employees is not following through on assigned tasks. She is enthusiastic about her new job and wants to get ahead in the organization. A. Discuss the lack of follow-through with her and explore the alternative ways this problem can be solved. B. Specify what she must do to complete the tasks but incorporate any suggestions she may have. C. Define the steps necessary for her to complete the assigned tasks and monitor her performance frequently. D. Let her know about the lack of follow-through and give her more time to improve her performance. Development level S1 Action C Chapter 5 Situational Approach 117 Situation 3 Because of a new and very important unit project, for the past 3 months you have made sure that your staff members understood their responsibilities and expected level of performance, and you have supervised them closely. Due to some recent project setbacks, your staff members have become somewhat discouraged. Their morale has dropped, and so has their performance. A. Continue to direct and closely supervise their performance. B. Give the group members more time to overcome the setbacks but occasionally check their progress. C. Continue to define group activities but involve the group members more in decision making and incorporate their ideas. D. Participate in their problem-solving activities and encourage and support their efforts to overcome the project setbacks. Development level= S2 Action= C Situation 4 As a director of the sales department, you have asked a member of your staff to take charge of a new sales campaign. You have worked with this person on other sales campaigns, and you know he has the job knowledge and experience to be successful at new assignments. However, he seems a little unsure about his ability to do the job. A. Assign the new sales campaign to him and let him function on his own. B. Set goals and objectives for this new assignment but consider his suggestions and involve him in decision making. C. Listen to his concerns but assure him he can do the job and support his efforts. D. Tell him exactly what the new campaign involves and what you expect of him, and supervise his performance closely. Development level= S3 Action= C PLP 8 – Personal Values and Beliefs • • • Success Wealth Recognition • • • • • • • Influence Friendship Happiness Peace Family Love Integrity I highlighted the 5 I chose as most important to me. PLP 9 – Leadership Mission Statement My Mission Statement: To use unflinching integrity, creative thinking, and cooperative leadership to promote inclusive excellence, spur growth, and have a positive influence in all that we do. I choose to employ the one-sentence approach because I believe it is the quickest and most efficient way to grab the reader's attention and deliver a powerful, motivational message. It also prevents the reader from becoming lost in your primary objective by succinctly explaining what your company's mission is. Finally, it is memorable. By this, I mean that it is far simpler to comprehend and retain the main idea of a sentence as opposed to reading and remembering the main idea of a mission statement that is several paragraphs long. PLP 10 – Special Skills Skills I Have - CPR certified Leadership skills from being captain of AAA hockey How they have served me - CPR certificate has allowed me to work at multiple jobs as they were required for the position. The CPR certificate has also given me confidence in knowing I can at least do proper methods in critical scenarios Being captain of a high-level sports team has taught me skills in teamwork and bonding It has also given me an advantage in performing on high stages Skills I Wish to Have - First Aid Certification Adaptability skills Why I wish to have these skills - Building on my CPR skills, first aid allows for further skills when it comes to human safety It also would allow me 99% of the time to be the most qualified in the room in lifesaving circumstances I wish to develop better adaptability skills as the current world is changing so frequently Being a business student, it is crucial to have adaptability skills as the economic market is always shifting and having these skills allows me to pivot much easier. PLP 11 – Revisiting Leadership Learning Objectives A. The Qualities of Leadership Instructions: For each of the statements below, indicate how full your cup is. That is, on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being full to overflowing, how do you measure against your own sense of the optimum? Empty to low 1 2 Half full 3 4 Full to overflowing 5 1. I know myself, my values and skills, my strengths and weaknesses. 4 2. I am confident of meeting most challenges and emerging intact and feeling good about myself. 4 3. I have a vision of where we ought to be going as a group, community, society, and people. 4 4. I call my group, community or organization to act out of values that transcend the day-today, business-as-usual, garden-variety norms of operation. 3 5. I possess above-average intelligence; I have lived long and perceptively and use that intelligence to create wisdom, and my actions are tempered by judgment. 5 6. The learning process constantly excites me. 5 7. I am constantly renewed by what I learn and by my interaction with others. 4 8. I am constantly amazed at how I pick out the very broadest implications of enterprises and projects that others see in narrow terms. 3 9. I see events today along a continuum in time, with major trends and the sweep of history propelling change. 4 10. I see the way to success is through steady coalition building. 3 11. I see great wisdom in building the capabilities of others, empowering them, motivating them to do their best. 5 (Strong) 12. I possess stamina, energy, tenacity, and enthusiasm for my work. 4 13. I have the courage to take on what I know is right, regardless of my critics and detractors. 4 14. I possess high integrity and intellectual honesty. 5 (Strong) 15. I have high moral character, I know what is right and wrong, and act accordingly. 4 16. I am willing to take risks for something I believe in, whether for people or ideals. 4 17. I am an active, effective listener; people seek me out as a listener. 4 18. I present my ideas logically, forcefully, and effectively; my ideas are often adopted. 4 19. I understand the nature of power; I exercise and respect power. 5 20. I translate authority as responsibility and assume my share of it. 4 21. I achieve results through concentrating on clear goals over time; I build small successes into something larger. 3 (weak) 22. I have a healthy sense of humour; I laugh at myself and keep cynicism and sarcasm in rein. 5 23. I keep perspective; I know where we are in a process, how far we've come, how far we've got to go, what's important in the short run and the long. 4 24. I am known for my flexibility, responding to a variety of situations with appropriate skills, styles and perceptions. 3 (Weak) B. The Skills of Leadership Instructions: The following skills have been identified as important to Leadership. Use the scale to rate your skill level. Low Level of Competence 1 2 Often Practice Skill In order to Improve 3 Confident and Capable 4 5 Personal Relationship Skills (working with others): 25. I listen actively to colleagues and those with whom I work; I hear their words and their feelings. 3 26. I maintain an open, warm relationship with others, encouraging them with praise and genuine respect of their views and feelings. 4 27. I provide others with clear feedback, reinforcing positive contributions, clarifying and confronting as is helpful. 4 28. I elicit information and ideas by asking open-ended questions. 4 29. I mediate for others, helping them find and reinforce the common ground on which solutions can be built. 3 30. I facilitate interpersonal and group relationships, teaching by example; and by making these relationships visible I provide both knowledge and skills about productive behaviour. 5 (Strong) 31. I help groups maintain discipline and direction toward achievement, while suggesting ways in which all members of a group can participate. 4 Task Accomplishment Skills (getting the work done): 32. I initiate ideas, actions, solutions, and procedures. 5 33. I elaborate on ideas, using examples and definitions. 4 34. I communicate ideas effectively. 3 (Weak) 35. I coordinate ideas, activities, and relationships, making sense out of the piece. 3 36. I seek information and clarification to shed light on ideas and suggestions. 3 (weak) 37. I provide information, bringing a base of understanding to the subject at hand. 4 38. I analyze the idea, task or process, developing an understanding of each piece and its relationship to the whole. 3 39. I diagnose the sources of difficulties. 5 40. I summarize for the group, offering information, alternatives, or perspectives for consideration. 3 41. I evaluate progress, process and products, holding them up to comparison with standards or expectations. 3 42. I manage, using a combination of planning, task assignment, and guidance to meet goals. 4 Citations Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice(9th ed.). Sage publications.