Personal/Professional Investment Plan (PIP)
Personal Object of My Desire

 Time to complete. Things to do. Why this matters to me.
How Will I Know I’m Done; What Does Success Look/Feel Like?

 Journal.  Discussion with mentor/buddy.  Objective assessment.
SEE SAMPLE of PIP on Pages 3-4
Professional Object of My Desire

 Time to complete. Things to do. Why this matters to me.
How Will I Know I’m Done; What Does Success Look/Feel Like?

 Journal.  Discussion with mentor/buddy.  Objective assessment.
SEE SAMPLE of PIP on Pages 3-4
Personal/Professional Investment Plan (PIP)
SAMPLE - Personal Object of My Desire
Increase my capacity to reduce stress associated with work.
 Time to complete. Things to do. Why this matters to me.
Time to complete
Aug 2013-Aug 2014
Things to do
1. Learn about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as it applies to stress reduction by reading Carol
Dweck’s Mindset: the New Psychology of Success.
2. Establish regular exercise habits to enhance health and reduce stress.
3. Establish a clearing-house area for informal sharing in the office, in order to make books and
articles available to the rest of the office team for general wellbeing.
4. Speak with a mentor who demonstrates the ability to navigate stressful work conditions while
inspiring his/her team in order to learn additional strategies from this person.
5. Journal stress indicators as listed in the advanced academy’s textbook (2013).
Why this matters to me
In the past three years, the office has been through major transitions in personnel, and many anxietyridden moments associated with the challenges of implementing institutional change. The office team has
risen to many challenges, but I have found that the most important factor contributing to the continued
high level of success is a positive outlook on events and a spirit of teamwork. Among my own strategies
in helping maintain a positive perspective for the office in spite of a dancing landscape under all our feet
has sometimes been to simply practice my poker face. However, after being introduced to the stress
section in the advanced academy curriculum, I now believe that this approach will not serve my health.
According to the cognitive behavioral approach to stress-reduction included in the advanced academy
curriculum, a positive outlook in response to the dancing landscape can be real and not feigned, as I had
imagined it must need to be at times. I believe my “learner” and “input” strengths will allow me to both
absorb the material and share it with the team in a way that feels natural for me. I believe that the new
approaches will help both the team and me.
How Will I Know I’m Done; What Does Success Look/Feel Like?
I will have fewer symptoms of stress and enjoy work more.
 Journal.  Discussion with mentor/buddy.  Objective assessment.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Dweck’s Mindset: the New Psychology of Success read by 11/15/13.
Journal reveals entries for exercise totaling at least one hour per week from Aug2013-Aug2014.
Area for sharing in the office established by 11/15/13.
Journal reveals conversations with mentor once per quarter regarding this and other PIP topic.
Number of stress indicators is reduced 16 10 from Aug2013-Aug2014.
SEE SAMPLE of PIP on Pages 3-4
SAMPLE - Professional Object of My Desire
Learn more about generational understandings, organizational
change.
 Time to complete. Things to do. Why this matters to me.
Time to complete
Aug 2013-Aug 2014
Things to do
1. Understand by articulating (in writing) an article-length description of the systemic challenges
posed by the Title III grant project, and how key tactics rooted in a positive culture of change
targeted to the culture of a single division seemed to accomplish 3 years of work in 3 months.
2. Read Chip & Dan Heath’s Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.
3. Conduct a literature review for trends in theories on education from 1970-present that may
represent generational premises underlying current beliefs on appropriate policy and practice.
4. Conduct a literature review for the concepts of self-directed academic support and mentorship in
higher education.
5. Speak with a mentor who demonstrates the ability to effect change across generational or cultural
lines in order to learn strategies from this person.
Why this matters to me
The Title III grant project calls for the shoring up and strengthening of the systems for academic support
and academic advising at the college. Both systems are known to be key factors in student success and
retention, and the college is ostensibly committed to improving them, however, the tasks require
incredible effort and strategic thinking because they require effective collaboration across generations of
employees, and across the cultural lines between divisions (Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, etc.)
Because I am a systems thinker, and enjoy developing applications of a system to work more effectively
both for the people who are to benefit from it and for the people who run it, I am in a position that can
potentially offer me great professional satisfaction. The challenges in the first three years revealed that an
understanding of the various cultures within the institution contributed positively towards the efforts of
establishing organizational change. The advanced academy curriculum has also introduced me to the idea
that generational understandings of leadership may be at play, as well as other generational trends, and a
better understanding of age-influenced cultural understandings will benefit the project.
How Will I Know I’m Done; What Does Success Look/Feel Like?
Project objectives (internal to the project) will be met with ease.
 Journal.  Discussion with mentor/buddy.  Objective assessment.
Measurable Objectives
1. Article-length description written by 11/15/13.
2. Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard read by 11/15/14.
3. Literature review for trends in theories on education conducted by 2/15/14.
4. Literature review for self-directed academic support and mentorship conducted by 5/15/14.
SEE SAMPLE of PIP on Pages 3-4
Personal/Professional Investment Plan (PIP)
5. Journal reveals conversations with mentor once per quarter regarding this and other PIP topic.
SEE SAMPLE of PIP on Pages 3-4