Personal Development Plan Template

Your Definition of Leadership

The way you engage with leadership is influenced by how you define leadership. Before you continue your journey as a leader through this program, we want you
to take some time to reflect on what leadership means to you.
Step 1: Respond to the following questions (200-300 words) – How do you personally define leadership? How might your core values influence the way you
practice leadership?

In my opinion, leadership is a spiritual and guiding role that aim to help others to success in finishing projects or tasks. Leader not only needs to be
prepared to solve any obstacles encountered during the process, but also being able to coordinate and communicate with its group members,
effective leading the group to their goal. With proper leadership, a group’s strengths can be emphasized and make up its weaknesses. I think
people in leadership is like social influencer nowadays in many ways, from having a group of people following them to capable of affecting and
even changing people’s actions.
As a leader, we often need to make lots of decisions, and these core values place a huge impact on our decisions. For instance, I consider openness
as one of my values because I often ask my friends about their opinion when making important decisions and revise my plan accordingly if I find
them helpful. So, if I become a leader, I am more willing to take and adopt my team’s ideas than others. The same goes with a ll other core values,
and each of them will affect my thought process, willingness to take risks; thus impact my final decision.

Your Leadership Coach

We aim to match every Leadership Certificate participant with a coach to guide you in your leadership development. In order to facilitate the matching process, we
need some personal information from you.

Step 2: Please share below any personal information that might help us match you with a Leadership Coach (e.g., hobbies, personality traits, campus or community
involvement, academic or career interests). If someone you know has agreed to serve as your Leadership Coach, please share their full name and email address so
we can match you with them.

Hi, my name is Jonathan, a sophomore major in Mathematics. I’m an international student from Taiwan, and I came to the campus for the first
time this semester. I have strong interests in topics related to Computer Sciences as well as Math, and I’m taking courses related to them this
semester. Things I like to do now during my free time are watching YouTube, reading science fictions, and explore the campus, and I also enjoy
playing table tennis, badminton, and swimming. Although I’m a little introvert, I’m looking forwards to meeting people from different countries
and cultural backgrounds and make friends with them.
Personal Development Plan Template
Your Leadership Competencies

Step 3: Select one competency from the Personal/Self level of practice and one competency from the Interpersonal/Team level of practice. Next, select two
competencies from any of the four levels of practice. Ultimately, you should have selected a total of four leadership competencies.

• Personal/Self: Self-Knowledge, Self-Management, Reflection, Empathy, Openness, Integrity

• Interpersonal/Team: Common Purpose, Communication, Relationship Management, Group Dynamics, Followership, Cultural Competency
• Organization: Change Management, Diversity Advocacy, Systems Thinking, Innovation
• Community/Society: Human Dignity, Social Justice, Global Competence, Service-Minded, Sustainability

Fill in the competencies you have selected in the spaces below and address the following three questions for each competency. We strongly encourage
participants to complete all four modules of the ILI before finalizing this step, as it will help with developing objectives.

Justification: Why did you choose this competency?

Reflection: What do you already know about this competency?
Objective: How do you plan to develop this competency? List at least two SMART goals for each competency.

1. ____Self-Management_________________________________________ 2. ___Communication_____________________________________________

Justification: Justification:
I consider the competency a crucial step, because if you cannot properly Communication is the key for large group activities, and it is also a skill
manage yourself, you won’t be able to handle a group of people under your everyone should be equipped with as you need to coordinate with other
leadership. Also, maintaining a healthy body is more important than your workers when you enter a company.
success.
Reflection:
Reflection: When conveying important messages, I always keep my message short and
I already have a healthy and regular schedule for over a year, sleeping before 1 concise in order to prevent misunderstanding and reduce time wasted there. I
a.m. no matter what. Also, I always hand in my work before the deadline and also try to make my speech easy to understand.
be prepared for future exams.
Objective:
Objective: Attend The Imprint program from the Illinois Leadership Center during Spring
Utilize My Fitness Pal App available at the Campus Rec Wellness Resources and 2022. As an international student, getting used to a new study environment
workout regularly. Having the resources in the campus, I want to work out at can be challenging, and this program can teach me how to navigate through
professional transitions.
Personal Development Plan Template
ARC starting this semester, as it can make me healthier and have more energy Participate in ILC Communication Skills Workshop in Spring 2022. I always think
during classes. communication is a very important tool. Being able to clearly express my
Attend a Strategic Planning Workshop from the Illinois Leadership Center this thoughts to others in a concise and polite manner is my goal, and this program
semester. A successful planning can make me more efficient and help me can assist me in achieving this.
improve my academic performance, and I want to know what advice this
workshop can bring to me.

3. ____Group Dynamics_________________________________________ 4. ___Innovation_________________________________________________

Justification: Justification:
To make a group project successful, the dynamics among group members can Innovation is what prompt human advancement and allow us to invent new
make a huge difference. If the atmosphere is correct, not only can increase the things. I choose this competency because I would like to learn about ways to
productivity but also reduce the chances of making mistakes. generate new ideas and become creative.

Reflection: Reflection:
I learn that sometimes accommodate with other group members may make I know the best way of getting innovative ideas is to challenge what we usually
things easier. Also, it makes you have a less chance of getting into a argument do things. Moreover, putting myself in other’s shoes often allow me to have a
with others. different perspective of looking things.

Objective: Objective:
Attend the Intersect program from the Illinois Leadership Center during Fall Attend the Rolls-Royce Innovation program from the Illinois Leadership Center
2022 because it can help me to build my team experiences and this semester. I believe the understanding of different perspectives and ideas
communication skills, which is crucial when it comes to being a leader of a can benefit in solving problems I face in the future, and this program also
team. promotes innovation.
Join a RSO (Taiwanese student association) this semester that lets me grow Read “Design Thinking as a Strategy for Innovation”. I like reading books during
and meet new people. This is also a good way for me to create connections to my leisure time, and the book can not only benefit my logical thinking, but it
people with similar cultural backgrounds, and we can help each other if can also teach me how to think outside the box.
needed.
Personal Development Plan Template
Your Timeline

Step 4: Use the chart below to map out your timeline for completing the Leadership Certificate Program. This plan is intended to serve as a guide to get started
and approach your journey through the program with intentionality!

Requirements: Cohort and coach meetings, one academic course (AGED/LEAD 260), two i-Programs, two team experiences, 10 hours of leadership trainings &
workshops, and an ePortfolio

Semester 1 _(e.g. Fall 2019)__Fall 2021__ Semester 2 _______Spring 2022_________ Semester 3 _________Fall 2022_________

Submit PDP Meet w/ Cohort Meet w/ Coach

Attend Rolls-Royce Innovation i-Program Meet w/ Coach Complete 2 Hours of Trainings &
Complete 4 Hours of Trainings & Take LEAD 260 Workshops
Workshops Attend Imprint i-Program Attend Intersect i-Program
Complete First Team Experience Complete 4 Hours of Trainings & Attend Completion Workshop
Workshops Submit ePortfolio
Complete Second Team Experience

Step 5: Please include a copy of your current resume when you upload your PDP to the ILC website! It will help us match you with a Leadership Coach.