SAMPLE Strengths/Talent Development Plan
Worth 15 points: due on December 7 at 8:00 am
Select 3 – 4 of your top VIA strengths to focus on in your plan. You need to identify detailed actions you will take in the next 30 – 60 days to expand and build these strengths. (Focus on December 2020-January 2021 as your target timeframe)
#1: List the 3 – 4 VIA strengths that you will focus on in your plan and how YOU define them at this point. Remember, you will share strengths in common with others, but what each MEANS to you and how you EXPRESS them is very different (e.g. my CREATIVITY and yours will be very different because of our backgrounds, experiences, roles, values, etc.) – but they are all strengths.
#1 SAMPLE: List the 3 – 4 VIA Strengths that You will focus on in this Plan
Strength: Your definition
Love of Learning: I enjoy and find that “time flies” when I am focused on researching topics related to XXX for my classes. Specifically, doing Google Scholar searches and TED talks to identify the topics that have recently been cited and that scholars have found different platforms to share their research
Strength: Your definition
Social Intelligence: I have a network of 4 specific people whom we continuously share ideas through email and text. Because we have been working together for a while, when they send me a message wit the “I thought you would find this interesting/important” – they are usually right and I take the time to read what they sent right away. I also have spent time during the pandemic to make sure I take initiative to contact them and we talk voice to voice at least monthly to make sure that we can just talk about what’s up and informally check in. I write down when we have talked in my calendar – since every day is “blursday” for me right now and I have lost track of time when the social distancing process began. I don’t want that to happen again since I want to make sure that others know “I’m thinking about you . . . “
Strength: Your definition
Creativity: I spend time three days a week first thing in the morning writing and reviewing specific ideas based on the goals I set the night before. I find if I write down what I want to accomplish the next day, it helps me come up with creative/new ways to approach the design of the work I’m engaged in. So in the morning, I make sure I have time to write and read more – and capture my ideas before I forget – if I don’t write down my ideas and then re-read them at the end of the week (sometimes more often) I don’t see the patterns as well.
#2 Identify Specific Actions Related to Exposure and Experience.
• Exposure: Deepening your KNOWLEDGE about your strengths
• List specific books, resources (e.g. Adobe suite), TED talks, etc.
• sitting in on meetings,
• training workshops, etc.
• All activities are focused on the targeted strengths with the focus on deepening knowledge of the concepts/information in the areas of strengths.
• Experience: Practicing Actions & Skills associated with your strengths (here you could include actions you identified – both your own and others in our class – related to Leadership Week 7 DB)
• specific, hands-on involvement in the targeted area of development
• personal accountability for taking specific actions focused on practicing the skills that are directly linked to the talents/strengths
• Can clearly describe how the actions taken are directly related to his/her strengths and growth as a leader to achieve specific outcomes and targeted growth/learning
• This includes learning from mistakes and taking risks to facilitate growth and build collaborative relationships
#2 SAMPLE: Strengths Development (e.g. Love of Learning, Social Intelligence, Creativity)
Exposure:
List the specific research you will do along with measures (e.g. read these 2 books – list titles – in the next 30 days)
Research – focus on the work of Roselinde Torres – and gather information on her publications to understand more about: Looking around corners and diversity of networks.
Etc.
Experience:
Ask my manager to lead our team meetings around XYZ since I have been on these teams for several months and have ideas that have impacted/changed how our teams does ABC. This relates to my strengths of teamwork and hope.
Write 4 more gratitude letters – I will do this for my holiday gifts this year to build on my strength of gratitude and the importance of sincere and meaningful expression of how much I care. I will buy special paper to handwrite them so each one feels how much I have thought about this to make it special for them.
Etc.
#3 Learning: Coaches and others to support growth/learning
• People in your network (and classes) who can share ideas/insights
In this section, you will identify THREE specific people (personal or professional relationships) and ask each one for specific coaching and support to help you with the behaviors that you identified in #2 (for experience and exposure).
#3 SAMPLE: Coaches and Others to support my growth and learning
Sue: she is exceptional at Social Intelligence and can help me expand my strength of Social Intelligence in my relationships with certain members of my team. I am going to enlist her to help me expand my network outside of my department/team. I will ask her to have video coffees with me once per week and share with her my ideas about project XXX and ask for her help to identify whom I need to meet. Then I will ask her to “introduce” me via email – or set up a group chat to . . . .
Henry: is my manager and in the best position to give me more responsibility for the customer projects we are working on. The key is, I haven’t had much direct conversation with him about how to do that. He has used my ideas and acknowledges my input, but I haven’t asked him directly to take on a bigger role. This related to my strengths of Creativity and Teamwork. We have had so much to deal with in terms of the pandemic and working remotely – but I see now how we could do XXXX and I want to be more direct so I can . . .
Jessica: is my friend and understands some of my concerns. I can share with her about any of the issues I’ve had to address and she always comes up with great ideas. I need to spend time talking with her about the issue of ABC on my team to get her perspective on how I can use my VIA strength of Honesty to be more direct about XXXX . . .