CREATING YOUR PERSONAL LEADERSHIP PLAN

Life satisfaction exercise: Reflecting upon inflections in your

professional and private lives

In this exercise you are asked to create two time lines (a private one and a
professional one) starting at the beginning, continuing into the present and then to a
point at least five to fifteen years into the future. The horizontal axis indicates time
(from birth onwards), the vertical axis indicates degree of life satisfaction (from low to
high). Note that your professional time line will start after your private one, and that it
is indeed two lines that you are asked to draw.

The two time lines should represent significant points in you private and professional
lives. From the perspective of your private life, this may include a death in the family,
sickness, marriage, birth of a child, purchase of a home, children leaving home,
aging parent, change in life style, and so on. From the perspective of your
professional life, this may include events such as attaining your first job, a promotion,
expatriation, job loss, significant conflict with boss or co-worker, leave from work (e.g.
maternity) and so on..

It may also be valuable to mark significant points in the personal life or career of
others close to you that had an effect on you. This could affect one or both time lines;
for example, your spouse was offered a promotion that required you to move to a
new area and change jobs, or it changed your relationship.

The second part of this exercise will involve a brief explanation of your two time lines
to the members of your group, on the basis of the chart you just completed. You
should feel free to share with your group as little or as much as you are comfortable
with. Individuals who choose not to discuss part or all of their time lines will be
respected for that choice, which falls fully within the rules governing this exercise. It is
our experience, however, that participants benefit from a certain amount of candor.

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 Life Satisfaction Exercise: Charting inflections in your professional life (chart a
plain line) and in your private life (chart a dotted line)

Life Satisfaction Rating (0 = Low, 10 = High, 5 = Average)

10

Time

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 VALUES: LIFE ANCHOR EXERCISE

Read the following statements and select the top 8-10 that are most important and
fulfilling for you. Then, from among these 8-10 anchors, select the top 4-6. Finally,
select the top 2-3 anchors that describe you most strongly and show the anchors to
your happiness. Take the top 3-5 anchors and make an effort to deal with these. Add
any to this list that are important to you but not identified here.

WISH STATEMENT SELF

RANKING
Achievement Accomplishing important goals

Challenge Working on tasks which stretch my skills and help

my development and growth

Enjoyment Having fun and doing my job. Liking my working

conditions

Expertise Being an expert in what I do

Family Having time to spend with my family

Friendship Working with people I like and trust and being liked
and trusted by them

Independence Having control over my work and my career

Leadership Motivating and influencing others on/off the job.

Creating visions others adopt, support and act on

Location Living in a specific geographic area or type of

community

Loyalty Commitment to a company or project that overrides

personal desires

Power Having formal control over resources and

decisions. Being able to influence decisions,
direction and resource allocation

Recognition Being seen by others as successful, having my

contributions valued and acknowledged by others

Security Having a stable job and secure employment

Service Contributing to the satisfaction and well-being of

others

Wealth Having money and a high standard of living

Status Having a high social position, owning expensive

things

Fame Getting popular praise and public esteem

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 ASSESSING YOUR STRENGTHS

List three strengths you learned from your leader profile assessments that have
contributed to your current success.
Try to list them in order of importance. Present why they are strengths.

1.

Why is this a strength?

2.

Why is this a strength?

3.

Why is this a strength?

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 ASSESSING YOUR PERSONAL CHALLENGES

What do you see as your most significant challenges from the leader profile
assessments? Which of these could present difficulties for you in your role as a
leader (as assessed by yourself and others)? Try to list them in order of importance.
Present why they are personal challenges.

1.

Why is this a Personal Challenge?

2.

Why is this a Personal Challenge?

3.

Why is this a Personal Challenge?

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 DEFINING YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY

A. What do you want to accomplish in your life? What will bring you fulfilment?

B. What values are important to you? What are you all about?

C. Although it may seem premature, when the time comes to look back at your
life, how do you wish to be remembered?

D. What decisions do you need to make, and action to take, that will move your
forward on your Personal Journey?