You have spent the first few modules of the course exploring tools to help you develop a strong selfawareness. You identified your competencies and gaps between where you are and where you want to be. Your identified the power of expectations and positive feedback. Last module you discovered the value of transformational experiences and how they can motivate you. Self-awareness leads to understanding and that leads to self-acceptance and positive change. Before you begin setting your goals for leadership, it is important to examine your own values and principles. This is important, because, unless your goals derive from your values and principles, you are unlikely to buy into them.
In this module, you will explore the following;
• Your values and principles based upon informed self-reflection;
• Leadership goals based on your values and principles
You will have the opportunity to identify your values and principles through the VIA Character Survey. This survey assesses the core strengths of your character—as the “v” in VIA refers to values. With your values identified, you will then set goals based upon the Gap analysis that you did earlier in this course. For example, if you need to be a decision-maker who is both quick and effective, and you identify that you are neither, you will want to explore your own personal principles that relate to effectiveness and decision-making, and having identified those, set a goal to enhance your decision-making skills. Specifically, by the end of the module, you will have created three goals.
The first will begin with your Gap Analysis, where you will embark on a process flow of identifying values, then principles, and finally, goals. You will also set one leadership goal based on your values and principles, informed by your VIA Strengths results; and finally, one additional leadership goal based on a basis of your choosing. Your third goal might be either based upon one of the course resources or discussions with colleagues, your values and principles, or on your managerial gap analysis. As you move through the readings and learning activities for this module, you will reflect upon and discern your values, then principles, and then goals in a structured order. Each element is discussed in greater detail below.
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