Chapter 11:
Implementation
Implementation Plan: Steps to Achieve Aspirations
- Create the 'Road Map': Translate short, medium and long-term goals into actionable objectives. This will help to breakdown items into digestible and definable objectives. These items will be determined measuring the deliverables, key objectives and milestones.
- Design the outline for change: Define the scope and length of the actionable objectives to ensure that I am fully aware of the expectations necessary for each goal.
- Monitor the progress of the 'Road Map': Ensure regular monitoring of objectives to make sure each remains on task. Collaborate with managers and peers to serve as coaches of accountability. Develop a system to provide updated status reports (short, medium, and long-term) to these individuals so they will remain aware of my progress. Implement changes to goals where necessary given changes to my leadership development plan.
- 'Sharpen the saw': Revisit accomplishments to ensure alignment with aspirations. Be diligent to revisit my successes so that the skill set necessary for the achievement of my aspirations remains at the forefront of my leadership abilities. Constantly challenge myself to serve in different leadership capacities to increase my exposure to more opportunities that will allow me to improve my skill set.
Educational Resources to Facilitate Implementation
Stephen Covey, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People":
Above are two time management tools offered in Steve Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Both are based on his third principle: 'Put First Things First.' Dedicating myself to completing
these tools on a regular basis can provide me with a number of benefits that will contribute to my
growth and development of my leadership skill set.
The “Time Management Matrix” and “Weekly Schedule” will allow me to break down my obligations into manageable activities that can be categorized and analyzed for importance. The scheduling tool will serve as my leadership development calendar. Covey provides the tools to assist individuals become more principled centered and realize what is truly important. He does so by focusing on the need for the development of management techniques that maximize “Quadrant II” activities. This quadrant emphasizes activities that are not urgent but important. Covey states that increasing ones focus in this area – activities that are “opportunity-minded” – is the heart of effective personal management. The tools will help me to identify activities that can be considered less important. I am therefore more apt to reduce the time spent on them. This will allow me to more properly allocate my resources and determine the alignment of each with life goals and objectives. The tools can also be beneficial in the more clearly breaking down my life into various roles (i.e. student, spouse, and supervisor). This division can support the objective categorization and prioritization of goals for each role.
Being able to properly prioritize my objectives and goals will allow me to devote specific time for implementing and developing the skill set identified in my book. These activities are certainly paramount for achieving my career aspirations but can sometime be overshadowed by others that seem more urgent. I will focus on utilizing these tools in the prioritization of my leadership skills development on a weekly basis. The breakdown can support my develop as a effective graduate student in the Poole College of Management and professional in the financial services industry.
The “Time Management Matrix” and “Weekly Schedule” will allow me to break down my obligations into manageable activities that can be categorized and analyzed for importance. The scheduling tool will serve as my leadership development calendar. Covey provides the tools to assist individuals become more principled centered and realize what is truly important. He does so by focusing on the need for the development of management techniques that maximize “Quadrant II” activities. This quadrant emphasizes activities that are not urgent but important. Covey states that increasing ones focus in this area – activities that are “opportunity-minded” – is the heart of effective personal management. The tools will help me to identify activities that can be considered less important. I am therefore more apt to reduce the time spent on them. This will allow me to more properly allocate my resources and determine the alignment of each with life goals and objectives. The tools can also be beneficial in the more clearly breaking down my life into various roles (i.e. student, spouse, and supervisor). This division can support the objective categorization and prioritization of goals for each role.
Being able to properly prioritize my objectives and goals will allow me to devote specific time for implementing and developing the skill set identified in my book. These activities are certainly paramount for achieving my career aspirations but can sometime be overshadowed by others that seem more urgent. I will focus on utilizing these tools in the prioritization of my leadership skills development on a weekly basis. The breakdown can support my develop as a effective graduate student in the Poole College of Management and professional in the financial services industry.
Robert and Dorothy Bolton, "People Styles At Work"
This learning model is grounded in self-awareness and focused on producing well-functioning and productive relationships by aiming to understand people’s behavior rather than personality style. It is a proven model that fosters increased self-awareness and self-acceptance by grouping people into predictable behavioral styles. Moreover, it promotes the cultivation of diversity by offering a process that can help our sales force increase flexibility in their interactions with individuals of different styles. Overall, the ‘People Styles’ approach can support our company’s objectives by teaching our sales associates to learn a position critical skill: working and interacting with all types of people.
This model provides a categorization approach that is effective because it provides a method for decreasing the possibility of being overcome by the seemingly infinite differences in people. Moreover, it provides a structure for the evaluation of similar groupings of people.
A self-assessment questionnaire is administered to participants so they can be objectively categorized into one of the following dominant four styles: Analytical, Driving, Amiable, and Expressive. This indicates the “comfort zone” that is characteristic of an individual’s habitual style that was formed early in the developmental process. It is indicative of how that person prefers to relate and work. This lays the necessary ground work to induce self-awareness and self-acceptance aimed at a reduction of interpersonal tension. I will use the 'People Styles' approach throughout the implementation my leadership development process to facilitate my understanding of my classmates and co-workers. The model offers a 'style-flex' process that will support my ability to be flexible in my interactions with others. This will positively contribute to the development of my leadership skill set by increasing the likelihood of my success in implementing the techniques described throughout my book.
This model provides a categorization approach that is effective because it provides a method for decreasing the possibility of being overcome by the seemingly infinite differences in people. Moreover, it provides a structure for the evaluation of similar groupings of people.
A self-assessment questionnaire is administered to participants so they can be objectively categorized into one of the following dominant four styles: Analytical, Driving, Amiable, and Expressive. This indicates the “comfort zone” that is characteristic of an individual’s habitual style that was formed early in the developmental process. It is indicative of how that person prefers to relate and work. This lays the necessary ground work to induce self-awareness and self-acceptance aimed at a reduction of interpersonal tension. I will use the 'People Styles' approach throughout the implementation my leadership development process to facilitate my understanding of my classmates and co-workers. The model offers a 'style-flex' process that will support my ability to be flexible in my interactions with others. This will positively contribute to the development of my leadership skill set by increasing the likelihood of my success in implementing the techniques described throughout my book.
Activities to Facilitate Implementation
Seek 360-Degree Feedback:
Peer coaching - increase frequency of developmental meetings with school and work peers to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis on my progression. This will also proactively support my development by allowing my to practice and receive feedback on the techniques identified in the content chapters if this book. This will minimize any potential conflicts that could arise from improperly using one of the techniques.
Get feedback, follow-up and involve co-workers and classmates - This will also compliment a 360-degree feedback model that will contribute to my professional development.
Establish a management/leadership mentor with an operations focus - Identify path for professional development in the organization; Grasp a more 'global perspective' of industry and organization - identify opportunities for team - work on creating a more strategic, long-term approach for growth; Learn how to apply different leadership styles; Get insight into valuable industry resources to increase personal knowledge/advocate for environment of continuous education and learning; Establish regular meetings that focus on techniques that can be used to leverage strengths and improve weaknesses
Creation of the Bank Operations Young Professionals Network (BOYPN)
This organization will be comprised of young professionals who have an interest in networking and developing with others who have a common interest in the operations sector of the industry. It will allow similarly focused individuals the ability to work together to develop the necessary leadership skill set for achieving success in this functional area. Regular meetings and the establishment of peer relationships will facilitate networking among this group. It will focus on and encourage the creation a more global perspective of long-term organizational objectives that will benefit both individual and organization development.
This organization will also help usher in new perspectives of how to effectively and efficiently manage people. Ideas that hinge on the concepts of transformational leadership can be introduced to create a new culture of management professionals who can usher in the constant change in the financial services industry. This will include coping with regulatory constraints that are currently being imposed on the industry as well as the large amount of mergers and acquisitions that has become common-place over the past five years.
Peer coaching - increase frequency of developmental meetings with school and work peers to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis on my progression. This will also proactively support my development by allowing my to practice and receive feedback on the techniques identified in the content chapters if this book. This will minimize any potential conflicts that could arise from improperly using one of the techniques.
Get feedback, follow-up and involve co-workers and classmates - This will also compliment a 360-degree feedback model that will contribute to my professional development.
Establish a management/leadership mentor with an operations focus - Identify path for professional development in the organization; Grasp a more 'global perspective' of industry and organization - identify opportunities for team - work on creating a more strategic, long-term approach for growth; Learn how to apply different leadership styles; Get insight into valuable industry resources to increase personal knowledge/advocate for environment of continuous education and learning; Establish regular meetings that focus on techniques that can be used to leverage strengths and improve weaknesses
Creation of the Bank Operations Young Professionals Network (BOYPN)
This organization will be comprised of young professionals who have an interest in networking and developing with others who have a common interest in the operations sector of the industry. It will allow similarly focused individuals the ability to work together to develop the necessary leadership skill set for achieving success in this functional area. Regular meetings and the establishment of peer relationships will facilitate networking among this group. It will focus on and encourage the creation a more global perspective of long-term organizational objectives that will benefit both individual and organization development.
This organization will also help usher in new perspectives of how to effectively and efficiently manage people. Ideas that hinge on the concepts of transformational leadership can be introduced to create a new culture of management professionals who can usher in the constant change in the financial services industry. This will include coping with regulatory constraints that are currently being imposed on the industry as well as the large amount of mergers and acquisitions that has become common-place over the past five years.