Developing the Leader in You - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 102

After the completion of your vision statement, it's time to put it in action with
the development of a mission statement. In essence, the mission statement
“operationalizes” your vision and provides a concise platform to align your
thoughts and actions from your personal vision statement. Thus, creating the
mission requires the evaluation of the vision as it relates to actions, resources,
and the impact on the external groups. In other words, your Mission Statement
is how you will manifest your Personal Vision in your daily life. It may be a few
words or several pages, but it is not just a “to do” list. It reflects your uniqueness
and must speak to you powerfully about the person you are, the person you are
becoming, and the necessary actions to move you forward.
Based on the assessment of your strengths in previous chapters and the
development of your personal vision you can now begin the development of
your mission statement. When preparing the mission statement, it is helpful
for the decision makers to consider: (1) what is to be accomplished to trans-
late vision into action, (2) how the activities will be carried out and necessary
resources, and finally (3) the beneficiaries of the mission being attained. Once
your mission statement is complete, it is now time to create an actionable plan
to begin moving toward the attainment of the vision. This series of actionable
items will become your personal roadmap.
It will likely take multiple iterations to finalize your vision and mission
statements, and it is advisable to take a few days to develop and ponder the
vision as it relates to your overall life plan. Having a personal vision does not
mean your life changes overnight. But with a personal vision statement, mis-
sion statement, and commitment your life will change. Your personal mission
statement provides the plan and activities to get you there.
PERSONAL ASSESSMENT OF LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS
As we continue in the development of a leadership strategy we should first stop
for a moment to reflect on the leadership characteristics we currently possess.
As discussed in Chapter 4, too often we minimize our strengths and focus on
our weaknesses. To move forward with confidence we should acknowledge and
celebrate the leadership skills, strengths, and experiences we have today. This
requires us to reflect on past activities, projects, and experiences in our personal
and professional lives. Many of these experiences will have surfaced during the
personal vision and mission statement exercise.
Scientific research, historic examples, and many of our personal experiences
are solid proof that we can all grow as leaders. To do this requires effort and
a desire to build leadership capacity. Once you know the direction you want
to take, as a result of your vision statement the next phase is to create a per-
sonal leadership development plan. To assess your leadership skills consider the
Leadership Development Assessment Survey by Peter Barron Stark Companies
( Figure 5.5 ).
This survey should help you gain a perspective on your leadership skills and
primary developmental areas as you create your leadership development plan.