Week One – Welcome to Self Leadership
This unit provides you with the opportunity of developing your knowledge of self leadership as well as your skill in self leadership. Positive self-leadership training introducesyou to techniques and skills that will make you more effective in your personal and work life, helping to make your life more rewarding and meaningful. As future managers of people and workplaces it is essential that you have well developed self leadership skills and understand what it that you want from life.
In today’s environment, individuals need to be empowered to manage their own development and growth. Rather than relying on an organisation, a superior or a colleague to make your life meaningful and effective, positive self- leadership training is focussed on how you can change your own life for the better. If you are self confident then you will be able to help others develop their self-leadership.
Developed in the United States, the self leadership approach has its foundations in established psychological techniques which are backed by solid research evidence.
Benefits of self-leadership training
Results from a US trial on self-leadership training revealed that participants experienced the following benefits:
- 25% increase in positive mood
- 20% increase in job satisfaction
- 20% increase in opportunistic thinking
- 10% increase in self confidence
- 20% decrease in a negative mood.
Participants in self leadership training gave the following testimonials:
“It has made sucha vast difference in my life and in a relatively short amount of time.... thank you a trillion times over....”
“Thank you for your assistance in bettering our lives.”
“I appreciate so much the tools you have given me to be all that I can be.”
“I have found the techniques learned to be very beneficial in my everyday life.”
How does positive self-leadership work?
The self leadership approach uses a combination of techniques to assist you in setting and achieving your goals in a rewarding way. The approach involves developing greater insight into your own thinking and behaviour, at the same time as seeking information and feedback from the environment to increase your personal effectiveness. You will also be asked to reflect on the usefulness and reliability of the learning strategies and sources you use.
The material in this unit is underpinned by a philosophy of realistic optimism, whereby you are encouraged to adopt an outlook that is both positive and realistic.
The self leadership approach is unique in its premise that change comes from within, without the need to change organisational structures and support mechanisms. Thus, you can fulfil more of your potential by establishing your own direction and learning to overcome obstacles independently.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Synthesise and evaluate data received from a variety of sources in order to report and make meaningful recommendations for self leadership development;
- Establish meaningful goals and action plans for self-leadership development based upon analysis and critical evaluation of current skill level;
- Use models of cognitive, behavioural and emotional change to manage and change your own leadership behaviour and develop your self- leadership skills.
This unit will be primary delivered using the Blackboard portal. With a skills based focus, this unit asks you to not only gain knowledge in self-leadership, but also practice developing your self-leadership skills. It is fundamental that managers have a deep and insightful understanding of their own skill and how to assist others in developing their potential. This unit will also require self direction and self discipline, both characteristics of self leadership.
To facilitate your development I will also ask you to complete a range of self report surveys, and to seek feedback from you colleagues, friends and family regarding your self- leadership skills. You will use your survey data to analyse your current skill level and to determine a developmental plan for yourself. These activities will begin the process of building your personal profile – which is the final assessment item. Throughout the unit you will be prompted to use reflection and activities as well as your reading to build your profile.
The weekly Blackboard materials and readings provide flexibility so that you may progress through the content of the unit at your own pace and in your own time. In addition I will be holding a ‘chat’ session with you every week. During this session we will discuss both the activities you have been working on to build your profile and you will have an opportunity of sharing knowledge and perspective with your fellow students.
Self Leadership Administration.
The self-leadership unit is primary web based using our blackboard platform, so it offers you flexibility to choose the timing and location that suits you best. The website serves several functions. As well as allowing you to access the modules, it provides a venue for engaging in collaborative learning with your lecturer and classmates and links you to further information. The downside to this flexibility, though, is that the learning is self-directed and requires you to take responsibility for logging on to each module, for actively engaging ineach exercise and for undertaking the reading and activities during the week.
The unit consist of ten on-line modules and three face-to-face sessions. Each module will cover unique content and the face to face session will focus on the expectations of the assessment items and the unit as a whole.
Each module is designed to take approximately two-three hours to complete. Each chat session will be 2 hours long. You will also need to allocate additional time to manage your reading and research tasks, just as you would if you were taking a face-to-face class.