Personal Leadership Plan
HSM/230

Personal Leadership Plan
Throughout life one will encounter many experiences and there is a lesson in each experience. I have embraced the experiences, learned from them and will use them to show others that there is life after drug abuse and incarceration.
I currently volunteer with an organization that provides a safe and sober living environment for women in recovery. My goal is to assist women transitioning back into society after incarceration. The United States has become the world leader in incarcerating its people with over 2.3 billion being locked up and then being released back into society without skills needed to become a productive member of society.
While ethics are of great importance in any human service field, the need for an ethical leader is crucial in this area. There will be a number of challenges working with this population. The worker will have a commitment to providing the resources that will assist the women rebuild their lives but there is a moral obligation to the community as well.
I am a firm believer that we all have to be held responsible for our actions and there are consequences to the choices one makes, however there has to become a time when it can be said that one has paid for his or her choices and be allowed to move forward. It is my belief that all people must be treated with respect and dignity. The stigma placed on those who have a conviction does not allow that and places many barriers in an ex-cons path of living a productive life.
Working with those who have been incarcerated can present many challenges as they often group together and resist letting outsiders in. Often times this comes from past experiences of abuse and rejection. As a leader in this field I will gain their trust by following through on what I have said and open, honest communication. It will be my responsibility to set the tone for the whole organization. I will lead by example. It is important to find staff that will be role models in every aspect.
Being able to motivate and show these women that there can be life after incarceration will present its own challenges as they will face many obstacles daily that tells them otherwise. As a leader I will need to think outside the box in guiding these women around obstacles. While there is no simple formula that will work for everyone, I will use my listening skills to learn about each individual. It is important to understand or know each woman so I will be able to know what direction we need to go that will benefit the most. I will make sure that resources will be available that will meet the different needs.
As a leader I will practice both transactional and transformational styles of leadership and be able to switch styles of leadership as needed. Rules will have to be set for everyone to abide by and being able to stand firm with those rules allows for the home to run smoothly and each person knows what is expected of them. Transformational leadership is important as the women have to play an active role in rebuilding their lives as well as learning how to make good choices for themselves. Each woman will have input on their case plan, volunteer responsibilities, and living conditions. It is important to realize that these women have been an environment where all decisions were made for them and they are not all going to agree. Being able to recognize issues before they become a problem is critical. I believe that when a person works hard for something it will mean more to them than if somebody did it for them or gave it to them. Boundaries will need to be set so that myself or staff is not putting more into what is needed than the individual is to rebuild their life. The more it means to them, the more they will want to keep it and are willing to work hard for other things.
It is just as important to work with those within the community. Collaboration skills are going to be needed as the only way for this program to be successful is to gain acceptance from within the community. Strong ethical leadership will be needed as there will be members of the community watching very closely. As a leader it will be my responsibility to present our vision to the community in a way that they will also see the benefits in helping these women.
My passion and commitment to this field will give me the drive to go that extra mile in order to make things happen. While my vision will help reduce the recidivism rate among women in my community I firmly believe that we will accomplish something even greater than that. It will form a type of sisterhood as each woman who is able to take the steps in rebuilding their lives will step up and use what they have learned to help another. As these women move on past living in the program they will be living productive lives and be contributing member of society. Every success will make another’s journey a little easier. Each success helps break down the walls between the ex-con and the community.