Professional Development Plan
Daniel Page
LAW/531
July 13, 2015
Dan Kessinger

Professional Development Plan Professional development is a critical part of success in the workplace and group cohesion. Every individual has different personality traits and tendencies. Managers need to recognize these differences and develop a plan for cohesion and stability. In the University of Phoenix class Organizational Leadership, the members of Learning Team B have all taken DiSC Assessments to understand better these traits and tendencies. In the following paper I will outline a professional development plan for these members both individually and as a group with my ability to lead them.

Ebony Ingram Ebony Ingram is an Assessor (Ci) with a predominately cautious style. The assessor is “less guarded and less indirect than most other cautious styles” (University of Phoenix, 2015). An assessor is a wonderful asset to have on a team because they can have great intuition with a head full of knowledge through detailed evaluation. The negative of this style is that even though Assessors are quick thinkers, they may be slow to take action (University of Phoenix, 2015). This is something to keep in mind when putting together a professional development plan with contrasting personnel working together.

Rasha Long Rasha Long is a Go-Getter (Sd) with a predominately steadiness style. The go-getter is “less open and less indirect than most other steadiness styles” (University of Phoenix, 2015). This can be beneficial to a group through taking charge in short-term situations and multitasking. One negative of this style is that a go-getter can become rigid and guarded when under pressure (University of Phoenix, 2015). As leaders, this personality can be utilized for the greater good of a group as long as the management is cognizant of the benefits and negatives for a go-getter.

Denzel Brown Denzel Brown is a Pioneer (Dc) with a predominately dominance style. The pioneer is “more guarded and less direct than most other dominance styles” (University of Phoenix, 2015). This is a style that is someone who would be undesirable as a subordinate in traditional business models, but when used correctly can be an asset to a group in a dynamic and progressive workforce. The tendencies can be seen as benefits or negatives depending on the situation or circumstances. Some of the pioneer’s tendencies include, “wanting to change the way things are done, performing to your own standards, striving to accomplish the unusual, not expressing your innermost thoughts and feelings” (University of Phoenix, 2015). A leader needs to be well versed in the growth opportunities and know how to empower this personality tendency.

Kayla Ross Kayla Ross is an Impresser (Ic) with a predominately interactive style. The impresser is, “less open and less direct than most other interactive styles” (University of Phoenix, 2015). This is a great person that can be motivated by both traditional and progressive leadership theories. Where this style might need a little more push to work well in a large group, there are still many benefits. This style includes: “being concerned about looking bad, wanting to do things the ‘best’ way, becoming restless, working harder when bigger risks or rewards are at stake” (University of Phoenix, 2015). Every group can use someone who wants to win and impress other people as this serves as internal motivation to accomplish above average work.

Daniel Page Lastly, I am a Producer (Ds) with a predominately dominance style. The producer is, “less guarded and less direct than most other dominance styles” (University of Phoenix, 2015). The producer is someone is extremely reliable and makes sure the mission is accomplished. Some tendencies include: “becoming tenacious and focused when under pressure, making sure that production is completed on schedule, and delegating tasks only if absolutely necessary” (University of Phoenix, 2015). Even though this tendency is not without its flaws, it makes for a great leader of a group. Of course, there are opportunities for growth, but under this personality the timetable is met.

Professional Development Plan Leaders in organizations need to understand their subordinates and co-workers personalities and tendencies to better motivate them. “The DiSC model provides a common language that people can use to better understand themselves and to adapt their behaviors with others” (DiSC, 2010). As shown earlier in the individual assessments, this DiSC model gives managers the tools to make the group dynamics in the workplace as productive as possible. An emerging type of successful leadership styles is transformational leadership. “Transformational leaders lead by inspiration. They rely on four distinct but interrelated behaviors as a way to influence followers (charisma/inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration)” (Boies, Lvina, & Martens, 2010). We see through the DiSC assessments that this group is very well balanced. With me as the leader, there are four other members with one member in each of the four major blocks; dominance, interactive, cautious, and steadiness as shown below:

Denzel Ebony Daniel Kayla Rasha
Whereas no group is perfect this is definitely a great diverse basis for Learning Team B. As the leader, this makes it much easier for us to achieve productivity through transformational leadership. The basis of this professional development plan is individual learning needs. Not only does everyone learn differently but they need different leadership tactics. Needs analysis, “identifies the gap between what the organization needs and what the employees are able to do and then determines how best to bridge that gap” (Russell, 2015). Obviously the organizational needs are going to change over time and from project to project. However, a great leader can take the overarching ideals of the organization and remain flexible for ultimate success.

Conclusion In conclusion, the DiSC assessment is a great tool for me to use as the leader of Learning Team B within the context of this professional development plan. Each member of the group below me is in a different sector of the DiSC categories making this a very well balanced and organized team. Every traditional need of a group dynamic is met, and the needs assessment allows me to help each individual grow as the all-encompassing goals of the business are still being met.

References
Boies, K., Lvina, E., & Martens, M. (2010). Shared Leadership and Team Performance in a Business Strategy Simulation. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 9(4). 195-202. doi: 10.1027/1866-5888/a000021
DiSC. (2010). DiSC Overview. Disc Profile. Retrieved from: https://www.discprofile.com/what- is-disc/overview/
Russell, L. (2015, January 30). Leadership Training. Association for Talent Development. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1Ji5BgAAQBAJ&oi= fnd&pg=PP18&dq=DISC+assessment+leadership&ots=r9pcKQ3ZK&sig=fO2xPdDpm_ 9mPPfp8sr7pgSppS8#v=onepage&q&f=false
University of Phoenix. (2015). DiSC Assessment [Multimedia]. Retrieved from: University of Phoenix, LDR531—Organizational Leadership course website.