LDRS 310: The Learning Organization

Personal Mastery Paper

What is a personal mastery paper?

Personal mastery is the discipline of lifelong learning and self-development. Its essence, as Senge (1990) puts it, is “learning how to generate and sustain creative tension in our lives” (p. 124). Creative tension is the product of two important self- development practices, first, “continuously clarifying what is important to us” and second, “continuously learning how to see current reality more clearly” (p. 141). Personal mastery is not a place where we arrive, but rather it is a process, a lifelong discipline of taking responsibility for our personal learning and growth.

What is the writing process?

Your paper will include four parts, based on an autobiographical method of professional learning inquiry known as currere (Pinar, 1975)1, which explores the experiences giving shape to a person’s professional self-understanding and life’s work. The essence of this method involves your movement through four reflective moments: (a) the past, (b) the future, (c) the analysis, and (d) the synthesis.

Need Help with this Assignment?

(a) The past. Remember the past leadership experiences and leadership role models you’ve had; consider how these experiences influenced the formation of your own personal leadership attitudes, ideas, capabilities and behaviours. These memories may be either positive or negative experiences of leadership.

1. Identify a childhood memory of leading, or being led.
2. Identify an adolescence memory of leading, or being led.
3. Identify a young to middle adulthood memory of leading, or being led.

(b) The future. Imagine the type of leader you aspire to become, using George’s (2016) authentic leadership model as a framework for clarifying your vision. Consider three leadership contexts in articulating your personal vision:

1. Begin by exploring your personal vision of your self-leadership—that is, describe your vision of the life you want to create for yourself and how you will take responsibility for generating this life for yourself.
2. Then, consider how you might extend your leadership, by coaching others in their own self-leadership and collaborations with others.
3. Lastly, imagine how you might lead in organizational/social contexts.

End this section with one example of a SMART leadership development goal.

1 Pinar, W. (1975). The method of “currere”. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Research Association, Washington, DC.

Page 1 of 2

LDRS 310: The Learning Organization

(c) The analysis. Analyze your present self-development as a leader by (a) your potential strengths as a leader, (b) the obstacles you might face in achieving your leadership development goal, and (c) options you have to help you successfully achieve your goal. In your analysis, identify one way your personality (based on your Birkman report) can (a) be a potential strength, (b) an obstacle to achieving your goal, and (c) expand your options to achieving your goal. Lastly, assess if you are generating sufficient creative tension (or not) as a leader in your life in order to achieve your goal.

(a) The synthesis. Define how you intend to resolve the creative tension you are creating as a self-leader, connecting your past and future to your present. Specifically, outline your way forward—that is, your plan—to achieving your leadership development goal. Identify the commitments you must make and the supports you need to achieve your leadership development goal and ultimately your vision of becoming the leader you aspire to be. Also, outline the feedback structure, or success cycle system that you need to put in place to make continuous improvements towards achieving your goal and vision.

What are the grading expectations?

A paper meeting all the expectations below demonstrates “very good work with few flaws”, which according to the grading scale used in this course is a B+ grade. Work that does not meet all expectations (with few flaws) will receive a grade below B+. To receive a grade above B+ the work must exceed all the expectations below.*

• ü  Demonstrates a careful understanding of the personal mastery paper’s scholarly context, audience, purpose, and all the prescribed elements.
• ü  Follows a logical four-part reflective inquiry structure, including past, future, analysis and synthesis sections, as well as, an introduction and conclusion.
• ü  States ideas clearly, elaborates with explanations, and exemplifies using good, credible, relevant examples and other evidence, such as, expert sources. In this paper, as least two expert sources should be used, including Birkman.
• ü  Uses straightforward language that communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency, and is generally error-free.
• ü  Correct use of APA conventions, including intext citations, references documentation, document formatting, and stylistic writing elements.* To exceed expectations, you must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the assignment, your argumentation must be carefully constructed with insightful linkages and well-written transitions, you must have a higher density of ideas, substantial explanations, use compelling examples, your language must be graceful, your grammar virtually error-free, and you make elegant use of APA conventions.

Page 2 of 2