Module 9 Becoming a Resonant Leader

Read Chapter 6 of the workbook “Becoming a Resonant Leader.”

Complete all of the exercises in the chapter.

You will now begin to turn your desires from awareness into action. Compose a reflection blog in the form of a letter to yourself. In the letter, briefly state your personal vision and list at least three learning goals, three milestones for each goal, action steps for each milestone, and list key people who will support you to achieve the learning goals.

Submit the link/URL to your blog. For guidance on completing this assignment and using Canvas ePortfolio, review the Reflection Blog Assignments page.

Links to an external site.

Becoming a Resonant Leader


Dear Chad,

    To become the best version of yourself and, ultimately, to become who you want to be in life, a learning plan is a deliberate methodology for getting there. McKee et al. (2008) present a learning plan diagram in Figure 1 which "shows the relationship between your vision, learning goals, and actions, and the key relationships your will use for support" (p. 164). Outlining these steps in goal-oriented, direction-oriented, and action-oriented approaches and mindsets will help bring the personal balance sheet and personal vision you developed to fruition (McKee et al., 2008, p. 152). Intentional change is difficult - it is not easy by any means. A major objective for change is for longevity and the sustainment of long-term change. A learning plan is meant to "learn, rather than to perform," so that you can focus on doing what you want to do, rather than what someone else wants or thinks you should (McKee et al., 2008, p. 152). 

Figure 1

A learning plan (McKee et al., 2008, p. 166)


    Remember that a core tenet to this plan is to "consider how you learn" because everyone learns a little differently; since you are a visual and hands-on learner, keep that in mind (McKee et al., 2008, p. 157). Another core tenet is "to enlist the support of others...growth is enhanced when you involve key people who rely on you and care about you;" remember that "leadership is relational" (McKee et al., 2008, p. 159). Moreover, building relationships serves as the foundation for connection and people feeling valued (Rozen, 2023). Keep in mind that you are highly direction-oriented and somewhat goal-oriented; these are important in your planning style (McKee et al., 2008, p. 152). Lastly, remember that the process of personal transformation and change is never without hiccups and failure; become comfortable with trial and error along the path toward continuous improvement and refinement (i.e., embrace psychological safety) (McKee et al., 2008, p. 160). 

    Chad, your personal vision exudes a direction-oriented approach where it seems as though you have a general idea of where you want to go, but you do not know how to exactly get there. I think it is best we come up with a few learning goals, milestones, and action steps. 

    You mention in your personal vision that you want to become a Chief of Information Security (i.e., CIS, CISO) at some sort of large company or within the government in 5-10 years' time (i.e., post-military), and you want to better your qualifications for this role. Perhaps for the first learning goal, it is to round your professional knowledge out with background in information security management, offensive cyber, cloud security, and project management. For milestones, you can consider working toward the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, the Offensive Security Professional (OSCP) certification, the Certified Cloud Security Professional certification, and the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Each of these should take around 6-12 months to achieve individually but could be done in parallel. Action steps are to enroll in an online course through Udemy or other platform, set dates for testing, and study, study, study. 

    You also mention in your personal vision that you want to drastically improve your fitness level in 3-5 years' time. You used to be a runner and enjoyed fitness for the fun of it - we need to re-ignite that spark. You know that you want to set the example for those around you while you serve in the military, and it is not too late to restart. What you need is a plan to get back on your feet. Let's talk learning goals. For one, you want to be able to achieve a maximum score on the Air Force fitness test. Action steps for this can be to incorporate running into your weekly workouts at least three times per week, and also to test yourself at least once per month to check your progress. Another goal is to improve your lifting to body weight or better for many lifts (e.g., deadlift 400 lbs, squat 300 lbs, bench 200 lbs). These are difficult and daunting, but if we look at action steps, let's focus on incorporating these lifts into your workouts at least two times per week and aim for 2.5 lb increase per week. Make sure to keep a record of this. Another goal is to eat healthier. This is a bit ambiguous so we can break it down. For action steps you can aim to create a nutrition plan, to meal prep, and to stick to this diet through the week; but give yourself a break on the weekend to enjoy some delicious food too. It's all about balance. Focus on eating whole foods and aim to ingest your target bodyweight in grams of protein of 215 lbs. By breaking down this your vision into larger goals, and further into milestones and action steps, you are well on your way toward achieving your dreams.

    In your personal vision, you also desire to rekindle your positivity, confidence, and joy of interpersonal connection in 1-3 years' time. Remember that your positive emotional attractors should outweigh negative emotional attractors by three to one (Frederickson, 2011). Some milestones for this to see noticeable progress are making at least ten new close friends in one year, to reduce the time spent on your phone by half, and to enroll in one or more courses on Udemy or similar platform on meditation, charisma, confidence, relationships, and/or positivity. Action steps include to go to at least one new event per month where you know no one (via Meetup or something similar), to plan at least 1 hangout session per quarter, to swap phone scrolling time with meditation and do at least 10 minutes per day, and to complete at least one module/lesson per week for the courses. By focusing on yourself and how you reach out to others, you can feel more confident in yourself and build connections, which will naturally boost your positivity and joy.

    Of major importance, to reiterate, is that you should not feel like you have to go at this alone. Find your circle of those you trust and those who care about you. Think about who you care about. Do not push people aside because you feel inadequate. The people who truly care for you will stick by your side no matter your state, and they want to see you grow and succeed. Bring along your mom, dad, sister, and niece...your friends Charles, Michael, John, Lindsey, Courtney, Jay, Skylar, Ben, Rob, and Ryan...your mentors Col Smith, Col Julian, and Col Sparks...your teachers Dr. P, Dr. S, Dr. R, Dr. K. Keep in touch with the people who have impacted your life in so many positive ways. Achieving big goals and dreams is difficult and not meant to be summited by yourself. These people are your team.

You're well on your way, Chad. Keep it up!


References:

Fredrickson, B. (2011, June 20). The Positivity Ratio [Video]. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hFzxfQpLjM.

Fredrickson, B. (2011, June 21). Positive Emotions Open Our Mind [Video]. YouTube. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hFzxfQpLjM.

McKee, A., Boyatzis, R. E., & Johnston, F. (2008). Becoming a resonant leader: Develop your emotional intelligence, renew your relationships, sustain your effectiveness. Harvard Business School.

Rozen, M. (2023, October 31). Leadership is a relationship: The key to effective leadership. Dr. Michelle Rozen - The Change Doctor. https://www.drmichellerozen.com/leading-up/leadership-is-a-relationship/ 

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