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Running head: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1
Personal Development Plan
Doon Kemmer
Indiana Wesleyan University
MSMO 139
MGT 532
Janice Spangenburg
16 July 2012
I have read and understand the plagiarism policy as outlined in the syllabus and the sections in
the Student Bulletin relating to the IWU Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to
the title page of my paper, I certify that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of
completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the
writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act/s, which could include
expulsion from Indiana Wesleyan University.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2
Personal Development Plan
At my company we have professional development plans and we call them PDPs. This is
very similar because I want to be the same person I am at home and at work. In this paper I hope
to convey the aspects of my being in a good light and also create a plan of action for
improvement in all areas.
What about Me?
I am an extrovert and have been a 30 on the extrovert scale of the MBTI. I want to also
make sure that everyone has their say and there is a compromise when trying to find a solution. I
am easily distracted, but I can pursue a goal in a purposeful way if I put my mind to the task(s). I
also consider myself a positive person and this assessment was very accurate I am also an ENFP
type Jungian personality. I am people-oriented, creative, and highly optimistic (Robbins, 2009).
According to Robbins, a possible career I could take would be that of a conflict mediator (2009).
I find that to be very intriguing because my father ended his law practice by doing mostly
mediation work. When I was a sales person for a Honda dealership we went through a four
square personality assessment and mine hasn’t changed in ten years. I am a people-oriented
person and would rather talk about what might be happening than focus on the task at hand. As I
stated before, I am a very optimistic person and find the good in situations for the most part. I
also like to try to find a new way of solving problems that do necessarily follow the norm. I am
at home in front of a crowd and have the ability to talk to anyone. I also have a B+ type
personality. I am at peace with leisure time, eat slow, move slowly, and generally take my time
(within reason) in everything I do.
My top five terminal values in order of importance are: happiness; lasting friendships;
knowledge and wisdom; self-respect and pride in accomplishment. My top five instrumental

values in order are: being helpful; honesty; hard work and achievement; assertiveness and
dependability. These values are direct from three of the greatest role models a person could ask
for: my father, my grandfather and a classmate’s grandfather. They taught me to do something
right the first time so I would not have to do it again. They also taught me that part of being
trusted and depended upon is just showing up and showing up on time. My motivation simply
comes from my family. I would not be who I am today without them and I just want to provide a
great many opportunities to them. That is why I must succeed in my career.
Working with Others
I feel as though I can communicate with anyone at any given time no matter who they
are. I try my best to be clear and concise in order to make sure my thoughts and ideas are
understood. Marriage has taught me that communication is one of the most important things in
life and business. If you get one detail wrong, the whole deal could go south. I believe missing
that one important detail led to the end of my first marriage.
My leadership style is that of a junior high football coach. I want the best people playing
the right positions to help the team succeed. But if someone wants to try to learn a new skill,
then I want to help them learn that skill so they can add additional support to the team. I want to
develop the team as much as possible and to do that I must delegate as much as possible.
Control is not an issue for me as I want the individuals to be a part of the decision making
process as much as possible. I have always thought that a manager is a person who has a title
and a leader gets the most out of the people they work with.
Life in Organizations
As much as I want to be free to do whatever I want, I understand and need structure.
Early in my education I took a DiSC assessment and found that I was a very high “I” type and

my opposite was an “S” type. As much as I disliked working with my opposite I found that I
could get them off topic and relax a little bit and they could always bring us back to the topic at
hand. Based on that experience I like to have rules in place; maybe not rules, but guidelines to
go by. These guidelines help keep me on the path to success with minimal false starts and
timeouts.
I prefer to work in an organization that has a bit more relaxed atmosphere. I feed off of
discussions and form my ideas while still talking. Going through a chain of command
sometimes bogs me down to where I feel suffocated and that my ideas will not get the attention
they deserve. I want to work in an environment that allows for creative freedom but has a
structure to keep things moving forward.
I’m not sure what my calling is at this point in my life, but being a father and husband is
a major part of whatever it is I am. The career path I have chosen is to help develop others. I
want to enter the Human Resources department and work on personnel development and assist in
procuring and education on the benefits the company offers. My spirituality is great as I have a
personal philosophy that works for my family. On the other hand, my faith is somewhat lacking
and I struggle to increase it.
Areas of Improvement
In order to improve my listening skills, I will need to listen more attentively, and
empathize more with the speaker’s feelings. In order to do this I must improve upon my active
listening skills. Skills such as: eye contact, paraphrasing, clarifying, perception checking,
summarizing and empathizing. The only real way to measure if you are listening attentively is to
seek feedback from the speaker, but you must do that to be an active attentive listener. One way

of tracking your success as an active attentive listener is by the quality of the relationships that
you build in your career.
In order to improve my overall attitude, I need to employ some meditation techniques. I
am a highly emotional person and tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. If I take the extra
thirty seconds to process the information I received, my reaction will be calmer. This pause goes
back to using active listening skills. I have a long commute and traffic can ruin an attitude
quickly. I plane to sit in my car and flex every muscle in my body for five seconds when I reach
my destination. This act leaves me feeling more relaxed and less stressed. I would like to poll
my colleagues over a weeks’ time to see how my attitude has changed.
I would like to volunteer my time and person more. Volunteering helps me give back to
others which in turn makes me feel better about myself. I can do this by simply giving blood or
platelets once every two months. I would also like to talk to young adults about my experience
with illegal drugs and addiction. If I can help one person or inspire one teenager, then I know I
am making a difference and helping to make their lives a little better.
I need to become more clear and concise in my ideas and proposals in team meetings and
throughout the work week. In order to do this I need to decrease the amount in which I
formulate my ideas while I am speaking. In essence I need to think a bit more before I speak.
This will be difficult for me because it has always been my creative process. If I take more time
to formulate my ideas it will lessen the amount of trial and error which can lead to a higher
success rate of solutions.
Like most people I struggle with faith and putting my complete trust in God. My
argument has always been that He granted us with free-will and He gave us the tools to use to
create our own world, so why should I not use the tools He gave me? After earning my

undergraduate degree at IWU, I am beginning to understand that I can use the tools He gave me
in conjunction with putting my faith and trust with Him. I need to let go of the things I have no
control over and put my faith and trust into God. I also need to use the tools He gave me to work
in the things I can control.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I am a man who needs a little help. I am a highly motivated
individual who has his morals and values in the forefront of his mind. My extroversion is an
asset in team and company meetings alike. I do my best to listen to the opposing side and take
into account their perspective to reach a common solution to any issue. I want all parties to feel
as though they have gained a small victory in every project and/or conflict. Managing to me
means delegating the responsibility and leading your teammates to success by giving them
autonomy and decision-making responsibilities. On a personal level I need to volunteer more in
my community. Volunteering helps me give back to others which in turn makes me feel better
about myself. If I can help one person or inspire one teenager, then I know I am making a
difference and helping to make their lives a little better. I also need to improve my listening
skills on a daily basis. If you miss one detail in a conversation or communication, it could spell
disaster for the project. Another area that requires attention is my attitude. I am not always the
most energetic or happy person at work and that can hinder progress and teamwork. A fourth
area of improvement corresponds to listening skills and that is to become more clear and concise
so all team members have complete understanding of my thoughts and ideas. One last area of
improvement is a personal improvement. I need to work on increasing my faith. This increase
needs to be done so my daughters can gain their own faith and utilize me when they may
question their faith.

References
Robbins, S. P. (2009). Self-Assessment Library. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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