Running head: Personal Mastery 1 Personal Mastery 2 LDRS 310: Personal Mastery Paper Your Name in Given/Surname Order Trinity Western University, Langley BC Canada BA in Leadership 12 September 2016 © Given Name Surname Year [Optional] Personal Mastery Paper This paper explores my life-long personal mastery of leadership experience in four reflective moments: the past, the future, the analysis, and the synthesis.The Past [Delete this sentence and start writing.] The Future [Delete this sentence and start writing.] The Analysis [Delete this sentence and start writing.]The Synthesis [Delete this sentence and start writing.] References [Delete this sentence and start writing.] LDRS 310: The Learning Organization Page 1 of 2 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. (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. a. Identify a childhood memory of leading, or being led. b. Identify an adolescence memory of leading, or being led. c. 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: a. 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. b. Then, consider how you might extend your leadership, by coaching others in their own self-leadership and collaborations with others. c. Lastly, imagine how you might lead.

1. Running head: Personal Mastery 1
Personal Mastery 2
LDRS 310: Personal Mastery Paper
Your Name in Given/Surname Order
Trinity Western University, Langley BC Canada
BA in Leadership
12 September 2016
© Given Name Surname Year [Optional]
Personal Mastery Paper
This paper explores my life-long personal mastery of leadership
experience in four reflective moments: the past, the future, the
analysis, and the synthesis.The Past
[Delete this sentence and start writing.]
The Future
[Delete this sentence and start writing.] The Analysis
[Delete this sentence and start writing.]The Synthesis

2. [Delete this sentence and start writing.]
References
[Delete this sentence and start writing.]
LDRS 310: The Learning Organization
Page 1 of 2
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?
Yourpaper will include four parts, based on an
autobiographical method of
professional learning inquiry known as currere

3. (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
movementthrough four reflective
moments: (a) the past, (b) the future, (c) the
analysis, and (d) the synthesis.
(a) The past. Remember the past leadershipexperiences
and leadershiprole
models you’ve had; consider how theseexperiences
influenced the formation
of your own personal leadershipattitudes, ideas,
capabilities and behaviours.
These memories may be either positive or
negative experiences of leadership.
a. Identify a childhood memory of leading, or
being led.
b. Identify an adolescence memory of leading, or
being led.
c. 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 leadershipmodel as a framework
for clarifying your vision.
Consider threeleadershipcontexts in articulating your
personal vision:

4. a. 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.
b. Then, consider how you might extend your
leadership, by coaching
others in their own self-leadership and collaborations
with others.
c. Lastly, imagine how you might lead in
organizational/social contexts.
End this section with one example of a SMART
leadershipdevelopment goal.
1 Pinar, W. (1975). The method of "currere".
Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of
the American
Research Association, Washington, DC.
LDRS 310: The Learning Organization
Page 2 of 2

5. (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 leadershipdevelopment 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
leadershipdevelopment 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.

6. What are the grading expectations?
A paper meeting all the expectations below
demonstrates “very good work with few
flaws”, which according to the grading scaleused 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 Demonstratesa 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 ideasclearly, elaborates with explanations, and
exemplifies using good,
credible, relevant examples and otherevidence, such as,
expert sources. In
this paper, as least two expert sources should be
used, including Birkman.
ü Uses straightforwardlanguage that communicates
meaning to readers with

7. 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.