Personal  Power  Profile    I  ranked  highest  with  Referent  Power,  and  then  Expert  Power  was  a  close  second.  I  view  my  power  profile  as  someone  who  wants  people  to  feel  that  they  are  valued,  and  that  they  are  accepted  and  liked  so  that  they  will  feel  comfortable  with  me  as  a  leader.  I've  always  been  a  helper  and  like  building  self-­‐esteem,  and  have  always  wanted  people  to  like  me  and  feel  that  they  can  come  talk  to  me,  and  be  comfortable  with  me.  I  think  that's  also  where  the  Expert  Power  comes  in  because  I  want  to  be  able  to  be  a  sounding  board  for  others  who  if  they  need  advice,  or  aren't  sure  of  how  to  do  something,  that  I'd  be  more  than  happy  to  help  them  and  wouldn't  make  them  feel  stupid  for  doing  so.  I  like  to  build  moral,  and  try  to  make  everyone  as  happy  as  possible.  I  think  that  my  power  profile  has  benefited  me  when  it  comes  to  working  in  groups.  Like  I  said  I  want  everyone  to  feel  valued,  and  be  happy  with  whatever  work  they  are  doing.  In  group  projects  I  think  it's  so  easy  to  get  caught  up  and  get  defeated  with  all  the  work  you  have  to  do,  and  all  the  different  personality  clashes  along  with  all  the  different  ways  people  work.  As  a  leader  I  like  to  step  in  and  see  what  people's  strengths  are  and  what  they  like  to  do,  and  wouldn't  mind  doing  for  the  assignment.  That  way  usually  everyone  ends  up  doing  something  they  feel  comfortable  with  and  we'll  still  get  the  job  done.  I  think  the  biggest  weakness  is  that  people  would  see  me  as  being  too  nice,  and  might  take  advantage  of  me  wanting  everyone  to  be  happy.  However,  I  know  that  you  can't  please  everyone,  which  sucks  but  is  part  of  life.  I  think  obviously  instead  of  focusing  on  making  sure  everyone  is  happy  with  what  they're  doing,  I  also  need  to  make  sure  that  they  aren't  slacking  because  they  feel  I'm  a  pushover.  I  need  to  be  able  to  step  in  and  lay  down  the  bottom  line  because  otherwise  they  will  take  advantage  of  me.  I  think  it'll  be  important  to  be  more  task-­‐oriented  and  less  emotional  when  it  comes  to  important  things,  and  let  people  know  there  are  consequences  if  they  aren't  doing  what  they  need  to  do,  and  that  I  will  not  be  happy.      

L E A D E R S H I P   T O O L K I T  

MBTI  Leadership  Assessment  

My  personality  type  is  ENFJ:  Extrovert,  Intuitive,  Feeling,  and  Judging.  ENFJ’s  are  known  for  their  charisma,  meaning  that  I  am  someone  who  always  wants  to  help,  and  get  other  people  on  board  with  my  ideas.  The  downfall  to  this  is  that  I  can  seem  manipulative  if  I  don’t  listen  to  other’s  opinions  and  value  their  input.  ENFJ’s  are  described  as  global  learners  because  they  see  the  big  picture.  We  focus  on  expansion,  and  can  juggle  a  lot  of  responsibilities  at  once,  but  if  I  don’t  focus  then  it  could  lead  to  me  being  a  more  scattered  leader.  Another  trait  of  ENFJ’s  that  will  support  me  as  a  leader  is  that  I  am  organized  on  an  interpersonal  level,  and  my  conclusions,  based  on  feeling  and  intuition,  about  people  and  their  motives  are  drawn  quickly.  I  also  but  the  needs  of  others  before  myself  because  I  appreciate  people,  and  value  who  they  are  as  a  person.  But  this  could  get  in  the  way  because  I  could  end  up  taking  on  a  larger  burden  than  necessary.  

 

 2  

LEADERSHIP  TOOLKIT  

Argumentativeness  Scale  I  scored  a  45  on  the  Argumentativeness  Scoring,  which  means  I  am  Low  in  Argumentativeness.  I  knew  that  my  score  would  come  out  to  be  Low  in  Argumentativeness.  For  me  personally  I  don't  like  getting  into  arguments,  and  on  a  leadership  level  I  think  it  can  be  disruptive,  set  a  negative  tone  to  the  environment,  upset  people,  and  generally  deflate  the  work  ethic.  For  me  arguing  for  the  sake  of  arguing,  or  just  causing  drama  is  not  effective,  so  that's  where  I  try  to  avoid  arguments.  Now  if  the  argument  relates  to  something  substantial  like  a  viewpoint  on  company  ethics,  or  if  someone  isn't  effectively  doing  their  job  and  becomes  defensive  about  it,  then  that  is  where  I  don't  have  a  problem  arguing.  There  are  situations  like  that  where  I  have  strong  beliefs  and  I  am  going  to  stand  up  for  myself,  and  my  beliefs.  I  think  from  a  leadership  perspective  in  a  case  where  you're  defending  your  company,  or  your  company's  viewpoints  than  it  can  build  moral  because  people  know  you're  willing  to  defend  them,  and  fight  for  your  work  and  your  company.  An  example  where  I  did  not  argue  a  situation  well  was  last  semester  when  I  was  working  a  retail  job,  and  my  old  boss  had  to  leave  suddenly  right  around  holiday,  and  they  brought  someone  new  in.  At  the  time  in  the  semester  I  had  finals,  I  was  sick,  my  boyfriend  just  broke  up  with  me,  and  my  grandma  was  sick  (and  ended  up  passing  away  a  week  later).  I  wasn't  exactly  in  the  best  state  of  mind,  and  so  when  my  new  boss  called  me  one  night  accusing  me  of  not  caring  about  my  work,  before  she  had  even  met  me,  it  did  not  go  well.  I  ended  up  going  into  work  to  speak  to  her  despite  the  fact  that  I  was  pretty  emotionally  unstable  and  not  feeling  well  at  the  time.  Despite  the  fact  that  I  tried  explaining  to  her  that  I  had  some  personal  things  going  on,  along  with  school,  she  didn't  care.  It  was  difficult  because  I  was  trying  to  rationalize  with  her  by  telling  her  that  I  didn't  appreciate  her  making  it  personal  and  jumping  to  conclusions  about  me  having  never  met  me,  AND  despite  the  facts  that  I  was  one  of  the  top  sellers  in  the  group,  but  she  was  on  the  defensive  and  asserting  herself  because  she  wanted  to  seem  authoritative.  She  pretty  much  only  had  one  argument,  and  kept  rephrasing  it  over  and  over,  and  just  wasn't  open  to  seeing  other  points  of  view.  I  felt  as  if  I  did  come  in  with  a  proposition  to  her,  and  did  defend  my  stance  and  try  to  point  out  what  was  wrong  with  her  point  of  view,  the  fact  that  I  was  so  emotional  at  the  time,  and  that  I  felt  personally  attacked  took  over  my  ability  to  follow  the  five  skills  of  argumentative  competence.  I  think  that  I  should  have  gone  and  talked  to  her  first  when  I  wasn't  so  emotional,  but  I  did  feel  that  I  wanted  to  defend  myself  right  away,  but  should've  waited  until  I  had  calmed  down  a  little.  I  think  then  I  should've  gone  in  with  a  proposition  that  "I  do  care  about  my  work,  and  work  hard  while  at  work  as  can  be  seen  by  my  numbers".  By  inventing  arguments  like  "It's  on  both  of  us  to  communicate  effectively",  "Let's  try  and  outline  how  you  work  as  a  manager  and  what  you  want  from  me  as  an  associate".  I  could've  then  defended  my  positions  with  statements  such  as  "Wait  until  you  work  with  me  before  you  draw  conclusions",  "I  am  a  full  time  student",  and  "I  have  a  personal  life  outside  of  work".  I  could've  further  attacked  her  position  by  asking  her  to  give  me  another  reason  why  she  thought  I  didn't  care  about  my  work  other  than  the  fact  that  I  didn't  know  what  time  I  was  supposed  to  work  on  Black  Friday  yet,  and  that  she  made  a  hasty  generalization.  I  think  the  hardest  part  would  have  been  to  not  make  it  personal  because  she  started  off  the  argument  on  a  personal  level.    

 

 3  

LEADERSHIP  TOOLKIT  

STRENGTHS    

• Charismatic  to  deal  with  clients  and  to  be  able  to  market  myself  and  make  connections.  

• Organized,  and  decisive.  I  can  make  decisions  on  the  spot,  and  will  have  work  in  order,  and  in  on  time.  

• In  tune  with  other’s  feelings,  and  emotions,  so  I  can  adjust  to  other’s  needs.  

• Passionate,  and  hard  worker.  • Mediator,  and  provide  a  sense  of  

calm  during  crisis.    

WEAKNESSES    

• May  be  viewed  as  too  nice,  or  a  pushover.  

• Shy  away  from  conflict,  even  when  it’s  necessary.  

• Take  on  more  tasks  than  I  can  handle  at  one  time-­‐  overzealous.  

• Put  other’s  feelings  before  my  own.    

OPPORTUNITIES    

• Be  more  confident,  and  assertive  with  new  ideas,  and  around  other  people.  

• Use  my  charismatic  nature  to  bring  in  more  clients,  and  to  make  sales  to  potential  shop  owners.  

• Use  my  expert  power  on  clothing  construction  to  be  viewed  as  a  more  valuable  employee.  

• Use  my  age  group  (one  similar  to  brides)  as  an  advantage.  

   

THREATS    

• Wedding  budgets  are  on  the  rise,  but  brides  are  spending  less  on  their  dresses.  

• If  I’m  not  assertive  enough  when  bringing  new  ideas  to  the  table  my  employee  value  could  go  down.  

• More  well-­‐known  designers  are  starting  bridal  lines-­‐  more  competition  in  selling  brand.  

• My  age,  and  personality  could  also  be  a  disadvantage  because  people  might  not  take  me  seriously.  

 

 

 4  

LEADERSHIP  TOOLKIT  

Bridal  Industry  Analysis  State  of  Current  Business  Climate:  There  is  a  huge  opportunity  in  Chicago  for  the  bridal  market.  Brides  in  Chicago  have  the  second  largest  wedding  budgets  in  the  country.  Wedding  budgets  are  going  up,  but  unfortunately  brides  are  spending  less  on  their  dress.  At  my  current  internship  with  a  bridal  wholesaler  one  of  the  main  advantages  is  networking  and  social  media,  because  brides  are  browsing  the  internet  for  ideas.  In  Chicago  specifically  there  is  a  greater  income  level,  and  more  people  in  general  who  are  getting  married.  However,  there  is  a  lot  of  competition  when  it  comes  to  selling  product  to  boutiques  because  more  well-­‐known  designers  are  starting  to  make  their  own  wedding  lines,  and  brides  are  looking  for  name  brands.  

Customer  Demographics  and  Psychographics  

DEMOGRAPHICS:  

• Age:  18-­‐35    • Sex:  Female                                                • Family  Life  Cycle:  Engaged/In  a  

Relationship                                              • Income:  $40,000  and  up                                                • Education:  College  degree  or  currently  

in  college      • Occupation:  Business  

woman                                                • Religion:  All                                              • Ethnic  Background:  All  

Skill-­‐Sets  and  Knowledge  Needed:  The  bridal  market  is  a  part  of  the  fashion  industry,  so  it’s  very  important  for  designers,  wholesaler  designers,  and  boutiques  to  stay  on  trend  for  each  season.  Utilizing  technology,  and  having  knowledge  of  social  networking  sites  is  a  must.  It  is  also  extremely  important  to  know  who  your  customer  is,  and  then  where  your  target  market  is,  and  to  go  out  and  market  the  line,  and  place  yourself  in  that  segment.  On  the  business  end  it’s  very  important  to  stay  organized,  and  to  be  knowledgeable  about  how  the  production  and  manufacturing  process  works  from  design  to  shipment.  It’s  important  to  constantly  be  coming  up  with  new  ideas  and  to  know  what  brides  need.  

PSYCHOGRAPHICS:     Every  bride  wants  the  perfect  wedding  dress  and  to  a  bride  it  is  one  of  the  most  important  aspects  of  their  wedding.    When  picking  out  their  gown  they  want  it  to  be  an  experience,  and  want  to  have  the  moment  of  finding  “the  one”.  Brides  will  browse  through  magazines  and  the  internet  on  Pinterest,  Tumblr,  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  other  wedding  sites  to  find  inspiration.  They  want  a  gown  that  not  only  fits  their  wedding  theme,  but  fits  their  personality,  and  is  on  trend  with  the  current  season.  

 

 5  

LEADERSHIP  TOOLKIT  

Personal  Vision  and  Mission  Statement  

My  Personal  Vision  Statement:    Live  a  life  full  of  love,  happiness,  and  feel  accomplished  and  be  passionate  in  everything  I  do.  My  Personal  Slogan:    Love,  Accomplish,  be  Happy.    

Terminal  Values:  

1.  Family  Security,  2.  Mature  Love,  3.  Inner  Harmony,    4.  Happiness,  5.  A  sense  of  accomplishment,  6.  Wisdom  

Instrumental  Values:  1.  Imaginative,  2.  Ambitious,  3.  Helpful,  4.  Honest,  5.  

 Responsible,  6  Independent  

Values:  

I  think  that  I'm  lucky  being  a  Fashion  Business  major  because  I'm  on  a  career  path  that  covers  many  of  my  passions.  My  goal  is  to  have  a  fulfilling  career  that  I  love  what  I  do  everyday,  and  is  constantly  inspiring  me,  and  is  never  repetiitve.  I  think  that  when  I  do  have  a  career  I'll  be  guided  toward  a  job  where  I'm  dealing  with  actual  clothing,  since  I've  been  sewing  for  a  long  time  and  love  the  actual  construction  of  clothing.  Another  point  is  that  I  love  my  family,  and  making  people  feel  good  by  bringing  positive  energy  into  their  lives,  so  I  think  it's  going  to  be  one  of  the  leadership  qualities  that  I  adopt:  constantly  trying  to  be  optimistic,  keeping  a  positive  moral,  and  helping  people  feel  good  about  themselves.  I  think  when  organizations  coincide  their  own  values  with  that  of  their  employees  then  people  are  going  to  enjoy  going  to  work,  and  therefore  are  going  to  want  to  work  that  much  harder  to  reach  the  organizations  goals  because  they  feel  that  what  is  important  to  them  as  a  person,  is  also  important  to  the  place  they  work  for.  

 

Competitive  Differentiation:  

a. I  create  value  in  the  fashion  industry  by  having  a  clothing  construction  background.  Designers  will  know  that  I  have  knowledge  about  both  halves  of  the  industry:  the  design  and  business  aspect.  I  am  extremely  hard-­‐working,  and  organized.  Also  because  of  my  charismatic  nature,  and  ability  to  get  along  with  people  I  will  be  an  asset  in  the  workplace,  with  customers,  and  when  it  comes  to  selling  a  line.    

b. I  am  a  creative  and  hard-­‐working  individual  currently  on  track  to  obtain  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  Fashion  Business,  with  a  background  in  advanced  clothing  construction.  Through  my  education  I  have  learned  many  aspects  of  the  business  including  management  techniques,  merchandising  plans  and  productions,  accounting  techniques,  and  further  clothing  design  and  construction  knowledge.  I  am  looking  to  work  for  a  goal-­‐oriented  company  where  I  can  use  my  skills  and  passion  to  help  invigorate  the  success  of  that  company  while  advancing  my  own  knowledge  of  the  industry.  

General  Deliverables  and  Key  Attributes:  

Passionate,  hard-­‐working,  intelligent,  organized,  charismatic,  a  mediator  in  tense  situations,  responsible,  creative,  perceptive  of  feelings  and  moods,  attention  to  detail,  visionary,  self-­‐aware,  self-­‐motivated,  empathetic,  personable,  helpful,  imaginative,  ambitious,  honest,  independent,  advanced  knowledge  of  garment  construction,  and  winner  of  sewing  and  leadership  awards.  

 

 6  

LEADERSHIP  TOOLKIT  

Short-­‐Term  (2-­‐3  Years)  

• Continue  working  with  Elaya  Vaughn  Bridal  wholesale  designer  Kate  Pankoke  

•  Learn  more  about  the  Production  process  from  manufacturing  to  shipment  

•  Learn  more  about  Quality  Control  

• Work  on  marketing  and  sales  skills  

• Become  more  familiar  with  the  wholesale  business  as  a  whole  

Long-­‐Term      (3  +  Years)  

• Continue  working  in  the  Bridal/Bridal  Wholesale  Market  

• Have  strong  relationships  with  manufacturers  and  boutique  owners  

• Be  an  expert  about  the  Bridal  Market  in  Chicago  

• Become  head  of    Quality  Control  

• Become  an  asset  in  Sales  

• Be  Director  of  Operations  

 

 7  

LEADERSHIP  TOOLKIT  

Developed  interpersonal  and  leadership  skills  through  group  work  and  sports  in  middle  school  

and  high  school  

At  the  age  of  13  in  2006,  faced  jirst  hard  family  death,  which  lead  to  mental  and  emotional  struggles,  

but  also  lead  to  maturity    

At  the  age  of  14  in  2006,  took  my  jirst  sewing  classes  with  an  

amazing  teacher/mentor  that  lead  me  to  become  a  fashion  major,  and  attended  my  jirst  leadership  

conference  

In  2009-­‐2010  won  four  sewing  competitions,  and  developed  leadership  skills  by  mentoring  younger  sewing  students  as  

Secretary  of  our  Club      

In  2010  I  graduated  high  school  with  honors,  as  yearbook  "Best  

Dressed",  as  Clothing  Construction  Student  of  the  Year,  and  left  with  great  teacher  relationships  

In  2010  started  college,  and  lived  on  my  own  for  the  jirst  time,  leading  me  to  learn  how  to  take  care  of  myself,  and  deal  with  roomate  personality  clashes  

In  2012  started  my  jirst  retail  job,  where  I  learned  all  about  sales,  customer  and  staff  realtionships,  

and  management  skills  

In  March  of  2013  started  my  internship  with  Kate  Pankoke,  a  bridal  wholesaler  where  I  have  learned  about  the  production  process,  quality  control,  

marketing,  and  the  dedication  you  need  to  succeed  

Now  I  can  say  I  have  developed  leadership  skills  through  class,  am  working  at  an  internship  which  lead  me  to  my  career  path,  and  have  made  amazing  relationships  

with  students  and  teachers  

 

 

 

LEADERSHIP  TOOLKIT  

My  "Current"  State:  What  I  do  now  that  needs  improvement  

• Avoiding  conjlicts  just  so  I  can  get  along  with  everyone    • My  nice  and  generous  behavior  could  cause  people  to  view  me  as  a  pushover  • Still  need  work  on  marketing  and  sales  skills  

My  "Desired"  State:  How  I  will  act  when  I  have  improvement  

• Be  a  competent  arguer  that  uses  compliance-­‐gaining  strategies  and  be  an  effective  negotiator  • Stand  jirm  in  my  beliefs  and  positions  • Be  known  as  an  "expert"  power  source  on  marketing  and  sales  skills  • Quote  that  inspires  me:  "Dont  be  afraid  to  give  up  the  good  and  go  for  the  great"  -­  Steve  Prefontaine  

My  Action  Plan:  What  I  am  going  to  do  to  reach  

my  desired  state  

• Practice  compliance-­‐gaining  strategies  and  build  my  credibility  without  using  agressive  tactics  • Since  confrontation  is  not  my  strong  suit,  I  need  to  be  conjident  in  my  ideas  and  back  them  up  with  research  and  facts  • Continue  internships,  and  work  with  people  who  have  expert  knowledge  on  marketing  and  sales  • My  suggested  readings:  The  End  of  Fashion:  How  Marketing  Changed  the  Clothing  Industry  Forever  (1999)  by  Teri  Agins