| Course | ORG-5020 Leadership and Management in the Twenty-First Century |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Final project: analysis of one's own leadership approach and a development strategy |
| Length | About 1,119 words, 7 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Master of Science in Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ORG 5020 Module 5
Leading Beyond the Dock: A Personal Leadership Analysis and Plan
Student Name
Master of Science in Management, Thomas Edison State University
ORG-5020: Leadership and Management in the Twenty-First Century
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Leading Beyond the Dock: A Personal Leadership Analysis and Plan
Introduction
This final project analyzes my own approach to leadership and sets out a strategy for improving it in my current role. I supervise 28 associates on the outbound dock of a regional distribution center for a grocery wholesaler, a role I have held for three years after five years as an associate. My manager has encouraged me to apply for an operations manager position that would put three supervisors and about 120 associates under me. The analysis draws on the theories studied in this course, on self-assessment questionnaires from Northouse (2022), and on feedback from my manager and two peers. Because this composite example stands in for a student's own reflection, it is written in the first person, as the assignment asks.
Self-Assessment Results
I completed four questionnaires from the textbook and asked my manager and two fellow supervisors to complete the observer versions where available.
| Assessment | My result | Observers' view |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership trait questionnaire | High on determination and dependability; lower on self-assurance | Similar, but rated my self-assurance higher than I did |
| Skills inventory | Technical high; human moderate to high; conceptual moderate | Agreed; conceptual skill noted as the main gap |
| Leadership behavior questionnaire | Task behavior high; relationship behavior moderate | Task high; relationship moderate, higher with experienced associates |
| Authentic leadership self-assessment | Strong relational transparency; weaker balanced processing | Noted that I decide quickly and sometimes miss others' input |
Analysis Through the Course's Theories
The trait and skills approaches describe a leader who is reliable and technically strong but less practiced in thinking about systems and long-term plans. The skills model of Mumford et al. (2000) suggests that problem-solving and social judgment skills grow with challenging experience, which is encouraging, because the gap my observers named is one that development can close.
The behavioral approach shows that I lead mainly through task behavior: I set the day's loads, watch the clock and fix problems myself. That style works on a dock where trucks must leave on time, but situational leadership and path-goal theory both suggest it fits newer associates better than experienced ones, who respond to more delegation and participation. My observers' comment that my relationship behavior is stronger with experienced associates suggests I may have an in-group, which leader-member exchange theory warns can leave newer associates less engaged.
Transformational and authentic leadership highlight a different gap. I am transparent and honest, but my weaker balanced processing, deciding before hearing others, limits intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. As an operations manager, I would need to explain why changes matter and draw ideas from supervisors who know their areas better than I do.
What I Do Well
My strengths are dependability, technical knowledge of every dock process, honesty with associates and calm under pressure. The dock has met its on-time departure target in 31 of the last 36 months, and turnover on my shift is below the building average. These strengths fit the task and ethical dimensions of leadership and would carry over to a larger role.
What I Need to Develop
Three needs stand out. First, conceptual skill: understanding how the dock's performance depends on receiving, inventory and transportation, and planning across them. Second, participative and delegating behavior with capable people, so that I am not the bottleneck. Third, balanced processing: seeking and weighing others' views before deciding. Day et al. (2014), reviewing 25 years of research on leader development, concluded that leaders develop mainly through experience over time, supported by feedback and reflection, and that development is a long-term process rather than the product of single training events. My plan therefore centers on stretch experiences with structured feedback.
Development Strategy
Over the next 12 months, I will take on three stretch assignments: leading a cross-department project to reduce trailer wait times between receiving and outbound, which builds conceptual skill; delegating daily load planning to two experienced associates, with weekly check-ins, which builds delegating behavior; and chairing the monthly safety committee using a rule that every member speaks before I offer my view, which builds balanced processing. I will meet my manager monthly to review progress, keep a short weekly reflection log, and complete a structured course in operations planning offered by the company.
To strengthen relationships with newer associates, I will hold brief one-on-one conversations with each associate in their first 90 days and rotate who leads the start-of-shift huddle, giving newer associates visible roles.
Measuring Progress
I will repeat the skills inventory and behavior questionnaire with the same observers in 12 months, aiming for observers to rate my conceptual skill and relationship behavior a full level higher. I will also track concrete outcomes: average trailer wait time, the share of daily load plans prepared by associates rather than by me, and engagement scores on my shift, especially among associates with less than a year of service. If the measures do not move after six months, I will adjust the plan with my manager rather than wait for the full year.
Integrating Best Practices in the Organization
The plan also has implications beyond my own development. The distribution center promotes supervisors mainly for technical performance, as it promoted me. If other supervisors share my profile, the building would benefit from pairing new supervisors with mentors, using structured feedback such as the questionnaires used here, and giving promotion candidates cross-department projects before they take larger roles. I intend to propose a small pilot of these practices to my manager as part of the trailer wait-time project.
Potential Obstacles
Three obstacles could derail the plan. Peak season from October to December leaves little time for projects, so the trailer wait-time project should be scoped to finish its analysis before October. Delegating load planning carries a risk of missed departures while associates learn, which I will manage by reviewing their plans for the first month before stepping back. And my habit of deciding quickly will reassert itself under pressure; the safety committee rule gives me a protected setting to practice, and my reflection log will record when I slip. Naming these obstacles in advance, and discussing them with my manager, makes it more likely that the plan survives a busy year rather than being set aside when operations get difficult. A mid-year review with my manager will be the checkpoint for deciding what to change.
Conclusion
My leadership is dependable, honest and task-focused, well suited to running a dock and less suited, so far, to leading leaders. The course's theories and my self-assessments point to the same development needs, and research on leader development suggests that stretch experience with feedback, not a single course, is the way to meet them. The plan above turns that conclusion into actions and measures for the coming year.
References
Day, D. V., Fleenor, J. W., Atwater, L. E., Sturm, R. E., & McKee, R. A. (2014). Advances in leader and leadership development: A review of 25 years of research and theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 63-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.004
Mumford, M. D., Zaccaro, S. J., Harding, F. D., Jacobs, T. O., & Fleishman, E. A. (2000). Leadership skills for a changing world: Solving complex social problems. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 11-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00041-7
Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). SAGE.
Reading the ORG 5020 Module 5 assignment instructions
Worth 24 percent of the ORG-5020 grade, the final project turns the course on you: an analysis of how you lead and a plan for bringing the best of the course's practices into your own workplace. Use self-assessments, ideally the questionnaires in Northouse with observer versions where available, and interpret the results through several theories from the course. Be honest about strengths and weaknesses, support claims with examples and evidence, and build a specific development plan with experiences, feedback and measures. Write in the first person where appropriate, organize with headings and cite sources in APA style. Include observer feedback if you can, since others often see our leadership differently from how we see it ourselves.
Inside the ORG 5020 Module 5 example
The project starts with context about the writer's role and goal, then presents self-assessment results alongside observers' views in a table, which makes the analysis credible. Several theories from across the course are applied to the same results, showing integration rather than a tour of chapters. Strengths are supported by performance data, and development needs are tied to research on how leaders actually develop. The plan names specific stretch assignments, feedback routines and measures, and a section on organizational practice extends the analysis beyond the individual. Notice how each development need connects to a stretch assignment and a measure. The obstacles section shows realism. Read it for the link between evidence and plan.
ORG 5020 Module 5 rubric: what earns full marks
The final project is scored out of a hundred. Mentors look for honest, evidence-based self-analysis, accurate use of several course theories, and a development strategy that is specific, realistic and measurable. Integrating the theories, rather than discussing each separately, shows mastery. Observer feedback or performance data strengthens claims about strengths and weaknesses. The paper should be organized, coherent and free of errors, with APA citations. Projects that praise the writer's leadership without evidence, or end with vague intentions to improve, tend to receive lower scores. Using observer feedback alongside self-ratings, and admitting real weaknesses, earns particular credit from mentors. Specific, measurable plans score best. Honesty earns credit.
ORG 5020 Module 5 help: mistakes that cost marks
Personal leadership papers often read as self-praise or as a list of theories with a sentence about the writer under each. Our writers can help you structure an ORG 5020 final project around your own assessments and workplace. Complete the textbook's questionnaires and ask a manager or peer to complete observer versions. Compare the results, pick the two or three most important gaps, and explain them with the course's theories. Then design stretch experiences, feedback routines and measures for a year, and describe one practice your organization could adopt as well. Then share the plan with your manager and ask what they would add. Revise after feedback and proofread.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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ORG 5020 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free ORG 5020 Module 5 sample paper?
A complete Leadership and Management in the Twenty-First Century final project appears above, analyzing a composite supervisor's leadership with self-assessments and setting a 12-month development plan.
What is the ORG-5020 final project?
A paper analyzing your own approach to leadership and a strategy for integrating best practices into a real organizational context, worth 24 percent of the grade.
Should the final project be written in the first person?
Yes, where it describes your own leadership, while analysis of theories and evidence remains objective and cited.
How do leaders develop according to research?
Day's team found that leadership grows mostly from years of stretching experience, made useful by feedback and reflection, and only a little from one-off courses.
What self-assessments can I use?
Northouse's questionnaires on traits, skills, leadership behaviors and authentic leadership, ideally with observer versions completed by colleagues.