Philosophy

Effective leadership begins with self-awareness and a commitment to personal growth. My leadership development plan is guided by the Four Pillars of Self-leadership: knowing who I am, knowing what I am doing, knowing what I need to learn, and using what I know. These pillars serve as the foundation for my journey toward becoming a more effective and authentic lecturer.

The first step is knowing who I am. This means knowing my values, strengths, and the things I need to improve. By understanding what matters to me, I can lead in a way that feels true to myself. Knowing my strengths helps me lead with confidence, while being aware of my weaknesses keeps me humble and open to learning. I will ask for feedback from colleagues, students, mentors and family to review my performance and find ways to improve.

Next, it’s important to be clear about knowing what I am doing. I need to understand my goals and make sure my daily actions help me achieve them. This means regularly checking in on my progress and staying focused on what’s important. By being intentional with my actions, I can make decisions that align with my values and move me closer to my goals.

Leadership is about always growing, so it is important to know what I need to learn. Whether it is new trends, better strategies, or understanding the people I lead, there’s always something more to know. I will seek feedback, stay curious, and stay open to new ideas to colleagues, students, mentors and family. By identifying what I do not know and working to learn it, I can keep improving to grow as an effective leader.

Finally, it is not enough to just gather knowledge, therefore I have to use what I already know to put it into action. I will use my strengths and experiences to handle challenges and utilize any valuable opportunities. I will keep being flexible and adapting when things change. By applying what I know, I can lead confidently and make a positive impact and better decision.

My personal leadership development plan, based on the Four Pillars of Self-leadership, is a roadmap for my journey as an effective leader. By knowing who I am, I can lead with authenticity; by knowing what I am doing, I can lead with purpose; by knowing what I need to learn, I can lead with growth in mind; and by using what I know, I can lead with confidence. This plan is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process of self-discovery, learning, and application. Through this approach, I am committed to becoming a more effective, resilient, and inspiring leader throughout my journey as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.