WGU C200 Task 1: Personal Leadership Evaluation: Complete Guide to a Perfect Score

Step-by-Step Guide: WGU C200 Task 1: Personal Leadership Evaluation

OVERVIEW: What This Paper Actually Is

This is a self-reflective leadership analysis paper — not a research paper about leadership theory, and not a biography. Every section must anchor back to you as the leader. The evaluator is checking whether you can apply a scholarly lens to your own behavior. Keep that framing in mind throughout.

PART A: CliftonStrengths Reflection

Step 1 — Complete the Assessment

Log into WGU’s student portal and access the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment link provided in your course. Complete all 177 paired-item questions. At the end, download your “Signature Themes” PDF report — this is the exact file you will attach to your submission. Do not submit a screenshot; the grader needs the official PDF.

Step 2 — Write Your Reflection (Requirement A1)

Your reflection must address all five of your top themes. For each one:

• Name the theme (e.g., Achiever, Relator, Strategic, etc.)
• Briefly explain what the theme means (1–2 sentences from the Gallup description, in your own words)
• Connect it explicitly to your leadership behavior — give a real or plausible example from your work or leadership experience

Template for each theme:

“My [Theme Name] strength suggests that I [what it means in plain terms]. In my leadership experience, this manifests when I [concrete example]. This strength indicates that I am likely to lead by [how it shapes your leadership style].”

Pitfall to avoid: Don’t just list the themes and their Gallup definitions. The evaluator is looking for your reflection — what these results say about you as a leader specifically. Generic Gallup text will not earn full marks.

Length target: 1–2 paragraphs per theme, or a flowing narrative of roughly 400–600 words total for this section.

PART B: Leadership Theory Evaluation

Step 3 — Choose Your Theory Strategically

Pick one theory from the list provided. The best choice is whichever theory most naturally maps onto your CliftonStrengths results and your actual leadership style. Here is a quick decision guide:

Recommendation for most students: Transformational leadership is the most widely researched, has the richest scholarly source pool, and maps well onto a wide variety of CliftonStrengths profiles. Servant leadership is the second-best option. These two will make finding sources easiest.

Step 4 — Understand the Theory Deeply Before Writing

Before writing B2–B4, you need to know your chosen theory well enough to apply it. For transformational leadership, the core framework is Burns (1978) and Bass (1985), built around four components: Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration. Every strength and weakness you discuss should connect to one of these components.

Use the WGU Library (OneSearch) to locate 3–5 peer-reviewed articles. Search terms like “transformational leadership effectiveness”, “servant leadership organizational outcomes”, or “situational leadership theory“ will yield strong results. Look for articles from journals like The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Applied Psychology, or Journal of Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness.

Step 5 — Evaluate Three Leadership Strengths (Requirement B2)

Structure for each strength:

1. State the strength clearly and specifically (e.g., “I consistently communicate a compelling vision to my team”)
2. Connect it to a specific component of your theory (e.g., “This aligns with the Inspirational Motivation dimension of transformational leadership, which Bass (1985) describes as…”)
3. Give a concrete personal example
4. Cite at least one scholarly source

Critical rule: Each strength must be explicitly tied to the theory — not just to leadership in general. If you can’t name the exact dimension or principle within the theory that your strength reflects, revise your connection.

Example (Transformational Leadership):

“One of my leadership strengths is my ability to build deep one-on-one relationships with team members and tailor my support to their individual needs. This reflects the Individualized Consideration dimension of transformational leadership, in which leaders act as mentors and coaches, attending to each follower’s unique needs and developmental goals (Bass & Riggio, 2006). In my role as a charge nurse, I regularly schedule brief individual check-ins with staff to understand their challenges and growth areas, which has consistently improved morale and performance.”

Scholarly source minimum: At least one scholarly source across the three strengths (the rubric says “at least one”), but using a different source for each strength is safer and demonstrates stronger research.

Step 6 — Evaluate Three Leadership Weaknesses (Requirement B3)

Use the same structure as the strengths section, but now analyze genuine areas for growth.

Critical pitfall: Students often write vague weaknesses like “I sometimes struggle with delegation.” That is not enough. You must:

• Name the specific weakness
• Explain why it is a weakness in the context of the theory
• Acknowledge the consequence of this weakness
• Cite a source

Example (Transformational Leadership):

“A notable weakness in my leadership is difficulty maintaining consistent communication of the organizational vision during periods of high operational stress. Transformational leaders are expected to exhibit Inspirational Motivation by articulating a compelling vision that rallies followers even during challenges (Avolio & Bass, 2004). When caseloads peak, I tend to shift into a task-focused mode, which reduces the inspirational communication my team needs to remain engaged. Research confirms that leaders who reduce visionary communication during crises inadvertently lower follower motivation precisely when it is most needed (Northouse, 2021).”

Step 7 — Recommend Three Actionable Items (Requirement B4)

These must be actionable — not vague advice, but specific things you will do. Each must:

• Be a concrete action (attend a workshop, implement a weekly team meeting, start a leadership journal, etc.)
• Connect explicitly to your theory
• Explain how taking this action will improve your leadership effectiveness
• Be supported by a scholarly source

Example (Transformational Leadership):

“I will implement weekly 15-minute one-on-one coaching conversations with each direct report to strengthen my Individualized Consideration behaviors. Transformational leaders who engage in individualized coaching develop higher-performing, more committed teams (Wang et al., 2011). This structured practice will ensure that my mentoring behaviors are consistent rather than reactive, directly strengthening a dimension of transformational leadership where I currently show inconsistency.”

PART C: SMART Goals

Step 8 — Write Two SMART Goals

Each goal must satisfy all five SMART criteria. Do not just say it is SMART — demonstrate it by building each criterion visibly into the goal statement and discussion.

SMART Criteria Checklist per Goal:

Example SMART Goal:

“Within 90 days, I will improve my Inspirational Motivation behaviors by developing and consistently delivering a 5-minute vision statement at the start of every weekly team huddle, as measured by completing this communication in at least 10 of 12 scheduled huddles, with team members able to articulate the team’s goals when surveyed at the end of the period.”

What makes this SMART:

• Specific: Inspirational Motivation behaviors; 5-minute vision statement
• Measurable: 10 of 12 huddles; team survey
• Achievable: Small time commitment, builds on existing huddle structure
• Realistic: Directly addresses an identified weakness
• Time-bound: 90 days

Step 9 — List Two Specific Actions for Each Goal (Requirement C1)

For each SMART goal, name at least two concrete steps you will take. These should be sequential or complementary.

Example actions for the goal above:

1. “I will draft a template vision statement this week and review it with my supervisor for feedback before the first huddle.”
2. “I will use a simple tracking log to record which huddles included the vision communication and note any team feedback.”

PART D: Citations and References

Step 10 — Format Sources Correctly (APA 7)

The rubric requires in-text citations and a reference list for all quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content. WGU uses APA 7th edition.

Minimum source requirements:

• At least one scholarly source for strengths (B2)
• At least one scholarly source for weaknesses (B3)
• At least one scholarly source for actionable items (B4)

In practice, use 4–6 unique sources across the paper for a strong submission. Repeat sources are fine, but variety demonstrates research depth.

Recommended core sources:

• Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage. — available in the WGU Library
• Any peer-reviewed article from The Leadership Quarterly or Journal of Applied Psychology from 2015–2024

APA 7 in-text format: (Author, Year) or Author (Year) found that…

PART E: Professional Communication

Step 11 — Formatting and Presentation

• Write in first person throughout (this is a self-evaluation)
• Use clear section headers that match the rubric sections (A, B, C)
• Aim for 2,000–3,500 words total (not counting references)
• Proofread for grammar, clarity, and academic tone — avoid informal language
• No bullet points in the body — write in full paragraphs
• APA title page (required): running head, title, your name, institution, course, date

COMPLETE PAPER STRUCTURE AT A GLANCE

Introduction (1 paragraph — briefly state what the paper will do)

A. CliftonStrengths Reflection
   - Theme 1 + leadership connection
   - Theme 2 + leadership connection
   - Theme 3 + leadership connection
   - Theme 4 + leadership connection
   - Theme 5 + leadership connection

B. Leadership Evaluation Using [Chosen Theory]
   B2. Three Leadership Strengths
       - Strength 1: name → theory connection → example → citation
       - Strength 2: name → theory connection → example → citation
       - Strength 3: name → theory connection → example → citation
   B3. Three Leadership Weaknesses
       - Weakness 1: name → theory connection → consequence → citation
       - Weakness 2: name → theory connection → consequence → citation
       - Weakness 3: name → theory connection → consequence → citation
   B4. Three Actionable Improvement Items
       - Action 1: what → theory link → expected outcome → citation
       - Action 2: what → theory link → expected outcome → citation
       - Action 3: what → theory link → expected outcome → citation

C. SMART Goals
   Goal 1: Full SMART statement + 2 specific actions
   Goal 2: Full SMART statement + 2 specific actions

Conclusion (1 short paragraph)
References (APA 7 hanging indent format)
Appendix: CliftonStrengths PDF (attach separately or embed)

TOP REASONS PAPERS FAIL THIS TASK

1. Theory connection is missing or superficial — naming the theory once is not enough; every strength/weakness/action must explicitly reference a component or principle of the theory
2. SMART goals are not actually SMART — missing measurable criteria or time-bound deadline
3. Fewer than two actions per goal — easy to miss
4. No scholarly citations for one of the three B sections
5. CliftonStrengths reflection is too generic — quoting Gallup definitions without personal application
6. Writing about leadership theory in general instead of evaluating your leadership

Follow this guide section by section and you will have everything the rubric requires for a complete, passing submission.

QUICK-REFERENCE SUMMARY TABLE

Assignment: WGU C200 Task 1: Personal Leadership Evaluation

Introduction

For this task, you will conduct an evaluation of your personal leadership effectiveness. You will write a paper evaluating your own leadership using a scholarly leadership theory. To help you refine your own leadership skills, you will develop at least two SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) goals as part of your evaluation.

A. Provide a PDF copy of your “Signature Themes” report after completing the CliftonStrengths assessment.

1.  Reflect on the results of the fivecategorical strengths from your CliftonStrengths assessment, including what those results might indicate about your leadership.

B. Evaluate your leadership, using oneof the scholarly leadership theories below, by doing the following:

•   transformational leadership

•   transactional leadership

•   situational leadership

•   participative leadership

•   servant leadership

•   behavioral leadership

•   trait theory of leadership

1.  Evaluate threestrengths of your leadership, using the chosen scholarly leadership theory, including how eachstrength relates to the theory. Support the evaluation of your strengths with at least one scholarly source.
2.  Evaluate threeweaknesses of your leadership, using the chosen scholarly leadership theory, including how eachweakness relates to the theory. Support the evaluation of your weaknesses with at least one scholarly source.
3.  Recommend threeactionable items to improve the effectiveness of your leadership, including how eachactionable item relates to the chosen scholarly leadership theory. Support the recommendations of actionable items with at least one scholarly source.

Note: A scholarly source could be a reputable journal, a published book, or any source from a university faculty member or business leader. Scholarly sources also include any article or book in the online WGU library.

C. Discuss twoshort-term goals that will help improve your leadership. Adhere to the SMART criteria for eachgoal: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

1.  Discuss at least two specific actions you will take to reach eachof the SMART goals discussed in part C.

D. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.

C. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.