Recommendations for Improving the Professional Development of Self-Leadership Traits at Pansion State College

The purpose of this applied study was to provide recommendations for improving the professional development of self-leadership traits of professors at one of the state colleges in Florida. The problem was that leadership traits necessary for teaching excellence at the college had not been identified among the faculty. There was a need for more leadership practices in higher education to help faculty reach excellence. Using a trait leadership theory as a framework, this study intended to investigate which leadership traits or characteristics have manifested in a community college and answer the central question: How can the professional development of self-leadership traits be improved for professors at the community college? Purposeful sampling was used to select the participants, and 21 people volunteered to participate by completing a questionnaire. Data collection was performed using the Leadership Trait Questionnaire (LTQ). After the data analysis, five recommendations were presented to improve teachers' leadership traits and skills. The five recommendations are to (a) provide professional development to enhance teachers' learning, (b) coach for continuous improvement of skills, (c) establish collaborative inquiry for each department, (d) create a support system for each department, and (e) establish teamwork and team building with other departments.