personal effectiveness & development
DESCRIPTION
This report based on personal effectiveness describes the essential skills and competencies that are necessary to be successful strategic manager in relation to author’s experience upon starting the masters program. The report clearly states the aim of the author, objectives to be undertaken to accomplish aim. The report uses SWOT analysis and SWAIN analysis tool to develop strategy for personal and professional development. It then identifies the key personal and professional skills, elucidates providing the author’s personal experience of learning. The reflective practice and self -development strategy is used to learn and develop personal and professional skills to accomplish developmental aims and objectivesTRANSCRIPT
LEEDS METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
LEEDS BUSINESS SCHOOL
Name of the Candidate: Amit Agarwal
Module Title: Personal Effectiveness
Student ID: C7094607
Date of submission: 1st April 2011
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Executive summary
This report based on personal effectiveness describes the essential skills and competencies
that are necessary to be successful strategic manager in relation to author’s experience upon
starting the masters program.
The report clearly states the aim of the author, objectives to be undertaken to accomplish aim.
The report uses SWOT analysis and SWAIN analysis tool to develop strategy for personal
and professional development. It then identifies the key personal and professional skills,
elucidates providing the author’s personal experience of learning.
The reflective practice and self -development strategy is used to learn and develop personal
and professional skills to accomplish developmental aims and objectives
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Introduction
The concept of personal effectiveness deals with goals, success, and other related concepts
that seem to be branch of self -help movement. Personal effectiveness combines ideas of
positive psychology and positive thinking. It is worthwhile to be noted that personal
effectiveness is a step ahead of positive thinking as it involves more systematic approach to
achieve goals. Some supporters follow business process management technique approach
while some followers of personal effectiveness adapt physical wellness or holistic spiritual
approach. Personal effectiveness refers to making optimum use of available resources and
skills / competencies to the best of one’s own ability. (Kolker, 2006) At organisational level,
it portrays itself in form of interpersonal and group effectiveness. At personal level, personal
effectiveness, encourages well -being and happiness. It can be derived through family, or
work, or any other means. Personal effectiveness is made up of many factors combined
together that are credited to personal traits & external influencing factors that works in
harmony.
The personal effectiveness movement began in the mid-20th century and derived from
business and management. Some revolutionaries like Edwards Deming, and Peter Drucker
focused on concept like optimisation, efficiency, quality. Peter Drucker introduced the
concept of Management by Objective which led to leadership movement and further technical
progression like six sigma, lean thinking. (Stephen, 2001)
The biggest merit of personal effectiveness is stimulation of self- confidence. It is a
way above efficiency. This can be gained by knowing what inspires an individual, learning
and improving, getting organised and improving one’s health. The latter part of the report
would cover the strategy to achieve goals.
The significance of this core module can be interpreted from the fact that
interpersonal skills are so crucial aspects of working like. Apart from professional or
technical skills, success in one’s career directly relies on the impact one make on other. This
module gives an opportunity to stimulate and refresh knowledge & techniques to boost
interpersonal skills and other competencies required at workplace.
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This report would state the aim, objectives and will delineate the strategy and the resources
needed to achieve aims and objectives.
Aim
The aim is to become an effective marketing manager in an growth oriented organisation that
offers me a stable and positive atmosphere and inspires me to enhance personal and
professional skills and competencies in a dynamic and unwavering workplace.
Personal and professional objectives
To complete Master of Business Administration course by the end of Dec 2011
To acquire personal skills like time management, stress management, influencing
others, managing people, leadership skills, communication skills, creativity and
assessment skills
To acquire professional skills like delivering presentations, conducting meetings,
decision making and continuous professional development
Tools to develop strategy
Before designing the appropriate strategy to achieve aims and objectives, it is necessary to
undertake SWOT analysis and SWAIN analysis which can pinpoint the weakness that needs
to be concentrated and and strengths that can be further developed.
SWOT analysis
Strengths
Enjoys experimenting new things
Can calculate probabilities
Can be well organised at workplace
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Can work in synchronisation with rest of the team members
Ability to take high risk
Can work with less supervision
High tolerance capability
Ability to stay long with problem
Weakness
Get easily irritated on negative feedback from superior
Takes long time in taking action
Investigate every minor pros and cons before taking action leading to frustration
among other members of staff.
Completely disregard feelings of other people
Easily get upset when things do not go according to plan
Opportunities
Holds British qualification
Has high opportunity to work in multi- national company due international exposure
Threat
Other candidate holding British qualification and similar experience possess threat to
my current job
Threat to career aspirations is caused by immediate manager who is rarely available
and tries to ignore upon meeting.
The strengths can be further improved by practising it while the weakness can be
converted into strength by taking appropriate actions like taking feedback from
superior in professional manner and not personal manner, considering other people’ s
feeling, designing flexible plan that can accommodate changes. This can be learned
through reflective practice discussed latter in the report. The threats can be minimised
by becoming self- aware.
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SWAIN ANALYSIS
Criteria Strengths Weaknesses
Aspirations Interests Need to do
Career
High demand of marketing manager
Lack of relevant
managerial experience
To be successful marketing manager
Marketing communicatio
n, brand management, advertising.
Qualification, experience,
personal and professional
skills
Qualifications / Training
Global recognised
British Qualificatio
n
Lack of practical training
To complete MBA
Marketing, media
planning
Study
Personal Skills and Qualities
Time management
, stress management, creativity
Little pratical
application of skills at workplace
To enhance personal skills and
competencies
All personal skills
necessary to be successful manager
Training and practical
implementation
Social Support
Family and friend’s support
Lack of support at work place
To be mutually
supportive
Social help Networking
It can be seen form the SWAIN analysis that lack of relevant practical experience is the
biggest threat to career aspiration. This can be overcome by undertaking apprenticeship to get
relevant practical work experience. The approach of experiential learning that is learning
through own’s experience can help to some extent.
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Personal skill learned / to be learned
Stress management
Stress is now- a- days very usually observed among business managers due to heavy
workload and time pressure. Stress management pertains to improve chronic stress that is
generated due to an individual inability to tackle the heavy flow of work in a given limited
period of time. When a person takes too much work that is beyond his ability, the body
hormones breaks the conscious level of the brain to minor extent and therefore a person
cannot concentrate at work. Stress management techniques like deep breathing, walking in
parks, exercise, and yoga helps to relieves stress to greater extent.
For example, working with Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) back at home
country generates stress due to daily targets to be achieved. The stress was managed with
following techniques
Stress management techniques
Minutes How often and when Effects
Deep breathing exercise
20 Everyday 06:00 to 06:20
Calm down the heart beats
Deep meditation 30 Everyday 06:20 to 06:50
Calms brain
Yoga 30 Everyday 19:00 to 19:30
Keep physically fit
Noortropics supplements
- Everyday before bed time
Energise mind
Physical exercise 30 Every alternative days 19:30 to 20:00
Keeps physical mental fitness
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Time management
Time is such a resource that cannot be substituted by any other resources (Mullins, 2010). In
some organisation output if an employees is measured in terms of time. An organisation that
pays on hourly basis to its employees expects productive results every hour. Time
management is very crucial skill to be a successful strategic manager. In business language,
time is equivalent to money and therefore loosing time is just as losing money.
For example, the author of this report manages the time by creating time log as shown
below
Daily time Log
Mon (Hours)
Tue (Hours)
Wed (Hours)
Thur.(Hours)
Fri(Hours)
Sat(Hours)
Sun(Hours)
Total(Hours)
Time for studies at home
2 4 4 4 4 - 2 20
Time for studies at college
- - 4 8 6 - - 18
Time at workplace
10 10 - - - - - 20
Time for other activities (sleeping, entertainment, shopping)
12 10 16 12 14 24 22 110
Leadership skills
A leader is said to be effective only if he guides and leads the subordinate to perform
organizational task in an effective manner. Alford (2009) defines leadership is the ability to
secured desire action from group of follower voluntarily without the use of coercion. A good
leader must possess qualities like innovative, communication skills, initiative good
personality, judgement, discipline, administration skills, patience, human skills, coach and
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guide, self -confidence, intelligence, self –motivated. To be a successful manager. It is
necessary to possess those leadership qualities.
For example, the author got promoted to team leader at workplace by adapting those
leadership qualities and following situational approach to leadership.
Creativity and logical argument skill
This skill is utmost important at marketing level where the challenge is to attract customer by
using innovative way. Creativity and logical argument skills includes studying cause and
effect, patterning, deductive & inductive reasoning, forecasting, analogies, webbing,
critiquing, planning, webbing, classification and comparison. It also involves creating
original or new that is never discovered before. It involves skills of elaborating,
brainstorming, fluency, originality, imagery, forced relationship, modification, metaphorical
thinking.
For example, the author created a unique sales pitch to attract customers through
telephonic conversation.
Assessments skills
It is very necessary for strategic managers to have high assessment skills. As all jobs involves
some sort of calculations. The numerical skills can helps an individual to take faster decision.
The only way to improve skill is constant practice.
The author is in the process of acquiring this skill by calculating in mind without the
use of calculator.
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Managing people
Another very important skill for a successful manager is managing people. Managing people
is an art of getting things done through people (Vaz ,2003 cited by Henri Fayol) by making
them happy. People can be managed by motivating them through provision of monetary and
non -monetary factors.
As a team leader in call centre, the author was in charge in managing team of 12
people. The author believes that the best way to manage people is to give them respect and
due dignity and to follow consultative leadership style where team members are consulted
before taking any critical decision which makes them feel happy and proud.
Communication skill
At any business level, communication is the prime skill needed. The communication can be
oral or verbal. One can master the communication skill through consistent practice as it is
rightly said practice makes man perfect.
For example, the author improved the communication skill upon taking masters
course. The group discussion and presentation at class room level has raised the confidence to
speak in public.
Professional skills learned and or to be learned since starting master’s program
Continuous professional development
Continuous professional development is similar to taking oath in medical profession. Just like
a doctor take oath that every endeavour will be made to save patient’s life, an individual
commits to improve and update his professional related knowledge throughout his entire life
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time. An individual can update and remain expert by being member of professional
association like chartered institute of marketing, or chamber of commerce or any other
recognised body. Continuous professional development can help an individual to accomplish
personal and professional goals in his life.
The author career aspiration is in marketing manager and seeks to be member of
professional bodies to get updated knowledge on marketing issues. The author regularly
browses the marketing magazines like marketing week, marketing campaign, broadcast but
the achievement of developmental objective remain incomplete as the author have not got
any prospects to become fellow member of professional body.
Decision making and problem solving
Decision making and problem solving skill are very crucial for management & leadership.
There are various tools designed to help an individual to come up with correct decision like
SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, brainstorming, and other statistical tools like Decision Trees,
simulation, linear programming, and decision pertaining to projects can be solved using tools
like project evaluation review technique (PERT) and critical path analysis (CPA).
Upon starting the master’s course, the author uses SWOT and PEST analysis to arrive
at decision. However, the other statistical and project based tools are yet to be studied at
masters programme.
Business networking
Business networking skill is just like social networking skill. The only difference is that in
business networking people meets only for business purpose and not to entertain themselves.
Such type of skills helps to expand business. Its involves less of company’s funds but more of
personal commitment.
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The author has so far not experiences business networking but seeks and opportunity
to attend business trades or events that allows business networking
Delegation
The manager cannot concentrate on all activities simultaneously and therefore he needs to
delegate work to his team members. Delegation must be done with utmost care as if the
person to whom the work is delegated is unaware of the process may ruin up the task.
Delivering presentation
The managers sometime are asked to given business presentation to the existing clients or
potential clients. The presentation can be about issue, or new product or updating of any
information. The level of confidence is what attract the most of the clients.
Upon taking this master programme, the author has learned to give presentation with the help
of class presentation and raised confidence.
Running meetings
Conducting meeting is the basic skill that a manager must possess. This skill can be sharpen
by understanding the process of conducting meeting and diving the work into before, during
and after meeting activities.
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The author practiced this skill in an informal manner with the class mates before
delivering presentation. The meeting is conducted at class room with agenda to be discussed
and each member comes up with their views.
Strategies to accomplish developmental objectives
Reflective practice / experiential learning
Reflective practice is described by Donald, 2000 as ‘the calibre to reflect on action so as to
involve in course of unceasing learning’. In other words it refers to set of skills and abilities
to show taking of critical standpoint an orientation to problem solving. It is an active process
of examining one’s own experience to have a closer look. Upon developing the capacity to
explore the personal experience and being curious about experience one can possibly open up
purposeful learning which is not coming from books or thought of experts but from one’s
own life experiences. In involves range of activities that needs to be undertaken for the
purpose of learning. Reflective practice is an independent learning that aims to develop
critical thinking skills. (Mathews, 2006)
Reflective practitioners are those who are engaged into professional activity which
they can use to reflect on their strengths, weakness, & area of development. The author
adapts the reflective practitioner style of learning like highlighting of what has been learnt in
the class tutorials, group discussion, presentation, placements etc. the author keeps the notes
of the themes of what has been discussed, and recalls the main concepts taught. The author
learns from its own experiences.
Reflective practices will help the author to learn and develop personal skills like stress
management, time management, managing people, creativity, assessment skills and
communication skills and professional skills like conducting meeting, delivering
presentations, continuous professional development, problem solving skill through own
experiences that occurred at work place and at masters programme
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Self -development
Self- development is a group of activities that improves an individual competences and skill,
self- knowledge & identity, boost quality of life, builds human capital, and activities that
contributes to fulfilment of personal dreams and career (professional) aspirations. Self -
development activities includes self -awareness, self- knowledge, developing strengths,
improving health, improving social abilities, executing personal development plans, spiritual
development (Bandura, 2007)
Of these, the main approach to self- development is self- awareness. It is rightly said
that “knowing other is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightment” By becoming self -
awareness, one knows what good he is onto and what motivates him to do. By becoming
aware of what are his weaknesses, he can improve by taking appropriate actions. Self-
awareness means focusing the attention on oneself and evaluating and comparing the existing
behaviour and performance to internal standards & values that are systematically set right
from birth until the entire life. People are said to be self-aware when their behaviour is
aligned to the internal standards. But if the people do not live according to their internal
personal standards they may be negatively affected.
For example, the author is truly aware of what he wants; why he wants which
empowers him consciously & actively to turn wants into reality. The personal and
professional skills can be gained through self- development approach by having self-
awareness and self -knowledge.
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Summarising learning and development skills with resources and time frame
Learning and development needed
Learning action to be taken including resources
Monitoring and feedback
Time frame for success
Time management
Making use of time log consistently
Everyday 6 weeks
Stress Management
Exercise, supplements, deep breathing
Every week 6 weeks
Leadership Reflective practice
Every week 8 weeks
Assessment skills Reflective practice
Every week 8 weeks
Managing people Reflective practice
Every week 8 weeks
Continuous professional development
Membership, reflective practice
Every month On going
Problem solving skills
Reflective practice
Every month Every month
Business networking
Attending events, awards
Every six months On going
Running meeting Reflective practice
Every three months
2 months
Making presentations
Reflective practice
Every three months
2 months
Conclusion: It can be concluded that managerial career is significantly relying on learning
and development of range of intellectual skills and competencies that must be developed
before and during the managerial career. To become a successful manager, one need to boost
self- awareness and follow reflective practice by utilising one’s own experiences from past
life to be better in future.
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References
Bandura, A. (2007). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman
Kolker, R. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, p. 106, Oxford University Press US,
2006
Matthews, R. (2006) . "Intelligent strategy" (PDF). Kingston upon Thames: Kingston
Business School
Stephen, V. 2001 The Insanity Defense, p. 9, Yale University Press,
Web references
http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/whatisreflectivepractice.pdf
accessed on 21st March 2011
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