Introduction
The ability to set short and long-term goals is vital for the professional and academic career of a person who wants to play the role of a leader. These goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. These criteria are also known as SMART. This personal development plan will outline the main objectives that I would like to attain after obtaining my MBA degree. To a great extent, this plan can be viewed as the roadmap that will significantly affect my learning and workplace activities in the future. In particular, it can help me focus my efforts on the most significant tasks that I should be able to perform. Apart from that, this document will assist in bridging the gaps that I have identified during my studies and professional activities. Even if I may deviate from this plan in a certain way, it may be useful for motivating me. These are the main questions that should be discussed more closely.
SMART objectives
Planning and leadership
One of the most crucial tasks for me is to improve my leadership and planning skills. To some degree, my MBA studies and professional experiences have demonstrated to me that I need to acquire these competencies or at least elaborate on them. In this way, I will be able to play a more active role in the workplace. This objective is critical for my professional growth since my job is related to planning and coordinating the work of engineering teams and maintenance units. I have to interact with people who may have different skills, values, and attitudes. I have chosen this goal because in many cases, I do not act assertively; as a result, some of my initiatives are not fully implemented.
As far as leadership is concerned, I would like to focus on the promotion of cooperation between various employees, persuasion, and intellectual stimulation of people who cooperate with me. These specific skills can contribute to my success and help establish better relations with other people who may rely on my guidance or instructions. Moreover, at this point, I should gain better insights into the peculiarities of planning in large corporate organizations. Much attention should be paid to such issues as risk management, scheduling, cost estimation, strategy development, and other skills that are vital for managers. At present, I cannot always cope with these tasks in the most efficient manner, and, it is critical to fill these gaps.
There are several resources that I can rely on. For instance, I can speak about work experience that already gave me better insights into various aspects of business administration. During this time, I have been able to learn more about planning and decision-making in corporate organizations. Thus, this background will assist me in attaining these goals. Additionally, my interactions with colleagues such as other managers can also be of great use to me.
Furthermore, I can get access to various educational resources that can assist me in understanding the complexities of planning. For instance, one can mention various books and scholarly articles related to these issues. Moreover, I can attend various courses that can illustrate various dimensions of the tasks that I need to do on the daily basis. Furthermore, I will work on various projects and assignments that prompt a person to act as a manager and a leader who takes part in planning activities. For instance, one can speak about case studies illustrating how businesses can cope with various planning difficulties (Kerzner 2010). Overall, such assignments can help me get ready for various challenges associated with my job which requires knowledge of various disciplines. For instance, they can throw light on various planning activates. Thus, it is possible to say that this goal is both realistic and attainable. Similarly, various educational resources can give a person a better idea about various aspects of leadership. For instance, I can learn more about different leadership styles and theories explaining the roles of managers and leaders. Furthermore, this goal should be attained within the next two years. So, it is a long-term objective.
In this case, the main criteria for success will be my ability to perform workplace tasks related to planning and coordinating the work of other people. Certainly, in this case, the progress cannot be effectively quantified. Nevertheless, the effects will be reflected in my performance. For instance, I would like to speak about the ability to motivate other people. In addition to that, I will avoid mistakes in my planning activities. These are the main markers of success, and I will pay close attention to them.
Ability to apply knowledge
Additionally, I would like to make sure that I can transfer or apply the knowledge that I acquired during various courses. Sometimes, it has been difficult for me to apply this knowledge and skills on the daily basis. In many cases, this problem adversely influences my workplace activities and decreases my efficiency. This goal can be distinguished because very often I have not been taken decisions that were based primarily on my intuition, rather than best practices and evidence. This issue has continuously attracted my attention. On the whole, I need to rely on the same strengths and resources that have been identified for the first objective. In particular, one can speak about work experience and access to various educational resources that can of enormous value to both learners and professionals.
To achieve this goal, I would closely analyze my workplace activities and identify situations during which I can apply the skills learned during my studies. In this way, I will be able to improve my professional activities. In this case, my workplace performance is the main criterion according to which my progress will be evaluated. Admittedly, the outcomes may significantly depend on the nature of activities that I will need to work on. Moreover, much attention should be paid to the efforts and attitudes of other people. Yet, if I can apply different concepts and methods learned during this course, I will improve various aspects of my performance such as time-efficiency and implementation of my decisions. Furthermore, I will be able to identify and remove various risks as quickly as possible. These are the main benefits that should be considered.
Ph.D. degree
Furthermore, I would like to continue my studies and attain a Ph.D. degree. This goal can be justified in several ways. At first, continued education is critical for gaining in-depth insights into such questions as planning, organizational design, cost analysis, and leadership. Thus, I will be able to act as a better professional. Admittedly, advanced academic degrees are usually valued by employers, and they increase the chance of promotion. Nevertheless, I believe that a Ph.D. degree is primarily an excellent opportunity for improving many of my current skills. Certainly, it may be rather challenging to combine Ph.D. studies with professional life in a corporate organization. During the past years, I have been able to cope with these challenges. Furthermore, my MBA degree and professional background can be a good starting point for my later academic degree. This is one of the main details that can be distinguished.
These goals have been distinguished because they are important for bridging the gap between my current skills and professional standards that I need to reach to raise my position in the corporate hierarchy. Moreover, I will be able to interact with various professionals who may different values and attitudes. I would like to achieve these goals within the following two years. Overall, the implementation of this plan is critical for eliminating my weaknesses.
Hindsight
There are several things that I could have done differently. In particular, I might have taken a more active part in seminars and workshops that were offered to students. It seems to me that this participation might have improved my communicative skills that are an inseparable part of leadership. Furthermore, such activities are useful for improving the persuasive skills of a person. These tasks can be relevant to my performance. For instance, a leader should be able to elaborate on his/her views and motivate other people while setting goals. These components of leadership will be of great relevance to my professional duties and personal relations with my colleagues.
Additionally, I should have paid more attention to various group activities such as planning projects that can emulate various difficulties that can arise in the workplace. It seems to me that I significantly underestimated the value of these tasks. Certainly, such projects cannot be fully compared to the tasks but that I need to do as an employee. They can serve as a starting point for continued professional development. Additionally, they can help a person anticipate possible challenges and pitfalls that can produce adverse effects. This is one of the main opportunities that I should not miss in the future.
To a great extent, this discussion is based on hindsight which can sometimes result in bias (Jonsson 2007). This view may not take into account the current challenges that a person faces. However, this approach can be useful for identifying possible mistakes and avoiding them in the future. This is one of the main advantages that should be considered. Admittedly, a person can deviate from his/her standards to address urgent problems. Nevertheless, this view is useful for identifying faulty strategies that could be used in the past.
Conclusion
Admittedly, I may deviate from this plan; moreover, new goals can be identified in the future. Nevertheless, it can be useful for evaluating my personal and professional development. More importantly, this guideline can help motivate a person who should be able to distinguish the most relevant and significant tasks. These are the main benefits that be distinguished. The goals that have been included in this plan cannot be easily measured quantitatively. Nevertheless, by attaining them, I can bring tangible benefits to my professional activities. These are the main details that should be distinguished.
References
Jonsson, E 2007, Where Disappointment and Regret Collide: Agency, Emotion, and Hindsight Bias, ProQuest, New York.
Kerzner, H 2010, Project Management Case Studies, John Wiley & Sons, New York.