Executive summary
This report contains an evaluation of personal skills alongside professional skills that every significant person requires to successfully manage leadership. It offers a step-by-step analysis of the pest practice principles, characteristics, and behaviors that allow individuals to effectively achieve good leadership.
Effectiveness in leadership requires a proper plan and strategy. This report gives an analysis of personal skills employing the smart objectives as well as the SWOT analysis approaches to provide an account of these unique traits of an individual and how well they fit into the individual’s profession. This is executed through a skills audit that is based on Kolb’s experimental theory, which suggests a four-stage approach to the learning cycle of any such individual.
The theory is applied in the form of a four by four matrix which keeps all the stages in contradistinction and as an analysis of the fit between professional and personal skills. These act as the building blocks to leadership management and successful implementation of a chosen strategy to the opportunities created or existing in the individual.
The study concludes by analyzing the principle habits that any such practical person must acquire and implement. These traits are a conclusive summary of the skills audit and a basis for the recommendations. It concludes by recommending seven principle habits and personality traits that must be achieved to allow for successful personal development in the workplace.
The purpose of this assignment is to offer a manual for successful personal development through a practical day-to-day skill audit and strategy formulation. It intends to act as a guideline to personal growth and skill management approach for use at the workplace. The approach adopted is a free flow SWOT analysis supported by a smart objectives strategy towards personal development.
Introduction
Zepeda suggests that professional development can be explained as “learning that embraces job-embedded learning” (2008, p145). It embraces balancing “the demands of work, family, friends, and personal interests” (Masters, A., & Wallace, H 2010, p 231).
I will begin with an individual swot analysis of personal and professional skills as a method of data collection for the unique development strategy. This analysis engages specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic, and time-based objectives at a personal level. For the professional skill, the study looks into the ability to counsel and mentor support staff in the process of individual learning and development. It then ends with an evaluation of the ability to use the strengths and opportunities in ensuring that the team effectively executes duties.
Strengths
These are individual characteristics that exist or are acquired through continued practice. They are the skills and experiences that an individual possesses. A manager with a business degree has business knowledge comprising of skills in the field of specialization. The subjects undertook during the years of study equip the manager with skills in these subjects, which are considered as strengths. I have a business degree with a specialty in marketing. My years of practice in marketing have allowed me to acquire experience in the field. Through experience, I have learned to be a good decision maker by making different strategy choices over and over again. My interaction with clients has sharpened my communication skill, making me an excellent communicator. Through the years, the volume of work has caused stress and pressure requiring me to multitask and delegate responsibilities. Most importantly, marketing involves solving client choice problems. I have become a good problem solver to the clients and to my core workers, which has allowed them to keep coming.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses are ineffective traits in an individual that require improvement adjustment or, in other cases, total avoidance. Time has always been a concern for me. It never seems to be enough, and I am still fighting to manage within set deadlines. I have a hot temper, which affects my ability to effectively manage conflict in the workplace. It also affects my ability to listen, especially in an argument. This is a severe barrier to my ability to learn and has also been pointed out by my colleagues. I realize that there is a need to reform and control my anger and to avoid circumstances that lead to it.
Opportunities
These are the unexplored potentials and unutilized resources existing in an individual or around the individual. The workplace environment has allowed me access to unlimited internet access during working hours. It also has complete access to phone lines throughout the day to allow employees to make calls to clients and receive calls from clients. I also have access to an intranet connection to the directory that contains email addresses and telephone numbers as well as locations for the various clients.
I am required to undergo personal development training every half year for a period of two months. The long experience in the marketing field allows me to qualify for an executive position as a marketer. I also have the ability to create and properly manage my own firm with the right resources, time, and facilities. I can adequately work my time with the help of a schedule and with supervision.
Threats
These are the constraints that an individual faces in the execution of duties and in the exploration of opportunities. I have a limited financial base that can be withdrawn at any time should the investors lose faith in the business. I have a high number of clients who require short deadline deliveries that often fall above my capacity and the capacity of the resources available. I have a problem with time management, which threatens my ability to multitask between studies at the university and my job. I have tried studying and working at the same time before, and my performance at the workplace took a downward trend.
Skills audit
Having concluded a swot analysis, I will perform a skills audit that is aimed at developing strategic skills that will drive successful management of future leadership requirements at the workplace. Kolb’s theory suggests four learning styles derived from a four-stage. The cycle begins with new experiences in the form of inconsistencies and new understandings. “Learning leads to the action that is in effect experimentation which leads to more experience and reflection” (Moon 2005, p24).
The third stage looks at the idea and its perception and conception. At this stage, the individual tests and evaluates the new concept or belief in the merits and demerits of the past experiences. The final step involves the active implementation of the conclusions of the previous stage to evaluate the results.
The implementation of these stages occurs in four main learning styles. “This is because people have very different preferences when it comes to setting goals” (Hardingham 2004, p106). They can be represented in a matrix as follows.
I will apply these learning styles in the assessment of my personal and professional skills for the creation and formulation of a strategic plan.
The diverging learning style describes individuals who employ emotions and observation at the same time as a means to decision-making and problem resolution. This style allows for brainstorming and sensitivity to various perspectives. It is an essential style in the management of anger and in the generation of ideas. As a marketer, it is essential to way to make use of the staff and resources available as a knowledge base.
The assimilating learning style describes persons who prefer logic as opposed to perspective. They are willing to accept only that idea or concept that offers a good explanation and gives a practical solution. This style can be employed in the development of marketing strategies and ideas. It allows for an analysis of a comprehensive resource of information on the various opportunities available.
The converging theory allows the thinker to try or test the available options as a method of interpretation and decision-making. This style is important in the workplace in the development of a method and in the utilization of the resources through prototype surveys and tests. It will allow me to bridge the gap between the products and the client’s expectations.
The accommodating style allows for intuition in the form of a practical experimental approach. This will allow input of interpersonal relations as well as moral and cultural precepts to affect the decisions I make in the marketing strategies adopted.
Recommendation
Joyce suggests that professionals “have the capacity and ability to accommodate multiple curricula which they can use effectively” in their daily engagements (2002, p146). Therefore, there can be no solid best strategy. However, from the above analysis and discussion, there are several possible habits of effective persons. Habits are a balance between knowledge, skills, and attitude. These components comprise an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and further determine their ability to learn and the approach they take in learning. “Effective people are guided y their own missions and manage their lives according to principles” (Covey 2004, p13). A person must, therefore, be proactive in their character, personality, and personal paradigm. This allows an individual to have an objective, a purpose, and a goal to which they aim at getting. The end is the objective from the beginning, and therefore one must maintain a finish or win attitude. One must be able to interpret and prioritize the duties, obligations, and responsibilities in the most practical and sensible order within the constraints of time and resources. Finally, personal development relies heavily on personal motivation. One must have a self-renewal mechanism to maintain objectivity in the process of self-improvement. This ensures that energy and aggression are maintained.
Conclusion
Personal development and professional development go hand in hand with career development. To achieve growth in all these regards, it is important to maintain an objective approach in the allocation of time and resources. This can be achieved through a change in habits, attitude, and approach. The habits recommended above are relatively constant among the majority of professions. Personally, I can attest to their practicality and relevance in the advancement of professional and personal effectiveness. They allow an individual to effectively manage time resources and potential to efficiently execute leadership management.
References
Covey, S 2004, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Pocket Book, New York.
Hardingham, 2004, The Coach’s Coach: Personal Development for Personal Developers, CIPD, London.
Joyce, R 2002, Student Achievement through Staff Development Beverly Showers, ASCD, Canada.
Masters, A., & Wallace, H 2010, Personal Development for Life and Work, Cengage Learning, Stamford.
Moon, 2005; Reflection in Learning & Professional Development, Routledge, London.
Zepeda, S 2008, Professional Development: What Works, Eye on Education, Georgia.