Personal and Professional Development Managing Professional Developme

Question: Discuss about the term for Personal and Professional Development. Answer: Introduction Organisations today are considering their human resources as their most precious assets as they help the company achieve its goals and attain competitive advantage(Blandford, 2012). To meet the dynamic needs of towards marketplace organisations need employees who possess multiple skills and can add value to their knowledge academy(London, 2011). Thus, to be successful in todays dynamic business environment individuals need to evaluate their existing skills and formulate ways of continuously improving them and adding new skills to achieve desired career goals. Leadership skills and time management skills are the two essential skills that play a vital role in personal and professional development of an individual(DuBrin, 2012). Personality traits play an important role in defining an individuals behaviour and being aware of own strengths and weaknesses(Fisher-Yoshida Geller, 2009). Thus, I have undertaken self assessment activities related to leadership, personality traits and time management. Analysing the results of these self assessment activities helped me in identifying areas of professional development and planning towards the development of my Professional Development Plan (PDP). Indulging in different self assessment activities has helped me in identifying the gap between by current skills and desired skills. Leadership Self Assessment Leadership is defined as the process of developing ideas and vision, living by values that support those ideas and vision, influencing others to live by values and making tough decisions when required(Hellriegel John W. Slocum, 2011). Thus, ideas, vision, values, influencing others and decision making are the five key attribute of leadership. Leadership skills are essential for the growth of an individual in personal as well as professional life. Organisations today want employees(DuBrin, 2012) who possess strong leadership skills and can support them in achieving their goals. Undertaking the leadership self assessment helped me in identifying my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. After answering 18 questions related to different aspects of leadership I have achieve a total score of 50 which indicates I am doing just OK as a leader there is good room for improvement. I am emotionally stable but too practical owing to which I have scored low on people-management and empathy aspect of leadership. I am a hard worker and prefer self-managed learning so I expect the same from other which is not always possible owing to individual differences and different learning styles(Throop Castellucci, 2010). As my work experience is comparatively less I often doubt myself and my ability to succeed with is a big drawback as a leader(Jarvis, 2010). I need to work on increasing my self-confidence. Being a perfectionist I sometimes expect people to deliver top-notch results only which presents me as an autocratic leader. I am very imaginative and open to new experiences thus I feel team performs well when they learn new skills and perform challenging tasks. An analysis of the leadership self assessment results shows that I need to work hard on improving my leadership skills and people management skills. Big Five Personality Self Assessment Personality has a direct influence on individual behaviour at work and in other aspects of life (Friedman, 2013). It also has an effect on individuals level of motivation and ability to develop interpersonal relationships(Frey Fisher, 2011). Undertaking the big five personality self assessment helped me in knowing my personality better and identifying areas of improvement (Aspin, 2008). An analysis of the self assessment result shows that I have scored an average in the extroversion section which means I need to work hard on improving my social skills, assertiveness and gregariousness. I comfortable being around different people however owing to low self confidence and weak communication skills I avoid talking much. I have scored well in openness section owing to the fact that I am imaginative, creative and open to new ideas. I like accepting new challenges and learning new skills. I have scored average in conscientiousness section, I am hardworking and quite dependable however I ha ve to become more organised and learn to prioritise my work. I often concentrate on learning so much that I miss some of my tasks and at the end mess up things sometimes. I have scored average in agreeableness section owing to the fact that I prefer being competitive which often lands me into conflicts. I am not manipulative and often speak what is correct and ethical. I have scored. I have scored well in neuroticism section which shows me as an emotionally stable person. I understand and respect others feeling however I feel it is good to be practical to succeed. I experience less mood swings and do not get irritated easily. The results of big five personality self assessment shows that I need to improve my conflict management skills and communication and interpersonal skills Time Management Self Assessment Time management is the act of allocating right time to right activity which not only help an individual succeed in professional life but also maintain a perfect balance in personal life(Burnard, 2013). Undertaking the time management self assessment has helped me in identifying the gap between my existing time management skills and desired time management skills. Analysis of the self assessment shows that I need to really work hard on improving my time management skills as decision making skills as I am unable to prioritise my tasks effectively owing to which I find myself completing tasks at last moment and often asking for extensions. Areas of Professional Development Based on the results of the self assessment activities I need to improve my leadership skills, people management skills, time management skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, conflict management skills and decision making skills to achieve desired career goals. Professional Development Plan Objectives Priority Activities Resources Target date Evidence of achievements Remarks Leadership Skills High Enrolling in a part time course related to leadership. Talk to different people to improve my self confidence. Develop a positive attitude and outlook Finances and Time April 2016 Continuous Certificate of course completion Feedback from peers People Management Skills High Enrolling in a 3 months part time course on people management Finances and Time August 2016 Certificate of course completion Communication Skills High Enrolling in a 4 weeks part time course on communication skills. Attending seminar on communication skills. Taking part in public speaking events Finances and Time September 2016 Certificate of course completion Feedback from peers Time management skills High Enrolling in a Four day online session on time management Time and availability of course May 2015 Course certificate Interpersonal skills Medium Work on my listening skills, emotional stability, empathy, use of humours and social skills Time Continuous Feedback from peers Conflict Management skills Medium Reading materials on conflict management and negotiation skills. Participating in relevant seminars Time and Finances Continuous Reduced conflicts and improved feedback from peers Decision making skills Medium Reading materials on decision making skills. Participating in relevant seminars Continuous Improved decisions and perceived as a mature person by peers Conclusion A professional developing plan based on the finding of self assessment activities will help me in monitoring, improving and revising my activities on a regular basis and eventually reducing the gap between existing skills and desired skills. As a professional it is essential to keep on upgrading existing skills and adding new skills to achieve desired career goals. References Aspin, D. N., (2008) Philosophical Perspectives on Lifelong Learning. Hamburg: Springer Science Business Media. Blandford, S., (2012) Managing Professional Development in Schools. New Jersey: Routledge. Burnard, P., (2013) Teaching Interpersonal Skills: A handbook of experiential learning for health professionals. Hamberg: Springer. DuBrin, A., (2012) Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills. New York: Cengage Learning. Fisher-Yoshida, B. Geller, K. D., (2009) Transnational Leadership Development: Preparing the Next Generation for the Borderless Business World. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Frey, N. Fisher, D., (2011) The Formative Assessment Action Plan: Practical Steps to More Successful Teaching and Learning. New York: ASCD. Friedman, A. L., (2013) Continuing Professional Development: Lifelong Learning of Millions. New Jersey: Routledge. Hellriegel, D. John W. Slocum, J., (2011) Organisational Behaviour. New York: Cengage Learning. Jarvis, P., (2010) Adult Education and Lifelong Learning: Theory and Practice. New Jersey: Routledge. London, M., (2011) The Oxford Handbook of Lifelong Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Throop, R. K. Castellucci, M., (2010) Reaching Your Potential: Personal and Professional Development. New York: Cengage Learning.