Introduction
Personal Skills Development (PSD) is a very integral part of development of personal and professional skill sets. Through PSD it is possible to chart out one’s professional career development over the short, medium and long term period and also ensure that all impediments and obstacles to career and personal growth are well tackled and remedied. It is also necessary that proper steps are taken in terms of skill development that could address major issues at work arising from such lack of skills or their deployment in needed situations. “Becoming proficient and skilled in one’s profession often determines how far you get in business and it pays to stay ahead of the competition” (Jones 2009). This essay is the second part of the study of PSD with regard to skill audits, selection of skills to be developed, resources used to develop these skills, the time period needed for achieving these skill developments and finally, the actual manifested evidence of skill development. It is now proposed to take up each of these aspects in order to find out the actual setting of skill development goals and the degree to which these have been achieved during the chosen time frame, and if achieved, how it has been accomplished, or attained. “Development is a lifelong process of nurturing, shaping and improving an individual’s skills, knowledge and interest to ensure their maximum effectiveness and adaptability and to diminish the obsolescence of their skills and their chances of redundancy“(Personality development planning, n.d., p.1). Specific activities and resources that you intend to undertake and use to develop these skills:
Specific activities that need to be addressed
The specific activities that need to be addressed are in terms of the following:
- Organizing and Time Management
- Decision making and problem solving
- Planning
- Delegation
- Motivation
- Coaching
- Target setting
- Interpersonal skills
- Written communication
- Oral communication
For organizing and time management (OTM), I have undergone necessary advanced studies that were needed to be done in these areas in order that job efficacy is improved and efficiencies in performing tasks be realized. ”Here, the benefits of time management cannot be over-emphasized” (Stress management, n.d., P.1). OTM could be addressed through seminars and workshops, productivity aid studies and visits to organizations and agencies that cater specifically to such OTM programs. Moreover, through self study, “Team Work” and group interactions, I have tried it possible to improve performance in these critical areas of management, thus possibly I feel these efforts could lead to better output and efficiency levels in the organization” (Defining group and teams, n.d., p.2). Decision making/problem solving is very important areas of management and could safely be said to form the core activities of managers in business enterprises. While these aspects are highly individualistic, it is necessary to be able to substantiate these with pragmatism and practicality through knowing the current trends in industry which could directly impact upon future decision making. I have tried to use ways and means by which I could improve my decision making capabilities. I am trying to achieve this by setting aside one hour every day to study current trends in business and industry. “There are a number of underpinning principles that should be developed across all roles within advanced practice” (Learning portfolio: plot advanced practice succession development pathway, n.d., p.5). Planning activity is also important and needs to be upgraded through better leadership skills and managing teams better for increased levels of performance. For achieving this, I am organizing regular training sessions in order to assess potential and forecast current and future planning needs, and merge needs and skill usage. “You know how you they will best achieve success” (Leadership, n.d., p.1).The delegation activity entails managing staff tasking and ensuring that achievements meet skill sets. I am presently also engaged in cross training of staff and charting the best business course for them, which could be achieved through group efforts and mock training sessions. By far, motivation pervades all aspects of management, especially while dealing with work force and peer groups. Motivation is the underlying factor that goads performance and output, sometimes beyond predetermined scales. I am also attending motivational exercises in order to increase my capability for enhanced output through better motivation that could involve individual and group motivational programs, seminars and workshops on the subject and also one-to-one interactions between consultants and respondents in live or mock situations. Coaching is necessary for new recruits in the form of orientation camps and also current staffers to master new skills. Coaching could be performed using external or in house materials and personnel and is designed to make the entrants proficient in their jobs at the quickest possible time. Presently I am also finding time to provide coaching for new recruits through which I could also enhance my own coaching skills. Gains from coaching sessions could be gauged by tests and exercises specifically designed to aid coaching. Again “Time is of the essence“(Verbal communication, n.d., p.6).Target setting would involve use of SMART techniques- Specific, Motivational, Action oriented Relevant and Time bound. The main objective of use of SMART techniques is to work out a common efficiency plan for work force that could be followed by all. Besides, target setting needs to be closely monitored in order to be effective and well oriented. I have incorporated SMART techniques into my day-to-day workings and also special sessions for self development in which I compare the desired levels of skill development with what I have achieved. Regularly I monitor my progress and try to work out strategies in which my defects could be ironed out through self motivation, self analysis and introspection and asking myself to remove defects in my personality. Interpersonal skills (IPS) in terms of reaching out to people, developing strong bonds with them and overall seeking to maintain cordial relations with all could be improved through better handling of people and relationship management skills. IPS is important since it governs how people act and react to one another. Personal rapport could adversely or beneficially affect official conduct between people and forms the crux of business management. Thus studies need to be carried out that could address this crucial element and how it could best be addressed. My target date was December 2009, and I am working in all areas of deficits in order to improve my PSDA in all deficient areas.
Written communication
I am improving my workouts on written communication through practice and paying more attention An important area of a business activity that needs to be continuously upgraded and improved is to keep in tune with current trends and business demands. Moreover, it is seen that measurement of impact of WC on target audience is an appropriate measure of its effectiveness and efficacy.
Oral communication
The most common and widespread way in which communications is carried out either on one-to-one basis or in groups is by addressing gatherings and public speaking. Since oral communication and the need to convince others orally forms a core portion of business dealings, I have set up stratagems by which my oral skills to be developed. I am regularly working out modulating the tone and pitch of my voice, including its throw, so as to be audible and strong but not give an impression of being rude or aggressive. Thus ways and means are developed that could address such issues and strive for improvement in this area. Public speaking courses and self development through lecture and seminars are my current fads that I am taking up on a regular basis to master the art and science of persuasive oral speaking and communication for better business communication.
Reporting is a crucial aspect. “Reports can be an effective means of disseminating information…” (Written communication, n.d., p.4).
Prioritizing which skill is important to you and your future
Many low order skills and business needs could be delegated or passed on to peers or subordinates. However, for business managers and administrators, decision making and problem solving are crucial aspects which need to be addressed.
These are aspects that cannot be delegated to peer or subordinate groups and yet need to be cracked as early as possible. Moreover, as the hierarchy increases, line functions diminish and staff functions increase. Indeed, DM and PS are major aspects of business, veritably the twin instruments on which business itself hinges.
I am improving my business decision making and problem solving skills through attending business management sessions and other empirical studies.
When decisions are based upon correct and justifiable evidence, it is believed that this could go a long way in improving business prospects of the enterprise. While other areas like communication skills, delegating, organizing and motivational aspects are important, ,they are not of such critical nature as that of decision making and problem solving, since these two areas lie at the heart of any organization and need to be well taken to yield positive results for the business. Just as right and well timed decisions taken by the top management results in business appreciation and enhanced growth prospects, it could also be said that wrong, ill timed or faulty decisions could lead to adverse results that could even have long term repercussions on the management of the business and even its very existence and sustenance in a competitive business environment. Again, it is also necessary that decision making carried out by the management needs to be continually reviewed and audited in order to improve the quality and appropriateness of the decision making process itself. Unless decisions are reviewed and set right, it would be difficult to enhance the qualitative aspects and appropriateness of decision making process in future.
How are you going to monitor your progress?
I place a lot of importance on the review and appraisal functions for monitoring progress. Besides, the person involved also needs to introspect and ask self awareness questions that could determine whether progress has really been achieved or not. Since the exercise is intrinsically for self improvement and encouraging better performance, it is necessary to have cyclical and regular checks on the main criteria and to the extent this has been achieved.
The detailed chart appended below needs to be meticulously followed for better results in future. For people who are not well organized, the following chart needs to be used. Regularly I consult this chart and try to obtain correctly answers for all the questions posed. I try to build up my performance such that I could honestly answer correctly all questions posed in this questionnaire.
(Organisational skills, n.d., p.3). Again, it is necessary that better efforts need to be made for solving the problem rather than aggravating it.
The first thing that needs to be done is to follow procedures that could increase output and job efficiency. This would also entail increasing my reading habits, especially of literature that would enlighten me on various aspects of my current assignment as a financial advisor. It is necessary that I hone my skills with regard to dealing with individual clients and agencies and offer them better service and financial portfolio management, especially in areas of wealth management and investments. For monitoring progress, it is important to be able to train staff more often and chart the course for them. This way, my own skills would also be refurbished and updated. I need to interact with diverse kinds of clients and I must be well prepared to answer their queries. Thus, I need to keep myself abreast of latest development in my chosen field of corporate endeavor. I need to improve on my presentation skills and my videotaping presentations. By improving myself continually, I hope to monitor and upgrade my skills from time to time.
What criteria would you want to use to measure?
The criteria would be in terms of performance rating and output that needs to go along with enhanced productivity. Self improvement and personal skill development go hand in hand and PSD needs to consider all aspects that are important, including problem solving, decision making and other allied fields. Moreover, the main criteria that would need to be manifest is that of enhanced performance in all major areas of accountability of the person, in conduct, work output, relations with fellow workmen, in essence, a well rounding of both individualistic and professional skills become intrinsic criteria for judgment. “Often there is a lot that can be learned from those who you manage. It could be that they approach a particular activity in a different way affecting a more successful outcome”. (Personal development planning and review, n.d, p.4).
Since the criteria for PSD is the actual receipt and usage of such skills, it is necessary that such skill sets are developed and nurtured in order to achieve personal targets and pre determined results. Further, it is also necessary that more efforts need to be made in order to make PSD a success, and its inculcation needs to be realized in order to make people more effective in their jobs and their personal lives. Not only have new skills sets to be imbibed, but existing skills need to be upgraded, updated and improved in order to meet current demands; moreover, these need to be suitably and regularly monitored even perhaps on a day-to-day basis in order to be truly effective and beneficial to the individual concerned. Moreover, it is also seen that management precepts and practices need to follow systematic self improvement and PSD routines that could become a part and parcel of one’s daily life and routine that needs to be suitably addressed. Eradication of negative traits in one’s personality and instillation of positive aspects are at the core of PSD, whether in personal, professional or social lives of the person concerned. While people may have strengths and weaknesses, it is often seen that there may be areas in which people are not as strong – especially in the social and community interactions. While most people may be successful in personal and professional lives, they may need to improve their social skills. For others it may be in terms of the need to improve professional conduct and performance and for yet other category of people, it is the personal lives and characteristics that need to be changed for the better. An honest self appraisal could make us understand which areas need to be reinforced and accordingly this has to be accorded. The impact I am able to make on my diverse clients and how they react to my deliberations is important. It is thus necessary that the positive sides be highlighted and the negative sides, if any, need to be smoothened. Through constant practice and hard work, these aspects could be ironed out. Besides, the main criteria are the conviction my written and oral communication carry to my clients. This needs to be well premised and they need to respond positively to my overtures. Besides, the other criteria could be in terms of better output need, and stronger performance in all major areas of accountability which I am confident I could sustain.
Conclusion
My target date was December 2009, and I am diligently engaged in honing up my skills to reach the optimum levels as desired through studies, seminars, group and individual goal seeking and other ways and means, individual and collective so that I could attain as far as possible, optimum skill development. There are certainly grey areas that need to be sorted out and I hope by the next six months, these areas would be overpowered, and I could possess a strong and vibrant internal and external personality that could go in line with attaining personal skill developments of the highest order. However, I am also regularly motoring and evaluating the skill developments, both qualitatively and quantitatively in order that I am constantly on the road to improvements. There needs to be overpowering motivation and self determination to improve oneself through PSD, and this urge needs to come from within the individual. External stimuli could only serve to reinforce the improvement process, but cannot substitute it.
This is because there needs to be the will and determination to succeed from the individual himself and by use of the PSD this could be achieved through setting of time bound targets. In this case, the target date was December 2009, and I have begun working on all areas that need improvement. Moreover, it is also necessary that regular feedbacks are received that could bring back the exercise back on rails in the event of deviations, and any variations between planned and actual also need to be investigated and corrected over the target period. Through constant efforts, it is believed that the goals and objectives of Personal Skills Development (PSD) could be unfailingly achieved and sustained over time in order for me to have a full and contented professional, personal and social life throughout his lifetime.
Reference List
Defining group and teams, n.d. RDI, p.2. (Provided by the customer).
Jones, E., 2009. Using personal skills development to perfect your4 business. Web.
Leadership, n.d. RDI, p.1. (Provided by the customer).
Learning portfolio: Pilot advanced practice succession development pathway, n.d. NHS Education for Scotland, p.5. (Provided by the customer).
Organisational skills, n.d. RDI, p.3. (Provided by the customer).
Personal development planning and review, n.d. rdiachieve, p.4. (Provided by the customer).
Personality development planning, n.d. p.1. (Provided by the customer).
Stress management, n.d. RDI p.1. ((Provided by the customer).
Verbal communication, n.d. RDI, p.6. (Provided by the customer).
Written communication, n.d. RDI, p.4. (Provided by the customer).