Example of target area one: daily productivity essay

Personal Background

– Personal History Page 2
– Work History Page 2

Introduction

– Summary of what I learned Page 3
– Benefits of further development Page 3
– Target Areas for Improvement Page 4

– Where am I? Page 4
– Where would I like to be? Page 4
– How will I accomplish my goals? Page 5
– Target Time-Line Page 5

Target Area Two: Face-to-Face Communication

– Where am I? Page 5
– Where would I like to be? Page 6
– How will I accomplish my goals? Page 6
– Target Time-LinePage 6

Target Area Three: Listening Skills

– Where am I? Page 7
– Where would I like to be? Page 7
– How will I accomplish my goal? Page 8
– Target Time-LinePage 8

Conclusion

– Summary/ClosingPage 8
– Summry TablePage 10

ReferencesPage 11

Personal Background

Personal History

This Part is Completed
Work History
This Part is Completed
Introduction

Summary of what I learned

During this term, I have gained and learned a great deal of information about myself. I participated in several surveys. The results confirmed my feelings regarding my strengths and weaknesses for the most part. I realized the importance of having good organizational behavior after I took the survey and read the book Essentials of Organizational Behavior. For the past 8 weeks, I have learned that I am motivated to manage employees in a global setting. It was brought to my attention that I need to increase my productivity. I was surprised to discover that I do not respond to change well. My future as a manager will benefit from the concepts that I learn in this course because I will develop many beneficial management habits as a result. After I completed the surveys, I implemented several plans to improve my weaknesses. I have learned ways to increase my energy level so that I can become a more productive manager. Exercise and reading have become activities that I engage in on a daily basis.

Benefits of further development

The skills that were brought to my attention, both positive and negative, will help me further develop in the banking industry. In order for me to achieve my goals, I will need to retain as much information as I can as I learn about business administration at Jacksonville University.
If I am a motivated manager who excels in the workplace and sets an example for my employees, they will likely desire to succeed. By developing beneficial skills that will help me respond better to change, I will become an excellent business administrator.

Target Areas for Improvement

I chose the following target areas as a result of my self-assessments:
– Increase My Daily Productivity.
– Face-to-Face Communication.
– Develop My Listening Skills.

Where am I?

According to the survey that I recently took, it shows that I am a morning person and that the early hours bring out the best in me when it comes to productivity and performance. I scored a 38, which shows that I am most active and productive in the morning hours. This is a strong characteristic since good managers are expected to arrive early on time. Being a morning person makes me feel that my morning energy-level will be an added strength on my personal profile since we normally notice many people begin their days with less energy and little enthusiasm. On the other hand, I prove to be quite the opposite. I should make a strong effort to replicate this level of energy and enthusiasm in the evenings. One of my concerns, is the possibility that I will be expected to work with clients in other parts of the world where time zones are opposite of each other.

Where would I like to be?

I would like to reach a moderate to high level of mastery in regards to my daily productivity level. In order to archive my goal of becoming a manager, I plan to improve my energy-level during the latter part of the day. More likely, I will be handling tasks that may be diversified on a global scale, keeping an attentive watch on world stock and commodity markets will be crucial. Being in the banking and investment industry, a manager should always be on their feet and keep their eyes open on the bullish market trends. I will always need to know where to place investments and how to make the most in terms of profits and capital gains.

How will I accomplish my goals?

I found a way to improve my productivity level in the evenings; I will study two hours each day from 7: 45pm to 9: 45pm. Over this period of time, I will discipline my mind to stay alert in the evening hours. I will devote this time to reading online newspapers and magazines. For improving my energy-level in the evenings, I will do exercises prior to my study session. This daily reading activity will help me keep up with current developments as well as to increase my evening and night-time productivity.

Target Time-Line

I started this activity from May 8, 2013. I will continue this activity till next 1 year and will end on May 8, 2014. I will check my improvement monthly. I will prepare for my evening reading activities, taking relaxing time and short naps in the late afternoon so that I could remain alert in the evening hours. I will re-evaluate their impact on my progress. I also began exercising after my nap and before study time. I found that my energy level increased quite a bit in the evening. I have been studying each day from 7: 45pm to 9: 45pm and will re-evaluate my progress in this area on July 25, 2013. During this time period May 8, 2013 to July 8, 2013, I will maintain notes on what I read and learn on a daily basis.

Target Area Two: Face-to-Face communication.

Where am I?
I recently conducted a personal survey to find out my face-to-face communication style. There are nine dimensions of communication styles that include: dominant, dramatic, contentious, animated, impressionable, relaxed, attentive, open and friendly. My survey results revealed that I have above average scores on attentive and friendly communicative style dimensions. This means I listen attentively to other individuals and am encouraging to them. Being attentive and friendly are positive qualities.
This translates to an optimistic view of life and valuing others and their opinions. I am considerate, helpful and can compromise my interests in favor of others. Attributes that I scored below average are being dramatic, contentious, relaxed and able to leave an impression. This means I am not argumentative and do not verbally exaggerate a story to leave an impression on those with whom I engage in a conversation with. However, I am frank, approachable and often use gestures or facial expressions. Taking charge of situations or being dominant are also not high in my communication style score.

Where would I like to be?

I aim at improving on the communication style traits that I have a below average score in. They include dominance in social situations, dramatizing stories and a relaxed way to converse. This I can accomplish by practicing to speak with an enthusiastic and assertive tone. My responses should be clear and show confidence. Beating around the bush should be something to avoid, and I should also focus on speaking directly. One’s body language counts as much as what one is saying . Body language should convey an assertive message. Showing commitment to a conversation can be done by asking questions. This clears up misunderstandings and gives accurate responses. Therefore, I should also improve on eye contact to convey and animated dimension of communication style. It also communicates assurance and confidence. Engaging in contentious situations will help to improving my argumentative nature, which I am poor at. This is essential in most careers and leadership opportunities.
Noting how I communicate to others is the first step to improving my communication style as a whole. Focusing on my weak areas and improving on them is the second step as I have previously noted. Patience is imperative in this self-improvement process as it cannot happen at once. Identifying areas and opportunities where I can improve communication is vital. Feedback from my friends helps me rate myself and my progress. A journal can also be helpful in tracking

How will I accomplish my goals?

In order to accomplish my goals, I will try to go beyond my comfort zones and be engaged with people in discussions and be active in debates to improve on my face to face communications. I will also be involved in speech deliveries to enable me gain the confidence to face the crowd and develop the good oral skills that would help me become good face to face orator. I will also be studying on the relevant information on face to face communication to help me develop the necessary skills that will enhance my understanding of this type of communications.

Target Time-Line

I joined the activity in May 8 and be attending every week for 2 hours daily with my group. This will continue for the next 6 months till September 2013

Action plan-2

My second plan focuses on the facial expression in order to improve my face to face communication that will reveal my confidence and ability to approach different audiences. My body language will also be a big determinant to this process of growth as well as making sure That I speak courageously and with confidence amongst my peers and group members.

Time-Line

I started this activity from May 10, 2013. I will continue this activity for the next 6 months for and will end the exercise in September 30 I will also be checking my improvements on a weekly basis to ensure a proper grasp of the concept so as to achieve my goals by the end of the period.

Target Area Three: Listening Skills.

Where am I?
The Listening Skills survey produced a result of 44 out of 60 with regard to how good a listener I am. Those who score under 40 are considered to need significant work on their listening skills while those scoring closer to 60 are probably very good listeners. My score (at the bottom of what is considered the “ good listener” range) demonstrated that, while I do have some strong points, I have much that could be improved with regard to my listening skills. (Pulley & Wakefield, 2001). I am strong in providing feedback to the speaker in terms of visual and verbal clues (nodding my head and responding appropriately when someone finishes). I am able to evaluate what is being said while the speaker is talking, and I make a concerted effort to understand other peoples’ points of view. One of my weakness is my lack of ability to expect what others are about to say before they speak. I’m also weak when listening to people who give more than just basic facts, as I tend to get distracted. I’m not a strong judge of nonverbal communication, and I often attempt to listen to more than one conversation at the same time, leading to misunderstanding and distraction on my part. Sometimes, I pretend to pay attention to those who are speaking in order to make myself seem more interested in the topic being discussed.

Where I would like to be?

My personal goal to increase my listening abilities is to make it a point to engage in conversations outside of my normal comfort zone and to pay closer attention to what the speaker says and does. Also, I will attempt to focus only on what the speaker communicates and not let myself be distracted by other factors in my environment. This will prevent me from pretending to be interested in what is being said when I’m not. As I intend to become a professional in the psychology field, it is essential that I build my listening skills to be able to interpret both verbal and nonverbal communication from others so that I may be able to understand what the true issue behind the communication is, analyze the psychological components, and help people reach solutions to issues they may face.

How will I accomplish my goals?

In order to gain better listening skills, I will maintain good eye contact with someone who is speaking to me to let them know that what they are saying is important to me. I will lean towards my subordinates to demonstrate that I am interested in what they are saying. When someone is speaking to me, I will not interrupt them or talk over them. I will listen to radio broadcasts and try to write down as much as I can. It would be interesting to have a friend keep notes and then compare them. In addition to listening to news reports, I will play songs and write down the words that are being sung. Also, I will watch television programs with subtitles to see how much information I can retain. The words on the screen will encourage me to listen more to what is being stated in the film. These activities will help me bring better listening skills into the workplace.

Target Time-Line

Since I took my self-assessment, I have already implemented my new strategies. I am trying to be more aware of my listening habits. I have been making efforts to establishing better good eye contact with my peers since May, 10 2013 and will re-evaluate my development of this skill on November 10 2013. During this time, I will ask my best friend to alert me if he notices that I am not listening to him. By utilizing this method, he will help me with my listening skills every day for one full week. Beginning May 10, 2013 I will watch one television program a day with subtitles. Also, I will listen to one radio broadcast per day for two months and continually compare notes with a friend. Beginning June 1, 2013, I will read a book once every four weeks for four months. The readings will give me ideas about how to improve my listening skills. I will finish this activity on September 30, 2013.

ConclusionSummary/closing statement

In every learning opportunity, surveys are very important aspects and beneficial in helping identify the strengths and weakness of a manager. Action plans that I have set will help me reach my goals that will go a long way to help me improve my productivity as well as improving my face to face communication while I develop my listening skills. Currently, I have been working on my raising the energy in the evenings through daily exercises that will help me focus and learning more about the business. Also after every day lesson, I take a walk that gives me that ample time to grasp the concept that I have been dealing with or read in various articles. In order to achieve my goals, I will be implementing this plan in phases according to my schedule summarized in the table below.
Summary Table

References

Smith C. S, Reilly C & Midkiff K (1989): Human performance: Cognition, stress . and individual differences.
Smith A, P (1992): The influences of time of day and the preference for time .
R. W. Norton.” Foundation of a Communicator Style Construct” . Human Communication Resarch, Vol 4, No 2, 1978, pp. 99-111
Pulley, M., & Wakefield, M. (2001). Building Resiliency: How to Thrive in time of change. Greensboro: Center for Creative Leadership