1. 1 INTRODUCTION
Personal development truly requires a great deal of planning. Like in any organization, every person needs a thorough assessment of his capabilities. In knowing this, an individual is directed to the path where he envisions himself to be. Thereon, he can
keep track of his progress or degree of accomplishing his plans. But if planning is just
seen as a mere way of laying things out for the future, then it does not bring any
benefit. Effective planning originates from personal assessment to identify strengths that
can help an individual work out his plans. Weaknesses need to be given great
importance in return because these could serve as obstacles in personal development.
Once these are improved within an individual, they could serve as instruments in
turning these plans into reality.
1. 2 SELF-ASSESSMENT
Below is an evaluation of my personal skills using Assessment 12-1: Training Instruments, Assessments, and Tools (page 225). Each situation in the attached assessment sheet corresponds to a certain justificaton & rating which reflects 5 as the most favorable answer.
Legend:
1 = Rarely ; 2 = Infrequently ; 3= Sometimes ; 4 = Often ; 5 = Most of the Time
Rating Communication
5 1. I am a good listener.
5 2. I always want to be fully understood .
5 3. Whether I say positive or negative things, I use words constructively.
5 4. I am a transparent & expressive type of person.
5 5. In listening, I want full concentration.
5 6. I listen intently in the same way that I want to be listened to.
5 7. When I talk, I speak clearly & use intelligible words.
5 8. I adapt to my listener’s level of comprehension when talking.
4 9. I have been professionally trained to do it.
4 10. I have been trained to do it & has been providing me positive results.
Customer Service
4 11. I see myself as an achiever & responsible person .
5 12. I want quick & efficient service.
4 13. I want efficiency & full accountability at work.
5 14. I need constant feedback for improvement.
5 15. I value teamwork & sees myself as a teamplayer.
Performance Management
5 16. I always give positive feedback & reinforcement whenever necessary.
5 17. I encourage active participation & commitment.
4 18. I always want to be of help & to mentor others.
4 19. I am a very observant person & take note of every concern or
challenge.
4 20. I want to mentor others in a positive & motivating manner.
Organizational Skills
4 21. I always want to accomplish things on time.
5 22. I value teamwork & want everybody to participate in tasks.
4 23. I have sufficient knowledge in using tools to accomplish my tasks.
4 24. I carry out my tasks in accordance with certain guidelines.
4 25. I organize my things for easy access.
Professional Development
5 26. I welcome feedback for my improvement.
4 27. I want to know where I stand & am headed to.
4 28. I value learning & advancement.
5 29. I surely need to assess my plans in line with my objectives.
4 30. I need to discern to what extent my plans have been achieved.
Legal Issues
4 31. I am a law-abiding person.
4 32. I have to familiarize myself about certain serious matters.
5 33. I want to discipline my people in the most constructive manner.
4 34. I carry out my duties in accordance with the law & existing policies.
5 35. It is important to have a record of everything for future references.
Leadership
5 36. I manage to keep track of my employees duties & accountabilities.
5 37. I believe in equal share of duties & opportunities.
5 38. Monitoring is essential to know the degree of progress.
4 39. I am careful about commiting mistakes so I always ask for inputs.
4 40. I do quick decision-making but ensures its effectiveness.
Teamwork
5 41. I want a workplace that is conducive to performance.
5 42. I am a very flexible person open to different cultures & beliefs.
4 43. I value other people’s opinions.
5 44. I want precision & clear-cut goals.
5 45. I want to inspire & mentor others.
Problem Solving
4 46. I am a level-headed person.
4 47. I want harmony & unity in the workplace.
4 48. I seek advice from those who are directly concerned.
4 49. I face challenges by dealing with the most important things.
5 50. I always want to check & balance.
Based on the results above, I am most effective as a manager in the areas of
communication & teamwork. Effective communication delivers coherence in any
situation because it improves understanding & serves as a great tool in calling for unity
& teamwork. Persuasion or the power to influence is the outcome of effective
communication. I strongly believe that I am a skillful & effective communicator because I
deliver clear & compelling messages. I am able to establish good relationships through
effective communication.
As an effective manager, one is subjected to a continuous process of refinement.
Identifying areas for development is a great way to enhance effectiveness in a
manager. After the assessment exhibited above, I learned that I must equip myself more
with problem-solving skills. As problems generally pose as threat to people &
organization, there must be early apprehension to this concern. Otherwise it could give
rise to further problems. I must be able to assimilate factors that could unfold as future
problems & maintain a system of check & balance to avoid them from happening.
1. 3 IDENTIFYING PREFERRED LEARNING STYLE
1. 3. 1 HONEY & MUMFORD METHOD
Based on Honey & Mumford Method of Learning Style, I came to realize that I am a
Theorist. This is verified by the way I view myself in terms of my behavior, perspective &
aptitude. I give considerable amount of time & effort to challenges that could
undermine me. In every instance, I would like to apply logical thinking & views rationality
with great significance. I carry on with my daily activities either personal or professional
with as much discipline as I can. I like to keep all things in order & fix those that go out
of hand. I maintain a clear frame of mind as this helps me identify discordant facts into
coherent thoughts. Being objective stabilizes me in times of perplexities & confusion. I
am very keen to details & adhere to simple rules in life. I apply fundamental principles &
general theories & looks up to systematic way of thinking.
1. 4 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Developing a Personal Development Plan
MY NEEDS
HOW CAN I MEET THESE NEEDS?
HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN I HAVE MET THESE NEEDS?
What are the challenges in my current job that I need to meet?
Personal Flexibility
Time Management
Ability to work for more hours doing various roles requiring physical stamina.
Personal & professional life balance.
Where do I want to be in 2 years?
In the same organization but in a higher position
Working as a shift supervisor.
Where do I want to be in 5 or 10 years?
In a UK pharmaceutical company (in line with my previous work experience).
University
Coaching & mentoring other people as a strategic leader or operations manager.
Studying for my Doctorate Degree in Business Administration
How does that fit in with what the practice wants?
It is perfectly in line with my present post-graduate education.
When I am professionally effective as a strategic manager & leader.
What adjustments will I need to make to achieve what I want?
Better financial capability.
Find more effective ways of balancing duties as a mother, student & worker.
Able to finance doctorate education & save up for family investments.
Private education for son
What adjustments will other people need to make for me to achieve what I want
Flexibility at current & future work.
Ensurance of financial stability by spoouse.
Ample amount of time in performing family responsibilities & school/work requirements.
What else should I consider?
Existing guidelines for student visa & temporary residency.
Security of tenure at work & educational performance.
Granted visa extension to apply knowledge from post-graduate education to professional use.
Longevity of current employment & satisfactory school performance.
This personal development plan is essential in monitoring my current situation
& existing conditions in congruence to my personal aspirations & challenges. The
illustration of my undertakings in the table shown above is a transparency of my
activities for the next 5 years. This will definitely cause tremendous impact to my
personal & professional life once acted upon as planned. It revolves around my topmost
priorities — family, school, work respectively. It is also reflective of the reality that in
planning, I have to greatly consider certain adjustments to make my objective
attainable. Change is constant & some factors, favorable or unfavorable, may arise.
When these affect the route I am ought to take with my planning, then contigent steps
must be considered. The same thing goes for the adjustments that other people will
have to do in my favor to achieve my goals & deliver my development plans.
Planning for my personal development starts with recognizing my needs & involves
specific measures to discern my degree of accomplishment. Since it implicates a
continuouos & tedious amount of attention, three adjectives are fitting to describe this
process — longevity, security & flexibility. Longevity describes the length of time I must
diligently work on my plans & to what extent this plan might benefit me. Security is
important in ensuring that I will be able to follow my plans despite challenges & achieve
my objective in the end. Flexibility is my power to adapt to certain situations that might
provide me detours instead of going a straight path in reaching my destination — and
that is personal development.
1. 5 CONCLUSION
A thorough understanding of my personal requirements as a leader at present or in the
future calls for a union of personal assessment & development planning. Both must be
conjoined for me to undergo a worthwhile process of development. As I gathered from
my skills audit, I believe that powerful communication & belief in what unity can deliver
through teamwork are the factors that would catapult me to successful leadership. And
having learned that I am a theorist fortified my strengths to diligently actualize my plans.
By keeping these strengths in mind & keeping track of my progress over my objectives
for the next 5 years, I believe I will be headed to the right direction.
