Learning, Coaching, and Development - Essay Example

Personal Development Plan: Reflections on Coaching Skill and Practice Contents Introduction 3 2.Initial Self-Assessmentand Reflection 3 2.1 Interacting with People 3 2.2 Reflection Skills 4 2.3 Time Management 5 3.Goals 6 3.1 Conflict Management during Interactions 7 3.2 Improving on Learning Styles and Reflection 7 3.3 Time Management Skills 8 4.Ethics 8 5.Progress Review and Action Plan 9 5.1 Coaching and Mentoring Skills 10 5.2 Understanding and Managing your own Learning 10 5.3 Employability 10 6.Conclusion 10 References 11 1. Introduction Improvement is a lifelong process as explained by Jarvis (2010) that lifelong learning is a process whereby an individual improves as a whole - physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually - and becomes more experienced on a continuous basis. This process of continuous improvement becomes easier through self-assessment that is defined by Rothstein and Burke (2010) as a means to improve self-awareness leading to the development of personal skills and leadership characteristics. This report critically reviews my strengths and weaknesses and identifies areas of improvement. Using MBTI dimensions analysis, I have assessed my skills and based on the findings I have developed a recommended path which I can follow to enhance my learning and development. This analysis includes presentation of goals which I want to accomplish by using the suggested tools and techniques in the light of theoretical models. 2. Initial Self-Assessment and Reflection 2.1 Interacting with People In the development of my initial coaching and mentoring skills, I found that my skill to interact with people has both positive and negative sides. During assessment I found that from the sixteen MBTI personality types I am an INFP type. Myers (1998) explained that people having this personality type are idealistic and loyal to their values. I found myself as the one who understands other people and help them identify their potential to achieve the goals in their lives. I have the potential to interact with others in a way that they feel comfortable with me and share their problems with me. This quality of being good at interaction and communication makes me feel that I can be a good mentor. I am flexible in listening to others and their opinions on different issues. I am tolerant, adaptable and flexible which makes me a team player and team leader. I know how to react to different situations and this makes me popular among my social circle as people look to me for help as they think I understand them well. As explained by Myers (1998) people having INFP type are the healers and they “seek to understand people and to help them fulfill their potential”. Though I am a type that handles group interactions well, however I think I should work on improving my skills of managing conflict arising in group interactions. De Bary (2003) identified conflict as an inevitable part of interactions. The author explained that the mentors must understand that group life cannot exist without conflict and learning cannot take place without conflict. As for my weakness, I feel that I should improve on conflict management. While interacting with people I must understand how to tackle conflict situations while keeping calm and stable. There are times when I think I must learn to manage interactions more effectively during conflict situations in order to maintain the trust environment. This is because trust is an element that binds the group but the mentor needs to work on it in order to ensure there is trust among group members even during conflict situations. 2.2 Reflection Skills Geldard and Geldard (2008) identified reflection skill as a skill important for mentors and coaches. This skill is also important for students because it helps them reflect on what is learnt and hence strengthens the learning. During self-assessment I found myself good at reflecting on what is learnt. But before reflection is made it is important to identify ones learning styles so that loopholes in that can be identified and worked upon to improve reflection. According to Wong (2014) three basic learning styles are ‘visual, auditory and kinesthetic’. During self-assessment of my learning styles I found that I am more of a visual person who learns things betters when they are in pictorial form. ‘Seeing is believing’ is true for me. My learning style preference is visual; lectures bore me and I want to observe things to keep them in mind. While assessing my learning styles I found that I also learn better when we have practical assignments to do which means my learning style is also kinesthetic where practically applying things makes me memorize them. However, I am weak at memorizing thins through mere listening. Auditory learning is difficult for me but the good part is that if there is a live discussion instead of just a plain lecture I find it helpful. Based on this assessment, I found that I need to work on my learning preferences because it is not always possible to have things in visual form. There are instances, most of the time, where one has to grab the information through listening to ideas and discussing them. Also it is not always possible to be a part of a discussion; which is an area I need to work on. Therefor I feel that I need to improve on my weakness and start paying attention to the ways using which I can work to improve my learning styles to widen the scope. 2.3 Time Management I think time management is the most important skill not only for the students but for the mentors as well. It is a skill that leads to employability because it helps set goals and achieves targets. ‘Time is money’ is a phrase we listen quite often and this is true because one’s success depends on effective utilization of one’s time. Upon analyzing my skills, I found myself good at managing time as I think I have an ability to set goals for myself which I struggle to achieve in the set time frame. In order to be fair to myself I have given time to all the activities which I think could contribute to my physical, personal, social and spiritual well-being. I have a time table which dictates me about my schedule and I know how to make this time table work. I try to make most efficient use of my time. I prefer reading books on time management so that I can identify how I can improve on this skill. This gives me new strategies of managing my time in an even better manner. Other than studies, I give time to my hobbies as well as I believe doing what you love to do enhance your motivation and makes you positive. I love creative music and visual arts and I always keep time for this in my schedule. While assessing weakness in this area, I found that sometimes I mismanage things by giving more time to the activity I love whereas leaving less time for other important tasks. This is the aspect I think I need to work on. Harris (2008, p. 11) stated that “managing time is like managing life.” While sharing tips on learning time management, the author stated that one way of learning time management is to know what is at stake if you don’t do things you are supposed to do. The fear of losing helps one understand the importance of each task while learning how to be proactive in order to achieve one’s goals in life. Another tip on time management presented by Harris (2008) is ‘utilizing dead time’. The author stated that during ‘non-hectic’ time when one has minimum things to do, like while in bed before sleeping, or on a quiet walk, one can make plans and think on areas where it is difficult to concentrate on in busy hours. This is the time when one has minimum analytical thinking and hence can give time to areas of importance that are missed due to lack of planning on them. 3. Goals Cottrell (2010) identified goal setting as an important aspect of personal development. Day and Tosey (2011) stated that goal setting plays a major role in personal development plans of students. Previously research studies have emphasized on setting SMART goals, that is, goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. However, now a new framework for goal setting is presented by Day and Tosey (2011) based on the eight criteria presented by Zimmerman (2008). Zimmerman’s eight criteria for goal setting includes goals specificity, goal achievement time period, hierarchical goal organization, equivalence in the goals of self and others, extent of difficulty, degree of awareness about the goal, goal setting by one’s self (self-generation) and orientation of goal (process or performance based). These criteria are more explanatory than SMART parameters and based on them Day and Tosey (2011) has presented a new alternative framework that suggests that goals should be based on ‘well-informed outcomes’. ‘Well-informed outcomes’ construct suggests basing goals on expected outcome. Following presents my goals based on the strengths and weaknesses I have identified in the previous section. 3.1 Conflict Management during Interactions It has been identified in the previous section that conflict during interactions with people and teams is inevitable and I found during self-assessment that I am not much good at handling conflict. Therefore one of my goals pertaining to mentoring and coaching skills is to improve on conflict resolution. Behfar et al (2008) identified three ways through which conflict among teams can be handled efficiently; 1) Focusing on content of interactions and not on its delivery. 2) Open communication where the reasons for any particular decision are clear to all. 3) Preferences in groups should be based on expertise and not on by-default or volunteering means. I think working on these tips will help me improve my conflict resolution skills and this is my goal for improvement. 3.2 Improving on Learning Styles and Reflection Another goal I have set for myself includes working on improving my learning preferences. Wong (2014) suggests that multisensory learning strategy is good for those having specific learning preferences. One of the strategies suggested thereof includes see-say-do strategy which involves all visual, auditory and kinesthetic processes. Though I will work on my learning preferences which is one of my goals however this understanding about multisensory strategies has helped me identify ways through which people having different learning preferences can be tackled. Enhancement of learning preferences helps improve reflection skills as well because when you understand something better you are in a better position to reflect on it. 3.3 Time Management Skills Third goal which I have set for myself is improving my time management skills as this will also improve my chances of employment in the future. I understand that I must practice the tips I have identified in the previous section in order to improve my time management. For example, working on utilization of dead time or identifying what I will lose in case I skip what I am supposed to do will help me improve my time management skill. This is my goal for improving on my employability skill. Short-Term Development Plan Skills for Improvement Learning Opportunities Conflict Management Applying skills learnt during class/unit Using tips suggested by literature (e.g. Behfar et al., 2008) Practicing learnt skills and tips while interacting with people Improving on Learning Styles and Reflection Widening the scope of learning Reflecting on continuous basis to improve self-learning and learning of others Applying tips discuss in unit Time Management Skills Using dead time Sticking to goals and schedule Using tips suggested by literature Applying skills learnt during class/unit 4. Ethics According to Myers (1998) personality types I am an INFP type which is a personality strongly linked to the values. I understand that ethical dimensions in every task are important if someone has to make real progress. During my interactions with people and while practicing my mentoring skills in groups I always keep the ethical values and beliefs in front of me. I respect people and never show sign of disapproval to their opinions (Altman & Taylor 2005). I know how to be ethical in my interactions with my group members. Confidentiality and data protection are other aspects that are important to keep in view in mentoring relationships. EMC Council (2011) declares ethics and professionalism vital for coaching and mentoring. The council regarded professional conduct, commitment, avoiding conflict of interest, and ensuring confidentiality as areas coaches and mentors need to take care of in order to promote good practice in coaching and mentoring. Following presents my statement of the ethical principles that will guide me during my practice as a coach. I will not misguide anyone knowingly I will not make false claims to make people believe me or to show my proficiency I will ensure anything shared with me by anyone is kept confidential. As a coach, I will try to minimize conflict as much as possible I will adopt ethical and professional conduct as much as possible 5. Progress Review and Action Plan I found during assessing the actual skill progression that I am moving well in the direction of attaining my goals while improving from time to time. I have improved a lot practicing the areas highlighted during the unit and class discussions. I am improving my coaching and mentoring skills by working on the improvement of my negotiating and listening skills. I am also better off handling conflicts during team sessions and group work. I am better at managing my time than before as I got insights on tips on improving my time management skills. I have implemented all the tips and skills I have received from journals and books. Working on my personal development has also improved my reflection skills. Following presents my action plan. 5.1 Coaching and Mentoring Skills As identified and highlighted earlier I have to improve my conflict management skills in the next few years. I have to work on it as per the suggestions studied from various sources as well as discussions in the class. Conflict resolution apparently is one skill but this requires additional skills development as well such as empathy, listening skills, congruence between opinions of self and others and adapting skills. 5.2 Understanding and Managing your own Learning With regards to this skill, I will work on my learning preferences and establish different learning styles. Besides, I will have to consider learning styles of others and implement strategies such as see-say-do in order to ensure they understand and learn from the interactions taking place between us. In addition to this, I have to work on my reflection skills where I must reflect on whatever is learned during the discussion sessions in order to absorb things in a better manner. 5.3 Employability In order to secure work in future I have plans to work on my time management skills in the next few months. I will ensure I work well towards managing my time to dedicate most of the time to tasks that are important for my studies as well as for my career. 6. Conclusion In the end I believe that no one is perfect and there are deficiencies in me as well which I should improve on in order to excel in my life. This personal development plan has allowed me to identify my skills, strengths and weaknesses which I can improve by practicing on the areas identified through literature search and class discussions. References Altman, I., & Taylor, D. A. (2005). Social Penetration: The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Behfar, K. J., Peterson, R. S., Mannix, E. A., & Trochim, W. M. K. (2008). The Critical Role of Conflict Resolution in Teams: A Close Look at the Links Between Conflict Type, Conflict Management Strategies, and Team. Journal of Applied Psychology 93 (1): 170 –188 Cottrell, S. (2010). Skills for success: the personal development planning handbook. 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Day, T. & Tosey, P. (2011). Beyond SMART? A new framework for goal setting. The Curriculum Journal 22 (4): 515-534. De Bary, E. O. (2003). Theological Reflection: The Creation of Spiritual Power in the Information Age. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press. EMC Council (2011). Code of Conduct for Coaching and Mentoring. Available at: [Accessed on 24 March, 2014] Geldard, K., & Geldard, D. (2008). Personal Counseling Skills: An Integrative Approach. Illinois: Charles C Thomas Publisher. Harris, J. (2008). Time Management 100 Success Secrets - The 100 Most Asked Questions on Skills, Tips, Training, Tools and Techniques for Effective Time Management. South Africa: Lulu.com. Jarvis, P. (2010). Adult Education and Lifelong Learning. 4th Ed. Oxon: Routledge. Myers, I. B. (1998). Introduction to Type. USA: CPP. Rothstein, M. G., & Burke, R. J. (2010). Self-assessment and leadership development: an overview. In: Rothstein, M. G., & Burke, R. J. (eds.). Self-management and Leadership Development. USA: Edward Elgar Publishing. Wong, L. (2014). Essential Study Skills. USA: Cengage Learning. Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Goal Setting: A key proactive source of academic self-regulation. In:D.H. Schunk & B.J. Zimmerman (eds.). Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning, pp. 267–295. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Read More