Personal development plan - Essay Example

Personal Development Plan Introduction To excel in what one does and to be better at it than others is the cherished desire of all persons. However, the measure of success depends upon the effort one puts in to constantly develop and improve his / her skills and personality. Stephen R Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People suggests that to start the process of self improvement one should write down how he or she would like to be remembered after their death and then work to achieve that ideal. Simply put this practice is like backward calculation from the future to the present where you know the answer and just have to work out the steps to reach that answer. But not many of us are given the luxury to know the answers and more often than not the goals do not remain the same as time goes by. Moreover such a practice may be effective in many cases but I think that, being unaware of the length of tenure one is granted in this world, it is more appropriate to move from present to the future basing on past experiences and achievements. With this premise I undertake the task to carry out a personal assessment by producing a methodical, honest and critical analysis of my skills, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. The underlying objective is to chalk out a personal development plan for myself whereby I can successfully make the transition from my present level to a future manager / leader. Apparently the task seems easy enough. After all it is myself I am supposed to analyze and I have known myself all my life. But now as I start the task I realize that it is not so easy. There are things which I know and am aware of those. But there are also aspects of my personality which are very much there but I am not aware of them because they occur sub-consciously. Therefore, I am also going to seek help from a few trusted friends and parents to uncover those aspects. Moreover, I am going about this task without any direct professional help. Whatever assistance I have taken is from my readings on the subject from course books and internet. Therefore, I understand that it may not be very comprehensive. But at least it serves to give me a start and further refinements can be made as and when I review this plan. This paper is basically in two parts as follows:- Part 1 This is what I call the Records part. It deals with my curriculum vitae including educational qualifications, experience, specific training etc and my likes and dislikes. I will round off the section with a SWOT analysis of my-self. Part 2 This is the Analysis part. I will reflect upon and analyze some of my experiences to ascertain the best strategy for me to further develop my personality. This Section is based mainly on a number of theories. Just for future reference I have listed the crux of few of these theories which I have used in my analysis. PART 1 - RECORD Curriculum Vitae Personal Details HAIDER KAMAL Address 7 / A, Fleetwood Street, Macintosh Towers, London Date of Birth 27 February 1983 Nationality British e-mail address hk@hotmail.com Mobile Number 0638 12345678 Marital Status Single Home telephone 44.171.5678900 Personal Profile Key Skills Working under pressure to meet short deadlines Adapting quickly and effectively to changing circumstances and objectives Working independently or as part of a project team Career Profile Employer Appointment Duration Role Mavis & Deacon HR Consultants Section Supervisor Jan 2004 - May 2005 Assist manager in survey of client company J&J Pharma Ltd Assistant to Deputy HR Manager Jun 2005 - Jan 2007 All aspects of day to day working Academic Achievements Course Institution Result Year MBA (HRM) Greenwich Management School Ongoing 2007 BS (HRM) " 1st Class 2004 A Level St. John's College 4 A's ; 4 B's 2001 O Level " 5 A's ; 3 B's 1999 Interests Field sports like football, hockey, and cricket. Reading history, especially ancient Greek history. Music, movies and swimming. Training Received I attended a number of work-shops during my tenure at J&J. Basically it was as a result of these work-shops that I developed an interest for HRM. Apart from these work-shops, my present MBA is the only substantive training I have for this field. Having said that, I also feel that my two jobs at Mavis & Deacon and J&J have gone a long way in teaching me the inner workings of an HR department. I am well-versed with the routine functioning and the procedures which are followed in daily routine. And I am also familiar with certain policy and legal matters related to management of human resources. So my practical experience, although at a junior level, goes a long way in giving me a lead over other novices. SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Ability to work under pressure Adaptability Independence Basic knowledge of the field I am interested in Practical experience in the same field My personality type means I am a keen observer I tend to be structured and organized. No exposure to middle or higher management Time management skills Making formal presentations Too much emphasis on others' feelings External locus of control Impromptu occasions and unstructured work disturb me. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Basic knowledge and work experience in the same field puts me at an advantage. Input from friends and relatives can help me improve my abilities. Further development in HRM Learning leadership and management skills Improving presentation techniques My personality type means I can be a good trainer Lack of peer support Tough competition from fellow classmates Lack of financial resources Lack of time because of studies Diversionary tasks like house-hold chores, car repair, house maintenance External locus of control My personality type is fun-loving so people may not take me seriously. PART 2 - ANALYSIS Self Assessment During our studies and from the internet, I have learned that there are many techniques to carry out self assessment. These techniques cover many aspects of personality from type of personality, type of leadership style, emotional intelligence, locus of control, learning style and much more. Each aspect has specific ways and means to carry out assessment and most of them are tested and quite useful. However, for my self-analysis I set out the following parameters to identify and analyze:- Basic premise should be biased more towards the type of personality because any improvement in that regard would be more natural and easy and result in maximum benefit. The leadership style should take next preference because each type is now associated with certain roles and suggested professional directions. Identifying the type will enable me to decide which line of work to follow. Locus of control is the third important factor to identify. Determining my locus of control will enable me to respond better to events and chalk out my plan in a better way. With these parameters in view, I have selected the following self-assessment methods to carry out the task:- To analyze my personality type I have used the Meyer-Briggs Method To determine my leadership style I have used Blake and Mouton Management Grid To determine my locus of control I have used the online assessment system Personality Type Meyer - Briggs Type Indicator ( MBTI ) is a personality test designed to identify significant personal preferences. Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers developed the Indicator during World War II, and its criteria follow from Carl Jung's theories in his work Psychological Types. According to Myers-Briggs Theory, while types and traits are both inborn, traits can be improved akin to skills, whereas types, if supported by a healthy environment, naturally differentiate over time. The indicator attempts to tell the order in which this occurs in each person, and it is that information that the complete descriptions are based on. The indicator is like an arrow which attempts to point in the direction of the proper description. To learn about one's inborn traits is to create the opportunity to improve how one applies them in different contexts. In that sense, the MBTI can yield much personal change and growth. The main sorts of MBTI are known as Dichotomies. These are extraversion / introversion, sensing / intuition, thinking / feeling and judging / perceiving as shown in the table opposite. Each personality type is a mixture of these dichotomies and represented by four letters e.g. ESTF or ISFP etc. The interaction of two, three, or four preferences are known as type dynamics, and when dealing with a four-preference combination it is called a type. In total, there are 16 unique types, and many more possible two and three letter combinations, which each have their own descriptive name. These types are shown in the table opposite. Basing upon the questionnaire my personality type is ESFP. This type is characterized as pragmatic, realistic, alert, adventurous, practical, helpful, mediator, fun loving. Leadership Style Working in this field in the 1960's Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed the 'managerial grid' which could be used to identify a manager's existing style and provide a 'path' to the ideal management or leadership style. During the course of their studies they identified 2 extremes: Concern for People Concern for Production A diagrammatic layout of the grid is shown below:- Those very high in concern for production but very low in concern for people, were designated 'task manager' and usually adopted an authoritarian style. Those very high in concern for people but very low in concern for production were designated 'country club' and adopted a laissez-style. Neither of these was considered to be ideal but was believed to be preferable to the 'impoverished management' style also observed, where a minimum of effort was exerted on both counts. A better style observed was the 'middle of the road' which attempted to balance the two. My score on the Grid is 7, 8 which is between the Organization Man Management Style and Team Leader Style. According to experts the description of these styles is as follows:- Organization Man Management Style (5,5) Managers using this style try to balance between company goals and workers' needs. By giving some concern to both people and production, managers who use this style hope to achieve acceptable performance. The team style (9,9) In this style, high concern is paid both to people and production. As suggested by the propositions of Theory Y, managers choosing to use this style encourage teamwork and commitment among employees. This method relies heavily on making employees feel as a constructive part of the company. Locus of Control Within psychology, Locus of Control is considered to be an important aspect of personality. The concept was developed originally Julian Rotter in the 1950s. Locus of Control refers to an individual's perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life. The full name Rotter gave the construct was Locus of Control of Reinforcement. Rotter's view was that behaviour was largely guided by "reinforcements" (rewards and punishments) and that through contingencies such as rewards and punishments, individuals come to hold beliefs about what causes their actions. These beliefs, in turn, guide what kinds of attitudes and behaviours people adopt. Thus, locus of control is conceptualised as referring to a unidimensional continuum, ranging from external to internal: External Locus of Control Individual believes that his/her behaviour is guided by fate, luck, or other external circumstances Internal Locus of Control Individual believes that his/her behaviour is guided by his/her personal decisions and efforts. In general, it seems to be psychologically healthy to perceive that one has control over those things which one is capable of influencing. My Locus of Control tends to be External. Critical Incidents The preceding analysis is corroborated by three incidents from my past. These incidents are reflective of my personality type and my leadership style. Although I have identified these incidents as a sort of supporting data for my analysis but they also serve as the basis for my future development plan. First incident took place when I was working for Mavis & Deacon. The manager was carrying out a line survey of one of our clients and wanted to see how they function in the field. This involved setting up a field office by the clients and running their affairs from that office. On our part the process involved moving to the site and observing the company at work to identify their weaknesses. Being his assistant, the manager tasked me to go to the field with our team and set up office. Just as we were about to leave for the site, I learned that the team leader had taken ill and would not be moving out with us. Instead I would be the team leader. The setting up of office in the field involves a number of steps like securing accommodation, communication means and other services like electricity, drinking water. I learned that the team was not happy by the way the previous team leader had planned to set up the office. So I called the team members and told them that I would like for us to be able to work from the field without any discomfort. I asked for their input about setting up office in the field as some of the team members had done so previously. After getting the feed-back, which took about twenty minutes, I went to the manager with my proposal and a list of things we would require in the field. The manager was pleased at the way I had handled the situation and approved my plan. This incident, though spontaneous, is reflective of my leadership style. I always take the team on-board while making a decision but once all is said and done I like to make my own decisions. The second incident is reflective of my personality type. While working for J&J I was called up once by the HR Manager and told that the HR Department will be shifted from its present location in a hired building to the newly constructed Head Office near our factory. This involved shifting of all material and personnel. The time allocated was very short i.e. 15 days as we were interested to shift before the end of the month to avoid additional rental charges. The task involved planning and laying out different offices in the new building and making arrangements to shift all our material and equipment there. On the face of it the task seemed easy. But once I got started I realized that it was a huge target. Laying out offices in new building involved streamlining the offices in line with the work-flow. Then hiring of transport and labour to shift the equipment and material and to ensure that the new building was ready to receive the personnel etc. It was a multiple-dimension task but I loved every moment of it. We completed the task in the given time frame. And I learned that I liked multi-tasking and working against tight deadlines. The third incident is more reflective of my Locus of Control. When I had applied for J&J I had basically been interested in the post of Assistant Brand Manager. However, at the interview I was asked if I would be interested in working in HR Department and I agreed. Later I thought that maybe it was in the fates for me to work in HR. Although now I have selected this field as my chosen one and am working towards making a future in this field but the incident is reflective of my External Locus of Control. I was more interested in Brand Management i.e. consumer marketing but I let external factors decide my way for me. Personal Development Plan Basing on a critical reflection of the Records and Analysis sections and my knowledge of personal development gained from books I have identified following areas on which I need to lay stress in order to achieve my goals:- 1. Team building and leading 2. Internalizing the Locus of Control 3. Improving professional education Personal Development Plan Objective Intended Effect Planned Actions Team building and leading Better understand the four steps of team building. Lead in a more balanced style. Make better use of the team management wheel styles. Gaining theoretical knowledge. Develop my coaching, facilitating, motivating, monitoring and consulting skills through theoretical study and practical application. Give careful consideration to other peoples skills when selecting new team members. Internalizing locus of control Having better grip on my destiny and making decisions for myself basing on my preferences. Being more aware of my desires and needs and working to realize them. Improving Professional Education Affording better chances of further development. Completing my MBA. Attending various related short courses aimed at enhancing HR skills. Value addition by taking up HRD. Read More