Personal and Professional Development - Case Study Example

Personal and Professional Development Personal and Professional Development In its modest form, a reflective exercise involves reflecting on what one does. Alternatively it could mean learning from experiences and thinking about what one did and analysing what happened (SkillsYouNeed, 2015). Thinking about past experiences is normal. The difference arises in terms of comparing between casual thinking and reflective thinking where in the latter one deliberately puts an effort to think about past events and develop new insights in comparison to informal thought where no new insights are developed. In his book, On Organizational Learning, Argyris (1999), describes the term ‘double loop learning’ where he asserts that reflection allows a person to step aside from the ‘single loop learning’ that involves, experience, reflection, conceptualization, and application, into a new hypothesis where you reframe the ideas you previously had in order to change what you do. (SkillsYouNeed, 2015). The aim of this paper, therefore, is a reflection of my personal and professional development in my Master’s program outlining the reflections from my personal plans, company visits, group works and the guest speaker visits. CONTENTS Abstract 2 Introduction 5 Throop and Castelucci (2010) asserts that believing in one’s self is the basis of all achievements both personal, educational and even professional. He continues to state that scholars must struggle to deal with any personal, economic, and social problems they may be facing to ensure development occurs smoothly. Promise to labour hard and attain the goals they set for them in their development process should be made. Need for continuous learning to enhance professionalism is increasing in an ever changing environment (Moon, 2013). Thus, I developed a personal plan that would act as my guide toward personal and professional development. After coming up with a personal plan the next logical step is to gauge its effectiveness in ensuring that the set goals are met. This I will do through self-reflection where I describe the experience in terms of what and where the situation occurred and the thoughts I have about the situation and a reflection of the same in terms of how I behaved, how the situation made me feel, the thoughts that I have about the situation and what I learnt. It will help me theorize on how the experience matched with my predetermined ideas and how it relates to any recognised theories I know of and what behaviours, if adopted, might have changed the outcome. In ensuring development both personally and professionally all of the above helped me in experimentation to influence enhanced future outcomes. This will be done by determining if there is anything I could have done to change the outcome or actions I could have taken to or any alternative behaviours to try (SkillsYouNeed, 2015). 5 Personal and Professional Development 5 Personal Development Plan 6 Group work (PALS) 8 Company Visit 10 Guest Speaker Programme 11 Conclusion 12 References List 13 Appendices 15 Appendix 1 Personal Development Plan 15 Appendix 2 Group Learning Log 20 Personal and Professional Development Introduction Throop and Castelucci (2010) asserts that believing in one’s self is the basis of all achievements both personal, educational and even professional. He continues to state that scholars must struggle to deal with any personal, economic, and social problems they may be facing to ensure development occurs smoothly. Promise to labour hard and attain the goals they set for them in their development process should be made. Need for continuous learning to enhance professionalism is increasing in an ever changing environment (Moon, 2013). Thus, I developed a personal plan that would act as my guide toward personal and professional development. After coming up with a personal plan the next logical step is to gauge its effectiveness in ensuring that the set goals are met. This I will do through self-reflection where I describe the experience in terms of what and where the situation occurred and the thoughts I have about the situation and a reflection of the same in terms of how I behaved, how the situation made me feel, the thoughts that I have about the situation and what I learnt. It will help me theorize on how the experience matched with my predetermined ideas and how it relates to any recognised theories I know of and what behaviours, if adopted, might have changed the outcome. In ensuring development both personally and professionally all of the above helped me in experimentation to influence enhanced future outcomes. This will be done by determining if there is anything I could have done to change the outcome or actions I could have taken to or any alternative behaviours to try (SkillsYouNeed, 2015). Personal and Professional Development Reflective practice is one of the primary critical practices in personal and professional development process (CSP Charitable Trust, 2015). (CSP Charitable Trust, 2015) The figure above describes the basic steps that are involved in the process of personal and professional development. CPD aims at giving us control and letting us chart the personal and professional development path we want to follow. In the book Continuing Professional Development, Megginson & Whitaker (2003), asserts that the need for personal and professional development does no longer lie on the job but the knowledge and experience that adds to the skills that we have for ourselves. He also argues that personal and professional development is a holistic process that should address all aspects. Personal Development Plan We got started by preparing a personal development plan that outlined the areas that we had identified for development. The plan was to be an individual work and tailored for the master’s programme you were pursuing and the areas that you needed to develop. Initially, I did not see much need for preparing a plan. Why make a written plan when I know all the areas I need to develop in. I did not see the sense in having it all set out. At the same time, I looked forward to preparing it. I had many areas that I needed to develop in and creating a plan to ensure that I achieved my plans sounded like a good idea. Having a plan meant that I no longer had to worry about monitoring my development in my mind since I had a reference plan to do that. In preparation of my personal development plan, I identified areas that I needed to improve in. These areas included my writing and speaking skills, presentation skills, improvement in assignment handling and delivery and finally adapting to a new environment. Coming from China, I always felt less confident when speaking with the locals and I had to improve on this. Since English is not my native language I had to put more practice in writing and speaking it to be fluent. Reading more newspapers, and listening and singing along to songs would help me achieve this. In the process, I came to appreciate the importance of planning for development both personally and professionally. I could have a clearer view of my goals as well as a clear path to follow to achieve them. Previously most of the knowledge I had on personal and professional development was shallow. I looked at professional development in the form of getting promotions and an increasing salary. Planning how to develop both personally and professionally as well as evaluating myself did not matter. The role of planning to achieve any meaningful development also was not of importance to me. If I needed to improve on an area, I just started without any clear plan or target. Why make the effort? How do I get started? These are the many questions that come into my mind when they are asked us to develop a personal development plan. According to Bath University (2015), creating a personal development plan meant that you reflect on your learning, your performances and evaluate your achievements. It also helps you in planning an all-round development. This is done through identification of skill sets needed and those you are good at already. It helps you as a student be more self-aware. By thinking the skills you have through and having a better understanding of your learning style for example, you find that it is easy to focus on areas that you need to develop (BathUniversity, 2015). In the end, I could fully appreciate the need for planning to be able to make the most out of the need for personal and professional development. The need to set achievable goals, determine what has to be done to achieve them and the needs to meet them became more vivid to me. In the end, I appreciated PDP as an opportunity to ask myself big questions both in life and professionally. What do I want in life? What do I want professionally? What areas am I weak at and how will I improve? In the end, we become better individuals (Swain, 2008). I can comfortably say that my writing and presentation skills have greatly improved. Though not at the state of being perfect I have improved. Taking into account that I am Chinese and English is not my first language the development of a plan to improve my English both written and spoken has really helped. Handling my assignments has also improved, and I now deliver good essays on time. I have also developed confidence in interacting with the locals. Group work (PALS) Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds. This was a saying by Alexander Graham Bell, who is credited with inventing the first telephone (Pasachoff, 1996). In the course of the PDP programme, I was involved in group work. Our group was tasked with discussing plans that were management consultants would initiate to help an international organisation to assist in a philanthropic endeavour. Our plans were to woo the staff and workers in the organisation so that they would support our plan. The idea of working in a group excited me. In our Chinese culture, the idea of doing collective work is highly appreciated. Working together means that the best possible outcome will result due to working together. We were put in different groups comprising different cultures, and this was a good step since to me this represented different ideas that would improve the output of our group. The experience in working with the group was enough though I felt less confident in the presence of the other local students. The idea of dividing the group work into bits where each would go research hen the results discussed and compiled was a bit new to me. I expected a situation here we could sit and handle everything as a group. In the book Group Work by Brandler and Roman (2012), group work is described as a process where support is offered, advice, and validation. In this process, the individual in a group gives to other as much as he or she receives. The result is an increased self-esteem. Mutual aid and support are also heightened as a group becomes tighter. ( Huffington Post, 2011) In a published article that investigated the effect of attitudes on academic group works the study found that the results were consistent with previous results. Attitude affects the willingness of a student to enter into group works and actively participate (Forrester and Tashchian, 2010). This was true because in the group work experience, I found that I had to develop a positive attitude for effective group work and also to motivate the team. In another publication, group work is described as a situation filled with great experiences as well as stress and anxiety. Success is based on trust and respect and cooperation in the group. When all this has been satisfied, the individual is likely to ask questions, share ideas and benefit (Terry, 2013). My experience in the group work conforms to such findings where I was able to learn how to express my opinions clearly to other members as well as be able to pay attention and give others members a chance to express themselves. This represented respects and cooperation. Company Visit The Sage Gateshead is largely referred to as an international music home and a place for musical discovery (Sage Gateshead, 2015). We had an opportunity to visit them to learn how to categorize customers as well as how to sell products to the different categories of customers. The company offers both performance and participation in various projects. Customers are categorised according to the kind of music they listen to. For example, popular music included jazz, world, classical, dance and many more. To effectively reach their targeted customer and ensure the customer is satisfied concerts are conducted at different times of the day. In the evening, late night concerts, and during lunch hour. The concert tickets are fairly priced from £7, and you can book a concert online (Sage Gateshead, 2015). I appreciated how the company tried to access the different categories of their customer base and how they provided convenience in ticket purchases online. They were also fairly priced. Initially, I thought the Sage Gateshead offered a small variety of music, and their concerts were expensive. I did not know of the different times could catch a concert seeing how busy I am as a student. Categorising customers in your business means you are playing the odds with as much efficiency as possible. The next move is to develop strategies to sell to the different categories. In strategizing to boost sales having the sales team categorise the customers is the first step. Going after them systematically is what will now yield the growth in sales. All this takes discipline this is according to (Lack, 2013). This was in line with what I thought before. In business understanding, your customer is the first step to reaching him and making a sale. In the process of creating a business, the target market has to be also identified . The experience helped me understand the need for target market identification as is learnt. Guest Speaker Programme The guest speaker programme was the last instalment in the PDP plan. This is a programme designed to enhance our knowledge in business and help us to come to speed with the latest trends, strategies and up to date issues through structured interactions with those already in the market. The main point discussed here was the role of and need for responsible leadership in the era of Globalisation. This guest speaks were a very welcome idea. I saw an opportunity to further my knowledge of the subject of globalisation that is becoming an issue in today world. Previously my knowledge on globalisation was mainly on the different types of globalisation and the effects that globalisation had on the world today. I had not entertained the idea that we may need responsible leadership in this era. A responsible leadership that understand the political ethics is a requirement for business survival. So is a leadership that understands the different cultural values (Wijaya, Not Published). Another article acknowledges the role of responsible leadership in a world where global leadership is being hampered by restrictions by institutions. The Global Compact, therefore, works with governments and corporations to promote responsible corporate leadership (Safty, 2008). With all these articles, I was able to come to the agreement that with the era of globalisation we need leaders who promote development models that do not have or incorporate the unfairness of an industrialised world. Conclusion The program was an interesting one. A lot was learnt pertaining to personal and professional development. The program gave me an insight as to how much development I had in me. All it took was a plan and discipline, and the development and results would come. Now with all the knowledge learnt in the programme I am more confident and ready to launch my career and develop. References List Argyris, C., 1999. On Organizational Learning. New York: Wiley. BathUniversity, 2015. Personal Development Planning (PDP). [Online] Available at: http://www.bath.ac.uk/students/support/academic/personal-development-planning/ [Accessed 11 5 2015]. CSP Charitable Trust, 2015. CPD Habits (2nd edition): helping CSP members optimise the quality of patient care. [Online] Available at: https://v3.pebblepad.co.uk/v3portfolio/csp/Asset/View/6jqbh3Gtj6cgnRzZdhbc363HkZ/6jqbh3Gtj6cgdf978fbfxdH5ph [Accessed 10 May 2015]. Dransfield, R. (2004). Business for foundation degrees and higher awards. Oxford, Heinemann. Megginson, D., & Whitaker, V., 2003. Continuing Professional Development. New York: CIPD Publishing. HOOPER, D., & WEITZ, P. (2006). Psychological therapies in primary care: training and training standards. London, Karnac. Huffington Post, 2011. What Group Projects Taught Me. [Online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/what-group-projects-taught-me_n_1097597.html [Accessed 11 5 2015]. Lack, J. H., 2013. Plan to Turn Your Company Around in 90 Days: How to Restore Positive Cash Flow and Profitability. New York: Apress. Moon, J. A., 2013. Reflection in Learning and Professional Development: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge. Pasachoff, N., 1996. Alexander Graham Bell: Making Connections, New York: Oxford University Press. Robert K. T., & Marion C., 2010. Reaching Your Potential: Personal and Professional Development. 4th edition ed. New York: Cengage Learning. Safty, A., 2008. Leadership task in the era of globalisation. Gulf News, Issue June. Sage Gateshead, 2015. About Us. [Online] Available at: http://www.sagegateshead.com/about-us/ [Accessed 11 May 2015]. SkillsYouNeed, 2015. Reflective Practice. [Online] Available at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/reflective-practice.html [Accessed 5 10 2015]. Sondra, B., Camille P. R., 2012. Group Work: Skills and Strategies for Effective Interventions. New York: Routledge. Swain, H., 2008. The art of personal development planning. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/oct/14/students-highereducation [Accessed 11 5 2015]. Terry, B. D., 2013. Working in Groups: The Importance of Communication in Developing Trust and Cooperation. New York: The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). Wijaya, Y., Not Published. Responsible Leadership of Asian Small and Medium Enterprises. s.l.:s.n. William R. F., & Armen, T., 2010. Effects Of Personality On Attitudes Toward Academic Group Work, New York: American Journal of Business Education. Appendices Appendix 1 Personal Development Plan What do I want/need to learn? What will I do to achieve this? What resources or support will I need? What will be my success criteria? Target dates for review and completion Writing skill Reading more and writing more every day. These two are the fundamental practices to help improve my academic writing. The more reading I do every day, the more I can absorb different writing styles and can choose or create one for myself. The more the writting, the better it will be for me so that I get better at expressing my complicated thoughts. Reading more newspapers in the morning and all the time. Keep on writing a diary in English every day. Get into the habit of reading English magazines in extracurricular time. First I want to reduce grammar errors in my writing. I will try my best to write good essays which have wrong grammatical errors in them. The end of graduation Speaking skill I will try singing along to English songs because I love music. So this will be a good way to learn pronunciations quickly and as soon as possible. I will get over any fear I may have of making mistakes and be patient with myself. I will grasp every opportunity at which I can speak with people in English. In the school, I will grasp any opportunity to chat with foreign students and talk about studying problems with teachers. Every presentation will also be taken seriously. I can speak fluently in English during presentations. I can communicate with foreign students in English. The end of this term Presentation skill I will try to keep my outcomes in mind and try to express in my language what I feel use good language. I will transform my nervous energy into enthusiasm. Structuring my presentation before I do the presentation. Take more exercise in extracurricular time. Accord any presentation the seriousness it deserves I can fluently do a presentation. I will not be nervous or forget words or memorize during the presentation. I will be confident and show my confidence to the audience. The end of this term Assignment I will make notes when the teacher tells us some problems about the assignments we turned in and review the important points about the assignment after I finish class. I will go to the library to find more information about my research and report. Communicate with my tutor, and search by internet for any academic related information and try to find resources in the library. I can finish my assignment on time and present quality work in the end. The end of October Adaptability to different environment I will control myself with calm and confidence in different situations. I will carefully prepare before doing something and pay attention to communications with others. Because I have to work to achieve this by the end of this year, I have to do more communication with other students and learn more to enrich my inside word. I can adapt to a new workplace.I can accept surprises in terms of new roles in different situations when I am working by the end of this year. The end of this year Appendix 2 Group Learning Log Date Background to Activity/ Experience What Happened / Outcome? Reflections on what your Learned How will you apply the Learning? 03/11/14 Set up group Discussed what the name our group would be, and decided that the name be Chili in the end. How we can we take every person’s different opinion and choose the one approved by every group member. Express my opinion openly to other members and pay attention to and listen to different ideas of other members. 08/12/14 Assigned group member tasks to know about philanthropy. We had a meeting of about 20 minutes and talked about our ppt, and agreed that different members should responsible for different parts. Even when working as a group everyone had to deliver their part of the duty. As a leader for a successful outcome. I will finish my task of our team on time, and make notes about important points and explain my findings clearly to other members. 14/01/15 Group presentation Our group had a meeting in the library and discussed which important advice we should choose. Which every member could add ideas? Every member’s ideas and suggestion could be analyzed by members of group. I have to find more academic information and important advice before group discussing. Sharing these academic advices during the group work promotes the process of teamwork. 16/02/15 Prepare for presentation practice We did our presentation practice in the RV114.We also discussed dressing during the presentation. Group members can learn other information from others. I have to keep a positive attitude because it is a good motivation for teamwork. Read More