Personal Reflective Development Plan - Essay Example

Topic: Self Reflection and Self Evaluation Reflection on managerial skills Reflection is a very purposeful and active process of discovery and exploration, which often lead to unexpected outcomes and unanticipated results. Reflection in every activity is a powerful tool in ensuring all procedures and requirements are in place. It forms a bridge between learning and experience where it involves both feelings and cognition. It is an essential tool in management as it enables achievement of emancipation from the point of perspective limiting assumptions (Brockbank & McGill, 2007).

Reflection is essential as it helps assess most of the taken-for-granted assumptions thereby enabling people to be more receptive to other styles of behaving and reasoning. Proper recording of activities helps one in reflecting on the activities performed, the skills and knowledge applied. Diaries are essential tools for recording various events and situations of which one can later assess whether there was full accord or allocation of maximum skills in solving managerial tasks (Foskett et al., 2005). There is a need to reflect on the way one handled various tasks and evaluate on whether those are the best solution or there was under performance or deviation from the anticipated results.

Managing an international company means managing an organization with all type of employees from different intercultural settings. In every cultural setting managers need to portray own competence in handling issues in business because of the difference in cultures. Thus, it is necessary to possess cross-cultural competencies and suitable skills to manage an organization effectively (Holden, 2002). Many of the competencies that I have developed so far include the ability to active involve myself in interactive translation, participative competence, collaborative cross-cultural learning, experience and values, transfer of cross-cultural knowledge and creation of a collaborative atmosphere.

Knowledge transfer entails the ability to apply effectively the managerial skills and abilities in different organizational settings (Gray, 2007). In taking my roles, I do ensure that I share various skills to them through short meetings, advices, and encouragement forums. It is essential for managers teach their employees who may also be foreigners the best practices in an organization. Also in managing in a foreign country it is necessary as a manager to listen to other employees and get to hear what they may have that might assist in propelling the organization to another level (Brockbank & McGill, 2007).

In carrying out my duties, I do ensure that I have forums or sessions with the employees and other managers to ensure sharing of information through which it has been clear that being in a management position requires frequent sharing of ideas. These ideas are usually essential in problem solving and organizational developments. These skills are in line with the skills learnt on participative management and through working experience. Teamwork is an essential tool in meeting organizational goals.

Unity is strength and through development of trust with employees gives the management an easier time in meeting organizational goals (Foskett et al., 2005). Although developing a cohesive and trustable workforce may take time, managers should be in a position to examine in openness and silent assumptions and test a wide range of practices and thoughts on how to better the company’s operations. Working in networks has yielded the best results for me in the management, as participants are givers and recipients in the process of interaction.

Through cooperation, conflicts are easy to solve a factor I can attribute to the skills learnt in management class and experience in the course of practicing management. Working in different countries and in with different colleagues provides a large platform for learning and evaluation on management skills (Shepherd, 2005). Managerial issues may differ in different areas and with different employees and this requires managers to be flexible in the line of work (Brzezinski, 2009). Flexibility should be evidence in decision making, planning, and solving conflicts.

Throughout the managerial life, I have realized that own flexibility in performing duties depicts itself in the speed and the responsiveness of issues in an organization. The ability to communicate effectively with organizational members whether in written or verbal means that all organizational members have information everything that takes place in the organization. It also generates a sense of transparency, which is a key factor for managers (Brockbank & McGill, 2007). Evaluation In every role or duty evaluation is a powerful tool of examining own performances.

It is a formal way through which people carry out work examination and feedback generated (Shepherd, 2005). It involves seasonal or periodical assessment of relevance, efficiency, performance, impact of activities in respect to the aims and objectives. Evaluation process requires one having certain targets of which they act as benchmarks for evaluation (ZurMuehlen, 2004). It helps bridge the gaps that might exist in the course of performing duties in an organization. It is paramount to evaluate employees and other stakeholders in an organization to ensure the best services and to ensure the organization heads to the desired goals.

Many skills applied in workplaces require learning, but a good number of these skills develop through self-initiatives and creativity. The use of these skills ensures smooth learning of duties allocated and supervision in case of a managerial role (Shepherd, 2005). Through the techniques of management that I learnt in class work and self-motivated effort, I have been able to set my own goals towards achievement of my goals as a manager. Other managerial skills I have learnt them through interaction with colleagues in the working sector.

I have made a remarkable progress in accessing the skills that range from effective communication to being a good team player. In coursework, we learnt of the skills but it is through practical situations that one can be in a position to assess Before managing others especially for a global manager, one needs to be self-managed. Self-management not only contributes to the satisfaction and growth of oneself, but also contributes to the smooth flow of chores in a work setting. In everything one does, there should exist set personal goals and visions.

It is also necessary, to evaluate the personal way of performance and the spirit of the work (Knight &Yorke, 2003). I have realized that one needs to have the knowledge and confidence in own visions and ideas. This creates the necessity for articulating the ideas and visions to maximize the results. Responsibility requires accountability. Every employee must be accountable of own deeds and results. As a manager, I have realized that checking on employee’s performance is a great tool to ensure own success in a management role.

In every place and every activity, problems exist. The ability to solve these problems contributes to productive results. Through self-assessment, I can comfortably solve different problems through own and learnt problem solving techniques. To solve the problem, it requires creativity, innovativeness, and provision of practical solutions (Gray, 2007). Conflicts, stress, marketing issues, are forms of uncertainty in organizations that require managers to be well equipped to manoeuvre through them.

As a manager, one should show independence and the initiative in the identification of problems and seek an amicable way of attending to the problems. Problems can occur at personal level or in a time, applying different strategies of problem solving ensures generation of solutions before situations turn to the worst. There is also a need to work with others, contribute ideas, and support in achieving results in team projects (Nelson & Cooper, 2007). Own evaluation may at times be deceiving, but through experience one can assess performance in different organizational issues (Pedler, 2011).

Learnt skills such as conflict solving processes are essential, but it also takes exposure to various organizational conflicts and solving them to emerge as a successful point of conflict resolution in an organization (Knight &Yorke, 2003). Through assessment, one can check on a suitable measure that would be applicable to prevent a certain issue thus generating a platform for prior identification of conflicts in future cases. Listening to what the directors, partners, suppliers, employees, and citizens is another essential evaluation tool (Foskett et al., 2005). I have realized that these stakeholders offer information on how they feel and observe the management performance.

Demonstration of innovativeness and creativity by a manager is a clear indication of management skills and capabilities. The ability to show innovativeness in a foreign country requires experience and maximum consultation from various avenues to ensure the outcomes are the best for organizational goals. It is worth noting that for a manager to succeed it is necessary to apply both the learnt skills and those acquired through experience to stand out as successful. References Brzezinski, Z. 2009.

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