Management Skills Development Plan - Term Paper Example

MANAGEMENT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PLAN Robert W. Bicknell 64764011 UofM Dearborn Management Skills Development April 11th, Management Skills Development Plan Part I When evaluating my leadership and general administrative skills, I find that I have certain strengths, which enable me to work smoothly in a leadership capacity, and certain weaknesses, which bring down my performance. The strengths which are firmly ground in me include both working in teams and leading groups. I am a good team worker since I make an effort to know my group members. I respect their opinions, not cutting in while they are speaking. I am ready to think out of the box and welcome new ideas and opinion, even if they seem irrational at first. The respect that I get from my group members in return is a testimony of my open and friendly attitude towards them. As a group leader, I ensure that I know the person’s abilities and talents before delegating a job. I never overburden my team members or be impatient. For example, I make accommodation for personal preferences, existing work duties or family commitments. If a group member asks that he wants to do a particular job, I make sure that he gets that, considering it suits their abilities. My peers often appreciate my group management skills, complimenting how everyone is satisfied with the work that they have to do. I also practice good negotiation skills. Instead of openly negating opinions if I do not agree to it, I use a subtler approach. Where there is a conflict of opinions, rather than picking an argument, I try to negotiate with my team members, colleagues or senior authority. I start my statement by saying, “You may be correct Sir/Ma’am/Mr.…, but I think it should be…”. My peers are appreciative of my negotiating skills. I am also good at motivating others. If I know someone is good enough to perform a particular task, I would encourage him/her to pursue it. I would have a talk with that person, asking him/her to share his/her hesitations. For instance, I once motivated a coworker to pursue a project in kitchen designing on the basis that she was good at designing but never had the motivation to take it to the next level. Another one of my strengths is presentation-making. I enjoy researching, making presentations and adding animation and special effects to make the presentation interesting. As a result, my colleagues choose me after a general consensus to make presentations on behalf of the group. However, I also have certain weaknesses which prevent me from reaching optimum level of performance. Primarily, I have problems managing time. I have on occasion not managed to complete designated tasks on time. Meeting deadlines is a mentally draining job for me and I always feel that I am running a race against time. As my boss has said a few times that he has to keep extending deadlines for the tasks that he assigns to me because I often require an hour or two more. More so, I can get stressed out easily. Before examinations, too much stress disheartens me. I am unable to concentrate. At times, I’ve got relatively low grades because I felt too much stress and it affected studying for an examination. Sometimes, I also feel unenthusiastic and feel frustrated. At times like these, I feel a little motivation would do but I fail to develop this self-motivation. I am also not very good at influencing other people. I can motivate them if they need a little push, but directing them towards a direction that they are not particularly inclined towards is not my cup of tea. I have also little know-how about interviewing and I feel incompetent at deciphering and selecting people through interviews. Part II Today’s technological age demands effective management of organizations. The complex organizational dynamics of the modern era requires managers to have pertinent leadership and administrative skills to achieve the goals and objectives of the business. This part of the paper will focus on the importance of three management skills mentioned previously which are my weaknesses. I will then draft an action plan for converting these weaknesses into strengths. Time Management Part A A famous quote by Lakein (1989) says, “Master your time and master your life”. Time management can largely be considered as the efforts undertaken to complete a task within a specified period of time. Busy people often find it hard to reach a healthy work-life balance. According to a survey, almost one-third of the employees are late for work at least once in a month. Moreover, more than 40% of Americans have admitted that they are disorganized. About one-fifth of the participants have not been able to meet important work deadlines at least once (Key Organization Systems, 2011). It has been observed that those who do not manage their time effectively often end up working extra hours in order to complete the assigned tasks (Warner, 2002). Time is money and the more one invests in his/her time, the more the rewards. Managing time allows people to work smarter and to get more things done in a limited amount of time. It helps to refine efforts and to focus them on the achievement of goals and objectives. This would include earning more or augmenting work performance. Time management books and seminars are available with tips and action plans to improve the way one uses time. In order to manage time, one must firstly make a resolve to follow time management steps. This encompasses the inculcation of self-discipline and will power. One of the essentials of time management is prioritizing. An hour of planning saves up ten hours of doing. Kahle (2002) observes that prioritizing tasks according to their importance allows a person to do the most important and urgent tasks in a limited period of time. For this purpose, one should take a moment to pause and reflect which tasks need to be finished urgently and cannot be delayed. Moreover, daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly plans need to be made (Warner, n.d.). Planning should follow the 80/20 rule, i.e. putting 20% input to get 80% output. Also, one must leave room for any unanticipated happenings. For managers, this means one-fourth of their work time. Lastly, one must evaluate the results. If one improves, he/she will automatically feel motivated to further manage time well. Part B My goal for this semester would be to overcome my deficits at time management and to make every second count. I aim to meet my deadlines and to complete all daily tasks at their designated time. My SMART goals development objectives are as follows: Specific: I will spend a reasonable amount of time planning. I will make a list of all the urgent and important tasks that I have to do during the day, prioritizing them and setting time limits for them. Roughly, effective work time= 12 hours 8.30-11am= class lectures 11-12am= study time 12-1.00pm= lunch break + relax time 1.00-3.45pm= class lectures 3.45-4.15pm= go home; eat Till 5.00pm= take a nap 5.00-6.20pm= do assignments- specify which ones. Till 7.00pm= exercise 7.00-8.30pm= study time 8.30pm onwards= food/spend time with family/surf the Net/Facebook Measurable: I will keep a check list of which tasks I finished on time and which I procrastinated or mismanaged. Attainable: I normally do have fixed times for certain tasks such as exercising, studying etc. Being organized and doing these tasks in an orderly fashion will be attainable if I divide my time wisely. Relevant: Time management will allow me to be more confident about myself. I will have a sense of accomplishment at meeting deadlines and managing my tasks. Timely: The routine mentioned here will be strictly adhered to for two months. By then I will to learn the art of time management and get out of the habit of procrastination. Stress Management Part A Stress has been defined from different aspects and is interpreted in different contexts. For some, it is a mere inner state; for others, it is an observable behavior. In order to manage stress, one must track down the determinants of stress. These include distinguishing physiologic reactions to an activity (i.e. responding more stressfully than other people), occurrence of events that are negative or unexpected in nature, and having a lot of work load but with less time to complete it (Warner, 2002). Stress can have adverse effects on the body both directly and indirectly. It can cause anxiety, heart problems like palpitations and increased heart rate, abnormal behavior like agoraphobia, depression and schizophrenia. Stress also leads to burn out, eczema, ulcers, alopecia and diarrhea (Yousef, 2005). Generally, stress management is taught well through workshops (Yousef, 2005). In order to cope with stress, one needs to instill positivity and optimism. It is easier to fight off stress if the health of the individual is good. One’s daily nutrition and general lifestyle determines the mental and physical health and improving upon them can allow for better management of stress (Zaidi, 2011). Thoughts and tasks that accrue stress and frustration must be abandoned. Discovering the type of person one is, and tackling the determinants of stress and their causes can prove to be a preventive measure. Think positive thoughts and take time out to relax (Yousef, 2005). Part B The SMART skills development objective is to manage my stress. I normally do not take more stress than other people but if I am not well-prepared for exams and am not able to manage my school work, I get stressed out and tensed. So, my aim is to reduce my stress levels by eradicating the cause and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Specific: Give one hour everyday for exam preparation for 15 days before exams to reduce exam-induced stress. On the weekend, I can attend a stress management workshop. Reward myself if I do well. Measurable: Given the course I have to cover for exams, I can assign pre-exam study of 15 days. I will mark on the calendar which days I studied and when I attended the workshop. Attainable: Stress management for me is about managing my time well and developing a positive attitude. I can attain it, as studies document above, by attending workshops and instilling will power and positivity in myself. Relevant: Stress management will help me score well on my exams and live a healthy life. Timely: I can evaluate the effects of my accomplishments when the exams take place. Motivating Self Part A Motivation is regarded as a mental process whereby the drive is obtained to direct human behavior (Vallabhaneni, 2009). Having self-motivation is important and is necessary to pursue one’s goals and dreams and to improve job performance. Lack of consistent self-motivation may make a project that seemed important in the start look like a complete waste of time and effort later on. One of the essentials of achieving self-motivation is to be keenly aware of the value the task has to oneself (Whiteside, 2011). In the domains of learning, students who are motivated to learn are intrinsically motivated. They comprehend the value of acquiring knowledge and are not merely seeking to outperform peers. They find their subjects interesting and feel content at spending time on them. However, it is necessary to have the willpower along with knowledge and motivation to tap onto the key to success (Woolfolk, 2004). To develop intrinsic motivation, one should be able to appreciate why he/she needs to perform a certain task and to see the advantages that can be derived from it. Motivation can come in different forms- through accomplishment, feedback, incentive and task (Reid, 2007). To be intrinsically motivated, one must set a goal and establish the value it has to oneself. All detractors and negative influences that discourage one from achieving the goal should be avoided. When faced with second thoughts, focus on the importance of the task and the benefits that can be derived from it and keep reminding oneself of it day in and day out (Whiteside, 2011). Exert will power and do not get put off by any short-term failures. Also, interacting with people who are positively motivated for a similar goal also helps to boost self motivation (Reid, 2007). Part B My SMART goal would be to develop self motivation for school and other activities such as time and stress management. Specific: Spend 2 hours time daily reflecting on the importance of my education to career and the need to organize my daily activities in order to be motivated. Remind myself periodically of the need to do the certain task. Measurable: Keep a daily journal of my motivational level. What things unmotivated me and which days did I felt motivated. If I see that there is a general improvement in my motivational level and I feel less frustrated or dissatisfied, then the goal has been achieved. Attainable: Self motivation for me is about inculcating a positive feeling towards my education. It requires only a certain degree of self discipline and will power. Relevant: Self motivation translates into higher work performance. It allows one to become a self-regulated learner and to feel positive generally. Timely: I can give myself a time of one month to see how well I am cultivating self motivation. Reference List Kahle, D. (2006). 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople: Gain the Competitive Edge and Make Every Second Count. New Jersey: Career Press. Key Organization Systems. (2011). Time Management Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.keyorganization.com/time-management-statistics.php#multitasking Lakein, A. (1989). How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. Reid, G. (2007). Motivating Learners in the Classroom: Ideas and Strategies. Paul Chapman Publishing. Vallabhaneni, D. (2009). Whats Your MBA IQ: A Managers Career Development Tool. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Warner, C. (2002). Time Management for Managers. Retrieved from www.charleswarner.us/TimeManagement-Mgt.ppt Whiteside, R. (2011). The Importance Of Finding Out What Motivates You. Retrieved from http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/the-importance-of-finding-out-what-motivates-you/ Woolfolk, A. (2004). Educational Psychology. Delhi: Pearson Education India. Yousef, G. S. (2005). Stress Management. Cairo: Pathways to Higher Education. Zaidi, S. (2011). Stress Cure Now: A Powerful 3-step Plan to Cure Stress Without Medications. USA: Sarfraz Zaidi. Read More