Investigating Self-Regulation and Motivation - Essay Example

Personal Reflection essay Part In the world today, it is becoming particularly important to consider some several areas where we have received an education and then looking at whether the education or training has helped. To reflect on ones’ skills is a very important part of identifying weaknesses and improving on the strengths. In one way or another, the roles we have engaged in contributes a lot to the buildup of our skills and experiences which in turn shapes how we make decisions in the future (Snowden & Boone 2007). In this paper, I will be outlining some of the areas I have worked in and skills I have earned. As a secretary, I learnt a lot in regard to how a business is ran as will be discussed in the paper below. Personally, I believe that it is the places I have been working in that have a toll on how I make decisions. In this paper, we will be doing an academic reflection supposed to underscore the importance of available resources and disciplines. In today’s business world, being able to organize, plan, and being able to meet set goals are very important part of a job (Bryson & Alston 2011). In my case, I have worked as a secretary in an area that required such experiences. As the secretary of a robust enterprise, I was supposed to keep all leader board members and shareholders up to date with decisions and company policies. The reason is if people are not kept in the loop, they tend to waste a lot of time finding up what they are supposed to know yet the issue might be trivial. As a secretary, I was supposed to keep record of all financial transactions. In one way or another, such an attribute is fundamental in operabillity of a firm and should be bolstered (Zimmerman 2008). If a secretary is able to keep a clear record of what is happening in the firm, the manager will find it easy to follow up with progress of each department. Clearly, experience is a good teacher. I have worked in administrative roles before and that has helped me significantly in coping up with different tasks. My work as a committee secretary for 2 years has been a great part of my 15 year experience. While it may not seem as a big deal, the truth is that it is this type of experience that acts as way to learn. The experience was very important in my career as it allowed me understand what a business setup is and how it works. With the experience, I was able to understand the course a new business takes and at what timeframes this changes occur. Such a position also equipped me with other important tools in management a business. Some of the tools involve knowing running expenses and other important things such as the returns after a given input has been made. While it is important to know several of the above areas, I do not find it very convenient when the knowledge one has hinders their ability to grab more or make use of opportunities available to them. Challenges are often a part of success of every given individual. In any case, it is the challenges that unlock some of our hidden potential and equip us with the ability to confront other newer challenges. Still, everybody has strengths and weaknesses but it is how we address them that determine how well we perform in future. My main weakness revolved around time management. The importance of effective time management cannot be overstated. To address the problem, I have attended several seminars and courses that are meant to help candidates manage their time. I also realized I always misjudge what I can and cannot do (Stevenson & Sum 2009). Besides attending lectures, I would still run my business and that was using most of my time. Sometimes I would not be able to strike a balance between the two. Having to man the business and supervise the workers myself meant that I have less time left to attend to other businesses (Kouzes & Posner 2006). This course is invaluable to me as it has given me an understanding on important areas such as work flow and the problems entrepreneurs face, problems I can now be able to handle. Such tools are some of the most important things that running a business entails and fortunately, now I have them since attending the module. Easing one’s pressure is an important way of ensuring development in efficiency. As a secretary, I realized that I would do a lot of work at the end of the day and, unfortunately, that could affect productivity negatively. In my case, I sought the use of supply chain management and the endeavor proved very rewarding. Before joining the module, it is no doubt that I missed knowledge that would have been very useful in my dealing. Currently, however, I have every tool necessary for running a business. Part 2 There are several important issues that come up on looking at the requirements of the project and what, as a student, I have been able to achieve. Initially, I was having a lot of problems managing time but that is no longer the case for me. Now more than ever before, I understand the importance of delegating duties and sticking to those that I am supposed to be attending to, in spite of the fact that I own the enterprise. Such measures are very important for any given business and go a long way in ensuring its success. Without delving deeper into looking at how the module helped me manage time, it is proper to point out that it is through the academic studies that I was able to learn more about my strengths and weaknesses. With that, I came to realize that I was well equipped to handle the volatility in the market. In being able to estimate profits or even the timeframe necessary to complete a given task, the training comes in handy. Without it, I may never have been able to operate a successful business. Reference List Bryson, J. M., & Alston, F. K. (2011). Creating your strategic plan: A workbook for public and nonprofit organizations (Vol. 3). John Wiley & Sons. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2006). The leadership challenge (Vol. 3). John Wiley & Sons. Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leaders framework for decision making. harvard business review, 85(11), 68. Stevenson, W. J., & Sum, C. C. (2009). Operations management (Vol. 8). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background, methodological developments, and future prospects.American Educational Research Journal, 45(1), 166-183. Read More