Personal Development Plan and Personal Improvement - Coursework Example

Introduction Critical analysis of one’s strengths and weakness and identifying areas for personal improvement is quite crucial in professional and personal excellence. The personal development plan has to be developed in accordance to this critical analysis. The objective of this report is to critically analyze my strengths and weaknesses and to identify areas of improvement. A personal development plan based on this assessment is included in this report. Continuous assessment of this plan is also important to understand its utility in helping one achieve professional and personal excellence. With regard to this, the progress review of the professional development plan also has been included in this report. The report thus has the objective of developing a strategic plan for improving my employability and other professional skills. Professional Development Plan The first step in developing a professional development plan is to specifically understand the personal strengths and weaknesses. This requires in depth self analysis. The method that I followed to have a personal analysis is to search for evidences in my personal experiences which proves my strengths and weaknesses. Cross reference of this with peer review could help me arrive at conclusions on my strengths and weaknesses pertaining to both professional and personal excellence. Three key areas for intervention were identified as professional development goals after this analysis. The personal goal which has to be achieved is better Time Management skills. A group work goal which has been identified is improvement in interpersonal skills. In terms of academic goals, my limited mastery over Microsoft Excel can potentially constrain my employability skills. Thus mastering Microsoft Excel has been identified as the academic goal. Self Goal: Time Management A cluster of behavior which facilitates productivity and avoids stress is generally termed to be time management (Lay & Schouwenburg, 1993). In the competitive world of today the importance of time management is being largely realized both in the area of management and also as a psychological requirement for every individual. It has been reported that with the increased pace of life, people are suffering from time pressure. The globalised world has set forth advancements in the area of communication and marketing which has in turn put pressure on the employees, students and individuals in terms of time. My experience while working on tight deadlines has often challenged my time management skills. Procrastination and wrong time estimations have often led to serious issues in terms of both professional and personal commitments. Thus achieving better time management skills has been found as a very important requirement. The pressure to keep deadlines and to deal with increasing work load within the limited time available urges to have scientifically designed time management plans. Researchers have been focusing in this area and there are literature available confirming the impact of time management on different areas including management, education and personal life. It has been confirmed that positive approaches on time management results in effective outcomes in terms of the psychological well being of the individual. This in turn results in positive personal outcomes. The primary approach towards effective time management includes time assessment, goal setting, planning and monitoring (Claessens et al., 2007). Observing oneself while engaging in a particular task and reviewing it both quantitatively and qualitatively in terms of time is the primary step which is referred to as time assessment. This gives precise information on the average time taken for a particular task. For instance, time assessment assesses time taken for the individual to travel from residence to the college or to the office. Similar, time estimations on every task involved in the routine of the individual can be closely done through this process. This would serve as an indicator of the effective time required to undertake a specific activity (Claessens et al., 2007). It will also help to calculate the number of effective hours. Time discounting which has been confirmed as a major issue in time management also can be identified here and dealt with (Koch & Kleinmann, 2007). With reference to these tools I have identified the following long term, medium term and long term goals with reference to time management. # Short Term Objectives (Accomplished by ) Medium Term Objectives (Accomplished by ) Long Term Objectives (Accomplished by Graduation date ) 1 Start maintaining a daily log Have an understanding on time required for different set of activities Precise estimation of time required for different set of activities 2 Identity time wasters Minimize time wasters Completely avoid time wasters 3 Create daily to-do list and rough long term to-do-list Able to create precise weekly-to-do list and rough monthly to-do list Able to create precise monthly to-do-list 4 Prioritize the activities in the to- list with reference to their importance and urgency To reduce activities of high urgency and less importance in the daily schedule To minimize activities of high urgency and less importance in the daily schedule 5 Identify methods to make the routine activities faster Minimize time spent on routine activities To have more productive time in each day 6 75% compliance with the to-do-list 85% compliance with the to-do-list 90% compliance with the to-do-list Group Goal: With reference to the group goal, it was identified that I required more interpersonal skills to improve both my academics and my professional competency. The co curricular and curricular requirements demand a lot of interaction with the students and the faculty. It involves extensive exposure to team environments. Here my team work skills become important not only for my personal academic and co curricular objectives but also it affect the performance of the teams as such. In the self assessment, I could realize that I avert myself from taking responsibilities. As of the opinion of Katzenbach and Smith (1993), a team must include a group a people who must share the purpose, take responsibility in accordance to that and hold a feel of mutual responsibility. It must be noted here that the performance of the team becomes the benchmark for the assessment of the individual’s role in the team. Thus the dynamics within the team is very important. According to Wheelan (1999), team dynamics are the invisible forces that operate in a team between different people or groups and it can strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves or performs, and the effects of team dynamics are often very complex. Thus I have realized that it is very important for me to be a good team player and my skills as a leader has to be further nurtured. As the class environment involves students from multicultural backgrounds, it is also a training space for me to be ready for a multicultural professional environment. Christopher & Diana (1996, p75) have mentioned seven factors concerning to the human relationships including time, space, odors, frankness, intimacy of relationships, values and expression of emotions. By training myself in working in a team I would automatically improve on my sense of all these seven factors. Thus I have identified the following long term, medium term and long term goals with reference to team work. # Short Term Objectives (Accomplished by ) Medium Term Objectives (Accomplished by ) Long Term Objectives (Accomplished by Graduation date ) 1 Involve in 3 group discussions involving academic contexts Involve in 10 group discussions involving academic contexts Involve in 10 group discussions involving academic contexts 2 Interact with 2 new people per day Interact with 4 new people per day Interact with 4 new people per day 3 Identify 2 people from different cultural contexts and interact with them Establish good personal connections with 5 people from different cultural contexts Able to understand culture specific aspects in interpersonal relationships and be comfortable with cross cultural interactions 4 Take the lead to help a classmate on an academic issue Take the lead to help 2 classmates on an academic issue Take the lead to help 10 classmates on an academic issue Academic Goal: Microsoft Excel In the academic context, knowledge in Microsoft Excel is counted as an important skill. I was both qualitatively and quantitatively proved to be poor ion this as I failed in one of the basic tests in Microsoft Excel. It has also been observed that this limitation is affecting my academic performance as mastery in this software would give me a competitive advantage in achieving my academic goals. I would also save a lot of time in computing if I have an expertise in this specific office automation software. Thus I have identified the following long term, medium term and long term goals with reference to developing my knowledge in Microsoft Excel. # Short Term Objectives (Accomplished by 15th ) Medium Term Objectives (Accomplished by 15th ) Long Term Objectives (Accomplished by Graduation date ) 1 Read 1 chapter per day on a book on Microsoft Excel and prepare notes on the key concepts. Complete reading a book on Microsoft Excel and prepare notes on the key concepts. Complete reading 5 books on Microsoft Excel and compile the notes on the key concepts. 2 Work on a single excel sheet with simple formulas Work on multiple single excel sheet applying all formulas available in the software Devise a complete office accounts automation package using excel 3 Communicate with a company to seek an internship and training in accounting using Excel Complete the internship and training in accounting using Excel Ability to handle all applications of Microsoft excel 4 Identify and Join a blog which discusses on Excel Contribute 2 articles weekly in the blog Publish an academic paper on the scope of excel in accounting 5 Identify 2 friends and start discussions and combined study on Microsoft Excel Help 5 students who are weak in Microsoft Excel Develop a tutorial wing for students who are weak in Microsoft Excel Section 2: Progress Review It is important that the progresses against the goals which are set are continuously reviewed. This review provides a clear status on the personal status on the strengths and weaknesses which were identified in the personal review. Time Management To investigate the effectiveness of the time plan implementation, it is important to monitor the effectiveness of the implementation. Many unforeseen and missed out time consumers were identified in this stage. This process will help to confirm the effectiveness of the time plan and would help in thorough checks of the time plan (Claessens et al., 2007). I could identify new factors which had to be included in the time assessment. I realized that the processes involved in time management are cyclic and mutually contribute to each other. I am successfully maintaining the time log and to-do-list. However, initially it was very difficult to precisely follow the to-do-list as many of the estimations went wrong. There is observable difference in the effective time I have during the day. I have identified a number of shortcuts and techniques which reduces a lot of time on my routine activities. Team Work This was tremendously challenging as I had to initially come across intense inhibitions to involve in activities as set in the goals. However, I could successfully involve with co curricular and curricular groups. Gradually the process of working in terms became easier. However, when it comes to newer groups, especially from different cultural contexts there is evident hesitation. I am gradually taking up leadership roles in the groups. I am now able to interact with new people and am able to maintain the objectives as set in the goals. I am able to involve in new academic conversations every day. It gives me opportunity to interact with strange people almost on a daily basis. I am reading a lot on new academic contexts so as to be able to contribute confidently during discussions. Microsoft Excel I am extensively reading on the software. I am able to complete a book and prepare bullet points on the summary for quick reference. Now I am able to handle basic accounting operations on excel sheets. I worked in a construction company called AlQaed constriction, in the account and finance section which helped me with my understanding excel Section 3: Long-term Plan of Action Long Term Objectives (Accomplished by Graduation date ) Self : Time Management Precise estimation of time required for different set of activities Completely avoid time wasters Able to create precise monthly to-do-list To minimize activities of high urgency and less importance in the daily schedule To have more productive time in each day 90% compliance with the to-do-list Group Goal : Team Work Involve in 10 group discussions involving academic contexts Interact with 4 new people per day Able to understand culture specific aspects in interpersonal relationships and be comfortable with cross cultural interactions Take the lead to help 10 classmates on an academic issue Academic Goal : Written Communication Complete reading 5 books on Microsoft Excel and compile the notes on the key concepts. Devise a complete office accounts automation package using excel Ability to handle all applications of Microsoft excel Publish an academic paper on the scope of excel in accounting Develop a tutorial wing for students who are weak in Microsoft Excel Conclusion The process review that I conducted on the PDP has revealed that the focused goal based approach in the processing of achieving competencies has been found to be very promising. A long term plan of action has been formulated. The structured perusal of long term plan of action will ensure my improved employability and personal effectiveness. References Christopher E & Diana R 1996, International excellence: Seven Breakthrough Strategies for personal and professional success, Kodansha International, New York p.75 Claessens, B. J. C., Van Eerde,W., Rutte, C. G., & Roe, R. A. , 2007. A review of the time management literature. Personnel Review, 36, p.255 Katzenbach, J R & Smith, D, K, 1993, The Wisdom of teams, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. Koch, C. J., & Kleinmann, M., 2002. A stitch in time saves nine: Behavioral decision making Explanations for time management problems. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11, 199–217. Lay, C.H., & Schouwenburg, H.C.,1993. Trait procrastination, time management, and academic behavior. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 84(4), p.647-662. Wheelan, S ,1999, Creating Effective Teams: A guide for members and leaders, Sage Publication Ltd, London: Read More