Individual Skills Portfolio - Book Report/Review Example

 Individual Skills Portfolio Introduction To effectively improve skills, namely soft skills such as interpersonal development, inter-group competencies and cooperation (Business Balls 2014), it is necessary to explore strengths and weaknesses which underpin knowledge of more effective relationships between employee and employer. This skills assessment utilises the Johari Window model, namely aspects of soft skills development related to open, blind and hidden characteristics which provide the basis for personal reflection on what skills are superior and which require development. The open quadrant The open quadrant of the Johari Window model reflects characteristics known both to the self and to peers and these aspects were revealed through forum discussion. Empathy toward others was a dominant, superior skill understood by the self and peers. Empathy, especially in a leadership position, builds trust within a group. Acceptance of others’ ideas and illustrating faith in group members’ decision-making competency serves as a foundation for trust (Fracaro 2006). In a workplace, trust creates commitment, passion and followership (Humanity at Work 2010). I have always maintained a flexible viewpoint when it comes to considering the ideas and problem-solving approaches of others. Peers in group discussion reinforced that I exhibited many characteristics of a person that is empathic toward others, always asking for insight and suggestions from group members. I believe that empathy is a tremendous strength, especially in a workplace environment where building a committed and dedicated organisational culture is important for achieving competitive advantage for a company and enhancing leadership effectiveness (Martinuzzi 2014). I have never been an autocratic individual that simply makes decisions and expects others to follow my mandates. In honest self-reflection, an area related to empathy that I believe requires development is in forgiveness. I am, personally, an individual that demands top performance and achievement in everything I undertake. I rationally think about whether a certain decision has consequences and put forth superior effort to ensure a task or project is completed competently. When others make mistakes, I find myself resentful that people were not more careful or put forth the type of motivation that a task demands which impacts the quality of future relationships with one who has exhibited failure or lack of motivation. To be an effective leader, I will need to recognise that not all peers or subordinates will be as driven to excellence in comparison to myself and make sure not to hold grudges which could erode future relationship quality. The open area that I believe is most inferior and requires development is idealism. Peers in the group informed me that I am very logical and rational and tend to question more creative problem solving opportunities. I, too, have felt that this prevents me from being more innovative and creative. In businesses today, idealism supports creating innovative products, services and systems that help a business evolve to changing market conditions. I will work on being more flexible in creativity so vital to a business’ competitive advantage and try not to always focus on the rationality of a situation and avoid potential risk in decision-making. Some of the most successful business entrepreneurs are willing to take risks to get a larger return-on-investment for a new idea or business solution and both peers and I believe that I need to be less rigid in risk avoidance and more ideal rather than always practical and sensible. I will practice the art of brainstorming to be more inventive and creative so as to become a more valuable employee. The blind spot quadrant Factors in the blind spot quadrant of the Johari Window model are known to others, but not known to the self. Group members labelled me as being very dependable, such as being a good organizer, getting things done on time, and one that can be relied on to provide relevant and meaningful feedback when requested. I was surprised by this as I always felt my weakness was procrastination and having problems with effective time management. This sparked me to begin thinking about how dependability could be a strength in business relationships. A quality team needs an individual that can organize activities effectively and a leader that is willing to provide feedback about others’ performance or their ideas. The group members were so firm that this was a personal strength, whilst I always held a differing opinion about my personal dependability. By having employees identify this strength, it built up a sense of self-confidence and esteem about being an effective manager which had not existed prior to having this pointed out to me. Confidence and self-esteem are critical in presentational skills and group work (and as a leader). I have decided to research strategies for how to exploit an inherent dependability to better develop how to apply this trait in real-world business situations. From a negative perspective, however, the group labelled me as being too dependent on the opinion and ideas of others before making a decision. This surprised me, as I had always considered myself self-motivated and capable of making independent decisions without having to rely on the socio-professional environment. This could have drawbacks as an employee in a group or as a business leader. Too much dependency on the sentiment and ideas of others could complicate becoming an assertive leader which is respected by executive managers that demand aggressive management. It could even impact customer relationships as having a reliance on others could slow decision-making processes in a situation where customers need instant and effective decisions. I have determined it would be a good idea to explore socio-psychological studies on developing assertiveness and being less considerate of the social environment as a leader or manager to help develop more independence and self-determination in decision-making situations. Yet another negative trait not known to me was too much modesty. I discovered that peers have faith in my talents and knowledge and trust in the way that I assess situations. The group felt that I should exhibit more pride in my talents and accomplishments which would strengthen a willingness to follow me as a leader. I have determined that I should explore strategies for illustrating pride in my capabilities which will be critical to make sure that managers in a business trust in my ideas and decisions. There have been situations at Simply Mobile Ltd. where my suggestions for change were rejected. Perhaps by being less modest, I can gain more positive attention and interest in my concepts. This could be an important factor that predicts promotional opportunities. The hidden quadrant In this area, peers did not realise that I maintained a minor fear of public speaking, meaning that I maintained a hidden characteristic of being less extroverted. The group was very surprised and felt that I seemed outgoing and lively when dealing with others socially. I have always maintained this apprehension about public discussion, especially in large groups that have their full attention focused on me. This could have many complications as a manager or leader in a business environment that will be expected to present metrics or productivity reports in group environments with other managers. To develop this, I will practice making small-scale presentations with family and friends to that I become comfortable with being the centre of attention. There have been many situations at my workplace where I have skipped meetings because I did not wish to participate in group discussions. The group also did not perceive that I have another negative hidden trait, which is allowing myself to become stressed in difficult situations. I like to maintain control over my work and personal environment and in group situations, where I have to rely on others to get a task completed, I easily grow frustrated having to depend on the capabilities and talents of other group members. This translates into short-term decline in motivation and commitment. The group, however, perceived that I was very focused and did not readily believe that I can be easily upset or aggravated. As an employee or manager that must work in group settings, I will have to rely on others regularly. Failure to meet their tasks or meet deadlines cannot allow me to grow de-motivated or irritated as it affects my own performance and productivity. To develop this skill, I have decided to practice delegating at work and in academic life (where possible) so that I become accustomed to coping with delays in meeting task deadlines or general performance problems. By delegating and allowing others to take on more responsibility, I can gain experience in not allowing minor hold-ups or complications from impacting my own sense of emotional control. I recognise that my moods also change when irritated and stressed which could impact the quality of communications in the workplace. I have decided that I would begin exploring literature from the field of psychology or sociology that gives tips and suggestions about how to cope effectively with stress and remain focused. One final hidden aspect was humour. My group felt that I was witty and interesting, however I recognise that my rational and logical traits make my wit somewhat dry. When reflecting on development opportunities, I thought that practicing jokes with friends could improve my funny side which is important in the socio-professional relationship. Not all work situations demand dry professionalism and improving my humour could make employees and peers more willing to build strong interpersonal relationships. Conclusion Recognising one’s strengths and weaknesses helps to create strategies to dramatically improve problems and build on competencies. The Johari Window and group discussion helped to identify how others perceive me in a social and professional context so that I could be a more effective employee and leader. It seems my strengths and weaknesses are rather balanced and it launched ideas about how to pursue strategies on bettering my soft skills effectively. References Business Balls. (2014). Johari Window: Ingham and Luft’s Johari Window model diagrams and examples – for self-awareness, personal development, group development and understanding relationships. [online] Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.htm (accessed 14 February 2015). Fracaro, K.E. (2006). Building relationships powered by empathy, Contract Management (August). [online] Available at: http://www.ncmahq.org/files/Articles/74A62_CM0806_C01_-_ProD.pdf (accessed 13 February 2015). Humanity at Work. (2010). Humanity – the real leadership KPI. [online] Available at: http://www.humanityatwork.ca/leadership/humanity-the-real-leadership-kpi/ (accessed 14 February 2015). Martinuzzi, B. (2014). What’s empathy got to do with it? [online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_75.htm (accessed 14 February 2015). Read More