Developing the Right Competence - Case Study Example

1. Professional development Introduction Developing competences is an essential process and aspect for professionals in contemporary business and market environments. By developing competencies, professionals are able to create and enhance value in what they do and are equipped with adequate and necessarily psychosocial resources such as skills, knowledge and abilities that are essential in improving their competitive edge and meeting intricate personal and professional demands and pressures (Velde, 2000). Individuals develop their competencies in training institutions and while working. It is in the process of developing one’s competence that individuals understand their strong and weak points which is crucial in helping them to capitalize on their strengths and ameliorate their weaknesses in order to take advantage of available opportunities, make better decisions and effectively and efficiently solve problems (Spencer & Spencer, 2008). Developing the right competence is essential in acquiring the right job description, negotiating for appropriate employment terms, integrating effectively in existing working groups and enhancing one’s ability to collaborate with others towards achieving a common goal. According to Whiddett & Hollyforde (2003, p.144), competencies are established conducts, skills, knowledge and proficiencies that impact on the output and performance of employees and firms, which can be quantified and improved through training and learning opportunities. Owing to the important role developing competences plays in professional and personal life of an individual, this report seeks to highlight my personal and professional development by assessing my current ability, potential applications and core concepts of varied attributes in different competencies. The attributes and respective competencies that would be highlighted includes managing stress and personal resilience in self management competencies, team skills in interpersonal competencies, receiving feedback in self development competencies, leadership style in personal leadership competencies and valuing diversity in engaging with others competencies. Self Development Matrix Competency Current Ability Potential Applications Core Concepts Self-Management Competencies managing stress & personal resilience Managing stress has been one of the competences I have had difficulty mastering especially on how to separate stress from my personal life with my professional one. Nevertheless, I have acquired the potency to reduce and relieve stress in both learning and working through personal resilience and training myself on how to calm down, relax, and worry less over things that I cannot change and being flexible and adaptable to changes. This is because inflexibility to changes is the main source of stress in my learning and working. I am seen by my colleagues as the moderator of the team My ability to manage stress and personal resilience will be crucial in helping me handle present and future work and education related pressures, being able to effectively and efficiently function in complex situations and fundamental for me when handling strenuous issues without losing my resolve, diligence, patience and professionalism. Moreover, the competence is applicable in helping others manage their own stress and thus, enhancing a stress-free working environment which initiates teamwork, cohesiveness, collaboration and quality performance. Through practice, I anticipate to manage stress better in the future. According to (Russell & Rusell 2006), personal resilience is the source of self-assurance, visioning, flexibility, organization, problem solving, social connectedness and practicality in people. Through resilience, one is able to function effectively amidst severe adversities, which therefore, enhance one’s ability to manage stress. Managing stress and personal resilience are key component in taking risks, managing conflicts, enhancing performance and improving commitment and accountability as stated by (Landy & Conte, 2009). Interpersonal Competencies team skills My team skills have enhanced tremendously as I have learnt how to respect other people’s opinions, delegate tasks as a leader, offer positive criticisms, recognize and appreciate the skills and abilities of others and ensuring I participate and execute my roles as a team member. Moreover, I have developed my sense of loyalty, commitment and accountability to my team. However, I have had difficulty accommodating unruly team members who do not have regard for others, which makes it difficult for me to help them out when they need it, which works contrary to team spirit. Team skills such as respect, loyalty, commitment, collaboration, accountability helping out and appreciating others that I have acquired, will be crucial presently and in future in developing effective teams and team spirit as a leader or as a team member, which will cultivate teamwork, participation, commitment among my teammates. Team skills will help me out during negotiation, debating, solving problems, information sharing and how to motivate others Beyerlein et al.,(2001, p.193) indicates that developing teamwork an essential component of productivity requires team skills that are imperative in developing motivated, empowered, satisfied and participative team players. Effective leadership is characterized by the ability to equip human resources with team skills. Team skills allow team members to be accommodative of each other and hence share more which is crucial in knowledge transfer, problem solving and decision-making (Spencer & Spencer, 2008). Self-Development Competencies receiving feedback My development personally and professionally has been built on the feedback I receive from my own self-assessment and feedback from others about my conduct, attitude, perspectives, principles and ideals. Although I formerly took negative feedback as an indication of my weakness and an attack of whom I am. I have learnt that on the contrary, it is a means for me to know areas that I need to improve on and it is not necessarily an attack of my personality and identity as a person. Through receiving feedback, I can now, in the future effectively, and efficiently give fair and productive feedback on my performance and others without negative criticisms. This entails giving both positive and negative feedback. It is also applicable in reviewing performance, making necessary amendments and using feedback as a benchmark to improve individual and group productivity and performance. Performance appraisal is essential in determining productivity of employees (Garber, 2004). Performance appraisal is made effective through receiving employee information on productivity and giving feedback accordingly. Receiving feedback is only effective when it is done fairly and employees are given both the positive and negative feedbacks as indicated by Velde (2000). Receiving feedback helps in establishing the training need and effectively designing effective solutions Personal Leadership Competencies leadership style For a long time I did not quite understand my style of leadership, through the module, I have learnt that I can easily switch my leadership approach to suit the situation. My greatest competence is as a transformational leader. I am frequently being offered leading roles by my teammates Being able to switch between leadership styles to fit the situation is vital for me in addressing different issues amicably. Transformational leadership will be applicable in inspiring and motivating my team, leading as an example, challenging the status quo, adapting to changes, recognizing and rewarding performers and giving effective feedback. More importantly, it will help me in drawing the best out of others and helping them grow personally as their work develops Leadership is integral in inspiring people and providing direction towards a common goal (Hacker, & Roberts, 2003). Transformational leadership is a favourable style in contemporary environments owing to its flexibility to changes, minding employees as valuable resources and aligning personal goals with business strategies (Hacker, & Roberts, 2003). Engaging with others Competencies valuing diversity Through valuing diversity, I embrace opinions and viewpoints of others. I now work better with team members who are from different cultural, social, religious, academic, political and economic backgrounds from mine. I do not look down on others and I do value the benefits that come with diversity. Minority groups in my class are very willing to approach and work with me on varied issues. Through valuing diversity, I will in the future be able to effectively collaborate and integrate well with people with different outlook and backgrounds from mine especially in the workplace. Moreover, I will be able to safeguard against stereotyping, bullying, prejudice and discrimination of people with diverse views, experiences and backgrounds from mine. Through diversity, I will learn from other’s experiences, share and embrace others Diversity is an essential source of creativity, innovativeness, generating diverse views that help make effective decisions and solve problems (Griggs, & Louw, 1995). Valuing diversity helps improve teamwork, interrelationships, collaboration, participation, job satisfaction and commitment from all stakeholders (Griggs & Louw, 1995). 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