Skills to Develop So That I Can Achieve Career Advancement - Assignment Example

Student Name: Institution: Course ID-Course Name Module x, Assignment x Instructor Name Date Bachelor of Business Management is an undergraduate program designed to instill students with skills that are needed to be a leader in the business and corporate world. Business managers primary mandate is to guide other employees in order for the organization to make profits. Profit maximization entails, taking every department into serious consideration and organizing everyone, working with everyone synergistically for the purpose of business growth and market penetration. Business managers learn very many skills in the University Example, (sales, marketing, finance, accounting, human resource management, etc). However, it is crucial that these skills need to be supplemented by natural interpersonal skills so as to perform duties more efficiently. For instance, a manager should be in a position to accept personal criticism from his/her subordinates, know every employee well and develop vital social skills, be honest, develop close relationships with the employees and most of all make good decisions. Blanchard, K (1982). Google is an organization that puts employees’ welfare in high regard. After graduation, I would like to join Google for my internship and later, hopingly, I will land a long term job. Google has started a Singapore hub that primary focus is to develop software that works on Google Android operating system, which powers many smartphones and tablets in the world. The software engineers will work in to develop next-generation technologies for mobile data management, local communities, payments, commerce, connectivity, job search and education. Tham, (2016). New products and services will aim at users in emerging markets, that is, Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Philippines. Google’s Singapore office is its Asia-Pacific headquarters and it will focus on business development, sales, and marketing. These operations will need Business Managers, and I am looking forward to being part of the team. Tham, (2016). Q1A. Skills to Develop So That I Can Achieve Career Advancement. There are some skills, capabilities, qualities or characteristics that are essential to achieve career advancement or performance advancement. In my case, in the next five years after graduation. These factors can be categorized as; Personal, Business, Communication, and Relationship qualities. Self-Motivation- This is the ability to get yourself going, take control of expected situations and the tasks ahead. Self-motivation is a very vital personal characteristic because a manager must e self-motivated so that he/she can gain trust from the other employees. Optimism- A good manager needs to build an optimistic attitude that will help build the morale of the employees. A positive attitude contributes to inspire others, and they feel good about trying their best to help get things done and actually to get them done. Delegation and Organization- Business Managers, should be able to know when to delegate duties to the employees and particularly know who, when, what, why, which and how the task should be done. Organization entails on keeping track of projects, employees, and assignments so that these can be properly arranged and taken care of successfully. Public Speaking- A good manager should possess the communication quality of sound public speaking. He/she should be able to pronounce words well, concisely pass the intended ideas/message, and most importantly involve the audience. He/she can try to blend in some informal cues for instance stories or comedy so as to ease off seriousness and make the audience relaxed. Customer Service- This is a critical relationship quality because an organization exists because of the customers. A good manager should learn how to relate well to the customers, be inviting and have enough courtesy, and see things in the client’s perspective. B. How to Use Formal and Non-Formal Learning Methods to Develop Managerial Skills. Formal learning refers to the learning that occurs in an organization within an organized and structured context (formal education, in-company training), which is designed for learning. It is mostly recognized by a certificate, diploma or degree. It is intentional from the learner and is required for job entry. Non-Formal learning refers to the learning that is in the form of in structured programs that aim at developing skills and knowledge required in workplaces, communities, and individuals. These learning methods are not necessarily designated as learning, but they contain essential learning elements. Customer service is a crucial skill that a Business Manager should possess. As stated earlier, customers are the main reason why businesses exist; In this case, Google Company exists because of its internet users, electronic purchasers and all type of customers that purchase their services. Patience is one of the non-formal skills that a manager can develop. This comes along due to the constant contact with frustrated and hard to handle customers. Attentiveness is both a formal and non-formal method whereby the manager needs to be extra careful so that they can know what the customer really wants. Clear communication skills are needed and this requires a manager to clearly state what they mean either formally or informally. Technical terms need to be put clear here. Knowledge of the product is a formal method that a manager needs to know in order to deliver quality customer service by providing correct answers to questions regarding the products (Google products). Acting skills should be put into high consideration because some customers can be very annoying. So, the way you react to these grumpy people actually tells a lot. Managers should always be cheerful and ignore nuisance customers. This is a formal skill supported by informal skills due to experience. Time management is another skill that requires managers not to waste time in areas that won’t be productive. Finally, Business Managers should be always goal oriented; this is a formal method that will require a manager to always focus on profit maximization. Ciotti, (2013). Public speaking is another managerial skill that needs perfection because it plays a very important role in providing an impression on personal abilities as a manager. The main reason why I have chosen public speaking is because it will build my reputation, improve my self confidence and open up more opportunities. Formally, it can be stated that public speaking needs proper prior planning so that you can precisely know what you’re going to talk about and how you are going to deliver the speech. Non-formally, it can help a great deal if you involve the audience for example by storytelling. Practice makes perfect. A good manager needs to practice regularly in order to be good at it. There are formal classes that teach how to make good speeches but again non-formally, one can seek opportunities to speak to the public in order to develop personal public speaking skills. Paying attention to body language is important because it gives the audience clues of who you are. If you’re nervous, the audience will know. Standing straight, taking deep breaths, eye contact and smiling are some of the important things to note. Positive thinking makes you more confident so business managers need it to deliver quality speeches. Finally, self-motivation which is the power that drives managers to keep moving on must prevail. Managers must keep on learning, achieving and progressing. Non-formally, as business manager at Google, I need to constantly communicate with the senior managers who can act as my mentors in my journey as a great manager. Formally, I can attend seminars and career fairs in order to learn managerial skills from renowned managers and scholars. Optimism is also important even in tough situations. I should understand the good in bad. Self-motivation is all about the things that one has interest in. As a manager, I need to understand my goals and keep my lane while avoiding disruptions. Self-acknowledgement can be taught formally and executed non-formally as a manager gains experience. For instance, knowing your strengths and weaknesses will play a big role in self-acknowledgement. Monitoring and recording progress and success is important for self-motivation. When success prevails then confidence rises. Motivating others, especially the employees help in self-motivation because you feel good about yourself when people you motivate perform well. Q2A. Activities That Demonstrate How Leadership Learning Can Take Place Outside Classroom Management. While leadership skills learned in the classroom are important, it is also important that applying the skills in real world situations leads to a robust all-rounded education. Project Management- Teamwork and organization, setting goals and managing tasks are some of the essential activities that contribute to leadership learning. Skills that are acquired from project management include; budget management- A team needs a budget manager to manage the finances and make sure the project is funded well, organizational skills- Leaders need to organize the activities and assign duties accordingly to the team members, team building motivation is a key factor in improving the performance of the team members, proactive leadership- A leader should take part in the project so as to motivate the team members, conflict resolution- In case of conflicts, a leader should take a neutral position and solve the problem, task management tasks at hand need to be finished within the set standards and time, strategic planning- A good leader always has future plans for the team, there should be a direction , volunteer management- A leader’s willingness to volunteer plays a very important role in influencing the members. Civic Involvement- Getting involved in the community activities is a good way to learn and exercise leadership skills and give back to the community. Showing up in community meetings, organizing local campaigns, leading in charity works and community empowerment projects. This helps a leader in developing networking, communication, and project management skills. Valuing others by interacting with them, fulfilling civic duties which are a call for humanity, building long-term relationships, exposing oneself to diversity and adversity and experiencing real world are the skills that can be obtained from civic involvement. Networking- Joining clubs that can take a BA student to international conferences, attending events with community leaders, exchange programs are some of the leadership activities that can create networks. Networking paves way for huge business opportunities. Interacting with others, interpersonal skills, creating long lasting relationships, creating value for others, making friends, establishing professional identity as a personal brand, quality relationship over quantity and assistance to others are the skills learnt fro networking. B. Benefits of Informal Learning as an Alternative to Formal Methods Informal learning is an autonomous type of education. Learners get knowledge from multiple sources, and choose what to believe. It is not limited to individuals without formal knowledge. Professionals turn to informal learning to enlighten themselves and increase their corporate efficacy. Formal learning is the college diploma, bachelor’s degree or standardized certifications according to a set institution. Formal learners have no choice of time or courses to take. Skills are set the official way. Informal learning has the following benefits for formal education. Getting the information you need is easy with the automated devices and the powerful media available today. There are not standards to undertake education, all one needs is the willingness to learn. White-collar working adults enjoy this benefit most since they have the knowledge and skills to handle these devices as opposed to blue-collar workers who may have limitation in knowledge. Informal learning is more relaxing and less threatening because there is no pressure or stress from exams or projects completion deadlines. This benefits both white-collar and blue-collar workers because, in both occupations, they are free and relaxed as opposed to their usual learning environments where schedules, standards, and assessments are set by the authorities. Informal learning is just like natural learning whereby one chooses what to learn according to their lifelong individual needs. White-collar workers can choose a different career path or knowledge base by informal learning whereas for blue-collar workers it is not really the case since one needs to enrich their already available skills in order to perform better in work. With informal learning, there is little or no resistance to learning. Individuals choose their learning path. Both white-collar and blue-collar workers can choose what they want to learn, so this benefits them in the same manner. Excitement and curiosity take the places of boredom and procrastination. There are little or no cost and time barriers. This favors mostly the adult white-collar workers since they can choose interesting topics to learn but blue-collar workers have to stick to learning things that relate to their type of work. References Anonymous. (2011). 25 Qualities and Characteristics of a good Manager. Retrieved from, Management.org: http://www.phdinmanagement.org/25-qualities-and-characteristics-of-a-good-manager.html Blanchard, K. (1982). The One Minute Manager. New York: William Morrow. Gregory Ciotti. (2013). 15 Customer Service Skills That Every Employee Needs. Retrieved from, Help Scout: https://www.helpscout.net/blog/customer-service-skills/ Irene Tham, (2016). Internet Giant Recruiting Software Engineers to Support Goal of Reaching Next Billion Users. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/tech/google-on-hiring-drive-to-set-up-singapore-hub John Laskaris, (2016). 6 Benefits of Informal Learning. Retrieved from. Talentlms: http://www.talentlms.com/blog/6-benefits-of-informal-learning/ Read More