My Personal and Professional Development - Assignment Example

?Personal and Professional Development Summary of the Job and Chosen Organization: I am currently working in a three-star hotel in the suburbs of London, UK, as a hospitality manager. My primary responsibility here involves providing quality customer service as well as facilitating a friendly environment for them. I am also expected to be polite, calm minded and courteous at all times to the customers and make sure that the front office and housekeeping staff maintain a high quality of customer service and always behave pleasantly with them. In addition, I have to also ensure that all customer complaints are attended to and redressed promptly during any time of the day or night. The hotel is close to the Crystal Palace Theme Park Maze and is ideal for guests, who wish to “explore London” and it has “easy and fast transport” facilities to the city (Queens Hotel Crystal Palace London, 2013). Usually, visitors to London include businesspersons as well as tourists and the guests in the hotel are from the upper middle class group. Being from the educated, upwardly mobile segment, they expect very high quality of service. They also include people from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds and speak different languages. Though most of them speak good English, we often have guests from France, Germany, and South Korea etc who do not like to speak the language. I am somewhat comfortable with French and German but I do not know Korean. However, we have some staff from Asian countries and thus they are able to handle guests who do not speak English. The hotel has a good restaurant that serves multi cuisine and it is popular among many Londoners. It also has a bar and banquet hall. The hotel always has over 60 percent occupancy and it is rated over 4.8 in commercial sites. Thus, overall the quality expectation of the customers is quite high. Task-1 A. Benefits of Self-Managed Learning to Individuals/Organizations and Various Approaches to It: Employees can benefit from self-managed learning by acquiring higher qualifications that will enable them to handle their jobs better. Thus, they can earn promotions or be selected for higher positions in the same company that require higher qualifications. Besides, people who engage in self-managed learning become more confident and will be able to “solve problems on their own” (Beitler, 2005, Ch.4 p.8). Therefore, employees who pursue learning even after they are settled in a job will be able to update their knowledge and skills and will perform well in the respective job positions. This will increase their productivity and they will be able to receive all the benefits that management offers to high performing individuals. In the modern day, with the advent of technology, various changes occur in the workplace and employees need to remain abreast of the developments. Continued self-managed learning or lifelong learning will enable them to acquire knowledge in technology and communication. From an organizational perspective, self managed learning will be highly beneficial as such individuals will be developing their learning without much liability or risk on the part of the company. Acquiring of knowledge by employees will enable them to be better motivated and it becomes advantageous to the organization as such individuals will be able to perform better in the assigned position. This will automatically increase the productivity and profitability of the company. However, evidence suggests that it is better to have a written learning agreement as it will help the employee remain focused and, besides, by incorporating it into the performance appraisal system, the organisation will attain better capability to “promote, reward, capture, and benefit from individual learning” (Beitler, 2005, Ch.4 p.11). In the modern world, technology offers a wide range of approaches for self managed learning in an organisational environment. In order to determine the right approach one should be able to identify and prioritise the “critical learning needs” in the organization (Learning and Development: Identifying Learning Needs in Organizations, 2006, Ch.4 p.3). Learning needs may be in different levels such as organizational needs, individual needs, team needs etc and the employee as well as organization must have a clear idea as to which area the learning has to focus in the case of a particular employee, before determining the approach. Learning can occur in a wide variety of settings such as classroom, teacher-assisted, non-assisted, distance learning, online learning etc. The employee and employer may mutually decide which approach suits best for attaining the specific objectives of the individual as well as organization and then decide on it based on the learning needs analysis. B. Promoting Lifelong Learning in the Context of Personal and Professional Development: Lifelong learning can be a significant tool in an individual’s life as it helps the person in developing his or her skills while working in a job or taking care of a family. In the context of personal development, it helps the person gain confidence and enhances the problem solving skills. Such learning also enables the learner to acquire further knowledge without having to dedicate one’s entire attention to studies at a specific point of time like in the conventional type of college education at a certain age. In the context of profession, a person has to improve his or her skill sets to maintain a high degree of competence in the workplace in a competitive world. It may not be possible for every employee to acquire knowledge through pursuing a formal course by devoting his entire attention to education. This is especially so in the case of people who are working in a full time job. Thus, the best alternative for them is lifelong learning. Organizations need to promote this type of education because it will enhance the skill sets of their employees and thereby increase their productivity. From a personal point of view, the employees will be able to improve their competence and get better jobs within their own organization by promoting lifelong learning. Task 2: A. Personal Skills and Competencies Audit with an Assessment of the Skills Needed to Work Professionally in an Organizational Setting: In my present organization my job position requires me to frequently interact with a wide variety of people from different ethnic and language backgrounds. As mentioned earlier, my main problem is my limited communication skills in French and German languages. An audit of my current skills and competencies also reveals the scope for improvement in accounting and financial management areas, in which I only have a very limited knowledge. Though it is of not much significance to my present job, it will be highly relevant for my future career as an entrepreneur, when I launch the florist business. In addition, I also recognize the need to remain abreast of technological developments and latest trends in customer service management. B. Personal Strength and Weakness Analysis and Identification of Development Needs: My willingness to learn, dedication and commitment are my strengths. Besides, I have the capacity for sustained hard work. One weakness I have is that I find it difficult to understand the principles related to accounting and finance. However, I believe that by enrolling with a good institution I will be able to overcome this. This is the most significant development need for me, though it is not relevant to the immediate future. Since London and neighbouring areas have a lot of good institutions, I have a lot of development opportunities in this city. Learning finance more thoroughly will definitely help me understand the topic more clearly as well as assist me in the management of my business in the future. C. Personal and Professional Development Plan with Specific Development Objectives: To enhance my skills in these areas I will join a language course of six months to one year duration that offers a combination of both German and French languages. I will prefer a teacher assisted course in this area because it will help me verbally communicate with her to attain reasonable mastery in spoken skills. This course will also benefit my midterm objective of launching the business of a florist in London as I will have to interact with people from different cultures in this business also. I will pursue a long term course of 1-2 years duration in financial management as this is a core area for my future objectives. For this, I will prefer an online course as personal interaction with the faculty is not of much importance for learning financial management. Additionally, I will keep improving my interpersonal skills and customer management skills through referring to various books and journals on the topic as well as making use of the internal training system within my organisation. I will also keep a track of various technological changes that occur in the business environment and learn the emerging technologies relevant to the area of my job and future business. Task 3: A. Implementing Personal and Professional Development Plan – Process and Key Activities: I understand the need for implementing a proper plan and selecting appropriate learning “strategies based on the intended outcomes” to achieve success in my endeavours (Planning, Implementation and Evaluation of Professional Development, 2002, p.238). The first priority in the implementation process is the identification of the appropriate institute which conducts the most feasible programmes in language that meets my learning requirements and then applying for it. Once admission is secured, I will work a schedule of attending the class, studying and for meeting other commitments related to the class. I will have to follow the same processes for the Accounting and Finance Management Course also. The activities will include attending the class, doing scheduled assignments that are intended to improve my language skills including reading, writing, listening etc. In addition, to improve my overall language skills in German and French, I will buy additional reading material like story books, watch movies and other programmes in these languages. For learning the basics of accountancy and finance management, I will buy some books as well as take the guidance of my colleagues who are currently working in finance management. Once I join the course, I will make full use of the learning facilities by scheduling my commitments systematically and will work on the plans timely by devoting extra hours. B. Critical Evaluation of the Process, Reflecting on the Learning against Expected Aims and Objectives and a Review of the Plan Based on Feedback: Proper management of time and “evaluating own performance” are crucial elements in the success of my plan (Stewart, 2007, p.61). Thus, I will evaluate each process with reference to the outcomes intended at each stage. I will accord priority to evaluating the process by which I have planned my daily study routine, which will enable me to understand whether objectives of learning that I have set out in the plan are being accomplished. This will also enable me to know the shortfalls, which I will make good by working in the relevant area, devoting extra time if necessary. The learning plan will be the reference point for the evaluation and each item in the plan will be checked against the improvement that I can notice in my skill sets as well as the time element dedicated for each. Additionally, I will obtain feedback from my language teacher on my improvements or set goals and compare it with my plan to make sure that the learning really occurs as set out in the original plan. I will apply the same process to the accounting and finance management course through obtaining feedback from the online course faculty from time to time and checking it with my plan of study for the course. Task 4: A. An Investigation of Work Based Problems and Suggested Solutions: The concept of competence relies on the “knowledge, skills and personal qualities” that I require for my job position and how well I translate these traits into the service I provide my customers (Hardacre & Schneider, 2007, p.15). My work based problem primarily relate to my lack of skills in French and German languages, that albeit to a small extent, does affect the way I interact with the guests in the hotel. Though this does not constitute any major problems, I will be able to serve the clients in a better way if I acquire better skills in these languages. Besides, the customers coming to the hotel are mostly from the upper middle class that have specific tastes and needs and their quality expectation is quite high. Thus, I may do well and show more competency in my profession if I learn more about their cultures and traditions and become able to understand their specific needs without being told about it. This will enable me to work more efficiently, lead my team more effectively and thereby bring a high level of reputation for my organization. My short term goal of acquiring better language skills will help solve this problem to a great extent. Besides, I will focus on work based learning which will help me further my “social” and “personal skills” as well as enable me to “develop sound and realistic work habits” and thus ensure that I give my best to my organisation in my job position (Morley, 2010, p.47). Thus, by properly and timely identifying my work related problems and evolving appropriate remedial measures to counter them, I will be able to remove the limitations and work competently within my organizational framework and lead my team efficiently for producing best results. B. Range of Methods and Styles to Successfully Communicate the Problems and Solutions at Different Levels within the Context of Effective Time Management: As one of the leaders in an organization in the hospitality industry, the “most critical tool” at my disposal is communication (Sasser, 2011, p.6). In my organization, communication occurs in a “vertical and horizontal manner” for the purposes of passing instruction, providing guidance to subordinates, informing about various events, receiving complaints or problems of the employees as well as to optimize “cooperation and coordination” among different levels of employees (Arklan, 2011, p.10298). To achieve this, the management and staff exchange ideas through different methods of communication including verbal messages, written communication in print or emails, feedback, reports and returns etc. The style of communication within our organization generally depends on the purpose of communication and it usually uses a formal style. Being in the hospitality industry, we set an example while communicating at all levels by being polite and courteous. Even when negative messages are communicated, we take care to make it appear in a positive light by appropriately wording the text. Even the lower level staff while communicating with other branches or with the management, maintains a proper decorum that has become a mark of our organizational culture and tradition. Conclusion: I am confident that with the professional and personal development plan that I have devised, I will be able to enhance my skills and become more competent and efficient in my workplace, apart from attaining a better level of personal development. By implementing the plan and working on it with dedication and commitment, I will not only become a better employee in my organization but also a better human being with a good sense of purpose. The plan, in the long run will also help immensely when I invest and become an independent entrepreneur. The language skills I will develop by undergoing the language course will not only help me handle my clients in the present work environment but will also become an asset when I launch my own business in the future. Similarly, the accounting and finance management course, though it does not have much significance at this state, will help in my later life as in investor to organise and manage my finances efficiently in my future business. Reference List Arklan, U. 2011. Intra-Organizational Communication and Leadership: An Interactive Approach. African Journal of Business Management Vol.5 (26) pp.10294-10302. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from Beitler, M. 2005. Chapter 4: Self Directed Learning & Learning Agreements. Strategic Organizational Learning: A Practitioner’s Guide for Managers and Consultants. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from Hardacre, K. & Schneider, K. 2007. Work Based Learning Interim Project Report: Overview of Literature. PSE Consulting Limited. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Learning and Development: Identifying Learning Needs in Organizations. 2006. CIPD. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Morley, R. 2010. Workplace Learning Guide 2010: Learning for Life in the 21st Century. Ed Options. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Planning, Implementation and Evaluation of Professional Development. 2002. Missouri Professional Development Guidelines for Student Success. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Queens Hotel Crystal Palace London: 2013. HotelClub.com. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from Sasser, R. S. 2011. Seven Elements for Effective Leadership through Communication. SRMP Solutions, Vol.6/Issue 4. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Stewart, R. A. 2007. Evaluating the Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Engineering Undergraduates: A Necessary Precursor to Project Based Learning. World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education. Vol.6, No.1, pp.59-62. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Read More