Introducing Personal Development - Essay Example

Introducing Personal Development In theoretical conception of the academia, the phrase ‘Personal Development’ is manly applied in reference to the process an individual takes while improving the self along his or her significant other, colleague, partner of associate sharing some common interests in a workplace setting. According to Pavlina, this self improvement is based on a conscious realization of one’s effectiveness and wellbeing, thus adding up to self understanding (107-125). Personal Profile I am Ahmed Aldarei, the author of the paper, a national of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and currently undertaking higher studies in the United Kingdom. I was born on 1987 in Al Ain; the second largest urban center in Abu Dhabi, UAE’s capital. Al Ain in Arabic interprets to the Garden City. The city borders Oman to the North. Single and professionally trained as a fire fighter, I have a Bachelor of Science honors degree in fire safety and risk management from UCLAN. I have also been certified for a specialist course in fire and rescue service management by Blackburn College. Additionally, I am proficient and certified in Microsoft Office Suite applications as well as Internet communication and applications. Course Relevance and Personal Goals My intent on pursuing this course is propelled by the need to enhance my personal and professional development towards full self actualization. My driving desire has been to foster perpetual growth in a dynamic emergency fire services, and to become a relevant, vital and indispensible part of the organisation in which I find the opportunity to grow. I aim at putting up shop in an organisation that appreciates the role of employee personal development and also provides; structures, methods, resources and programs towards that front. I also appreciate the fact that it is not only the organisation that will enable my personal development and growth. I must also have a thriving drive to take charge of my career and its growth to higher levels of responsibilities through setting of personal goals, formulating actions plans and executing the action plans methodically towards improving my career. Learning theoretical and practical aspects of such a detailed process of personal development was the basic motivation of pursuing this course. Personal Strengths and Weaknesses I have taken a great initiative in discovering my strengths since I believe that these strengths will be fundamentally relevant in the achievement of my career goals. My foremost strength is a formidable knowledge and understanding of the basics of my choice career. I have a very informed understanding of what the field entails, thanks to a lifelong interest and my foundational training in the discipline. My greatest abilities as already established lie in safe working from elevated heights, water safety operations, basic rope rescues and search operations. I am always able to perceive myself in a balanced approach devoid of self promotion, ego and prejudiced estimations. With such a keen and reliable self awareness, I am incredibly apt in relating with others in a teamwork setting and gifted in establishing interpersonal work relationships. I have a formidable character that can fit well in my job description of emergency fire rescue operations. For instance, am very ambitious, courageous in the face of fearful environments, hardworking when pursuing an objective, methodical in approach especially when it comes to decision making and thanks to the Personal Development Plan, very practical in the application of knowledge. As with all entities human, I have some weaknesses, which I have been in a progressive struggle to overcome. Initially, it was faced with the challenge of being overly slow in employing analysis techniques. I took it upon myself to better my skills by adding on the workload so that I could get adequate exposure and practice as well as learning new ways of situational analysis. Improvement has been noted and it has positively affected my efficiency at work. This is especially important to me since testing of most equipment such as the ‘amateur radio’, formulation of new operation procedures on the ground when fire fighting services are needed and such scenarios need lightening speed in reasoning and situation analysis, else one takes the wrong action and risks people’s lives (Pavlina 111). Evaluation of Theories Learnt There are several highly applicable theories covered by the course and are indeed critical in the understanding of the work place dynamics of any organisation. The most relevant theories in this case elaborate on the process of improving employees’ performance and ultimately, the overall organizational performance. To begin with, the Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) theory is among the most critical theories covered by the course. The theory is based on the concepts of Mike Finnegan’s book, “They Did You Can.”, the theory has helped me gain an appreciation of organization success is not based on luck or organisation failure consequent from being lucky. An employee must perpetually adapt to and learn from his or her past, environment and colleagues towards success. I now know that the demands and challenges of emergency fire services, which may even turn out as fatality cases, should be an opportunity to learn rather than being causes of despair. The second relevant theory is that of Learning Cycle, I have come to appreciate the existence of varied forms of individual learning, in styles and processes. The course material helped me asses myself as a ‘reflector, (one who continuously learns from the past and review experiences to learn from them)’ (Week 6, slide 9). As such, experience and skill enhancement are my most important in focus points in the learning process. This theory has helped me appreciate the need for skills audit, which will ostensibly help improve my work performance. The course has ignited my passion in the industry through self awareness and enhancement of my Interpersonal Skills. In practicing the skills I have, in trying to better my skills perpetually and in critical self appreciation, I have discovered my management talent. I am now able to communicate effectively in the Arabic and English languages, both spoken and written forms. This will facilitate self development to specialist areas of interest in my career. The course has also elaborated on the concept of Goal Setting and Maslow’s theory of Hierarchy of Needs. This has taught me the acquisition process of personal development. I will have to set and plan my career goals and them to work progressively towards achieving them. Maslow’s self actualization stage has revealed to me that I am capable of being ‘everything that I am capable of becoming’. Such elements as ‘esteem, love and the other social needs’ form the main basis for motivation and rewards in organisations (Yahaya 4 and Maslow 373-375). In this instance therefore, I have formulated my career goals in a ‘Specific, Measurable, Achievable Realistic and time bound’ manner. The provision of training facilities or opportunities becomes critical, when the employees psychological and social needs are to be met through job satisfaction and promotion. The course has also highlighted the importance of Organizational Learning Theory and Organizational Change Management Theory. The theory will aid in defining the type of responses expected from change and advancement in technology. For instance, with the introduction of computerized systems, fire services organizations need to train their employees on the use of these computerized machines; otherwise the change may be rejected. According to Friedman, understanding of one’s attitude is very important since ‘some people are very good at handling change while others are good at resisting it (2). Significantly, I have also learnt that a personal development plan (PDP), which is a plan developed and managed by an employee in order to ensure his/her employability in an constantly changing organization, is an essential tool while fostering the realization of personal development. The aim of this plan is the improvement of one’s career through the development of specific skills and expertise in duties related to ones profession (Pavlina 107-125). Conclusive Thoughts and Opinions The realization of my maximal potential in personal and career growth rests in the efficiency with which I will set and pursue goals. The setting of goals and their pursuit is the central principle of a personal Development Plan. The PDP dynamism has helped shape my career. Appreciating the importance of effective communication be vital in solving of problems within any department and the organization as a whole. The course has boosted my understanding of the various regulations affecting my career and the minimum standards that were required in carrying out some process. The understanding of the market conditions and the ever changing market trends has presented challenges in the research field. However, dedication in research will be vital and sufficient in taking on these challenges and finding apt solutions in a speedy, reliable and conclusive manner. I have learnt that the surest way to attain career growth and personal development is by assuming maximal responsibility of your job description and a PDP. When one sticks to his or her PDP, she or he will be having an added advantage over other professionals in that the availability of an opportunity will benefit him or her as a result of the new knowledge and abilities he or she posses (Pavlina 107-125). Works Cited Finnigan, M. They Did You Can: How to achieve whatever you want in life with the help of your sporting heroes. Carmarthen, Wales, UK: Crow House Publishing, 2007. Pavlina, S. Personal Development For Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth. Carlsbad, California: Hay House Publishers, 2008, pp 107-125. Yahaya, A. Abraham Maslow: The Needs Hierarchy. 02 Apr. 2002. 2010. 25 March 2010. http://eprints.utm.my/6091/1/aziziyahbrahamMaslow.pdf. Read More