Self-Disclosure and Trust - Personal Statement Example

Introduction This class is important because it will help me become an all round person in future. With knowledge from different people, we learn how to be more effective as leaders of tomorrow and correct mistakes done by others. This class not only teaches us how to be effective leaders but also people who can feet into the society. Teamwork being one of the important elements we learn. In society today, one has to learn how to work and live with others. Good communication skills are also important (Ester &Mike, 2008, pg 33). Communication skills entail both listen and speaking. How you communicate with others is very important in career life and normal life. I believe success means being able to deliver what is expected of you in your professional line and even better. Many believe that success is being better than your friends or relatives. According to me success means being better than I was yesterday. Material possession should not be a way of measuring success, but according to how much one has improved from the previous day. What I have learned from this unit Self-awareness To improve personal limitation one needs self-awareness. Some of the elements included in it are goals, values and abilities. This will help a person become a better manager in future. Self- awareness encourages someone to things they thought they could not. Self-awareness in turn helps someone to get to self-actualisation. This is where one is able to do any task because they believe in themselves. They may also have the skill that even gives them more confidence. Being hesitant to study abroad, I got motivation from when I saw other student graduate from the English learning school so I studied hard and graduated. Self-disclosure and trust To improve personal and professional relationship, self- closure is important. It also helps improve one’s understanding and concern about a situation. It also improves the quality of communication, collaboration and performance with others. Trust is a very important element in business. In business, one should be ready to share in case of a problem. It helps to share because one will get help and get different views that they can combine and be unstoppable. Self- management A person with self-management skill is very lucky. This means they can manage their emotions, time and stress. Time is one of the most important elements in business therefore, should be properly managed and used effectively. Management of stress on the other hand, is very important for effectiveness at the work place. Emotion may be hard to manage but the fact one is trying to manage them is very important and shows that they can work under any conditions. Last minute rush will never happen to a manager who has proper time management skills. What was learnt in unit two? Understanding and working with others We live and work in a society with vast social categories. These categories include race, gender and religion. When we do the group project, we had much diversity, but we had problems because we did not know how to work without offending one another. This gave us an opportunity to learn how to address each other without offending them. It also helped us appreciate the fact that we come from different social background and we have different experiences that help in the end. The importance of listening I come from a family of six, five sisters and me. This has taught me to be an active listener or empathetic listener. This is because I use the 70/30 principle. Seventy is the time I spend listening and 30 is the time I spend talking or giving advice. This shows that the one is concerned and paying attention. This also helps in enhancing a relationship and calming down someone who is upset. These skills are important in management. Communication effectively Effective communication, which is not easy, can help develop better relationship and organizational performance. It is important to be successful in your business field and personal relationships. I am a bad communicator especially in the oral communication. It is extremely hard for people to understand what I want and need. Contrary to oral communication, written and electronic communication is my strong hold. They give me time to review my thoughts and to think clearly about it before sending it because I want to be direct to the managers. What I learnt from unit three Negotiation The skill of negotiation is important to both personal and business life. Good negotiation skills leads t one getting better benefits such as job and salary. In business, one needs to be a good negotiator to get better rates not only for themselves but also for their clients. I am a good negotiator especially when I buy things. My goal is always a win lose situation. Building teams and group work Teamwork is important because it helps us improve our weak points and bring out good quality of work. Companies and organisations that use teamwork improve products, services and processes because they have diversity. This also helps in bringing out different skills abilities and style that make the team stronger. Managing conflict Conflicts are part of life and managing them should not be a problem. (Ester &Mike, 2008, pg. 50) There are two sides of conflict; positive and negative conflict. Positive conflict helps in increasing cohesion and builds strong bonds between members. It also increases involvement that develops goals and help members’ voice their opinions. Negative conflict on the other hand, decreases communication between parties and may increase rivalry. How one manages conflicts determines a lot. One should not choose sides during conflict resolutions. This may increase rivalry between members, which may affect the working process. The three important strengths and weaknesses that may influence Success and well-being Three strengths Vision- A person with a vision is unstoppable. They know what they want and they go for it. A vision guides a person to what they want to achieve. It may spell out the goals and mission of the person or organisation. Perseverance- This is where on holds on to what they believe despite criticism from other people. With perseverance, one can make it through the worst situation and emerge a stronger and better person. It helps someone defend what they believe and know is true and profitable to the organisation. Calmness- Calmness helps one to make sound decision and get respect from people. Times get tough and people need to make decision that may affect their life or business. A calm person will make the best decision for himself or herself. Three weaknesses Pride- Pride makes a person impossible to advise because they think they are the best. This may cause a downfall because the person may make wrong choices thinking they are right. Know-it-all attitude- This is where a person thinks they know everything and no one can tell them anything. This attitude can cause a fall in an organisation. It is almost similar to pride. Biasness- This could be looking down upon others because of their education background. One may not have a high level of education but can give good ideas. From the above-mentioned attitudes one we learn that humility is very important. For one to succeed in any area they ought to be humble and respect everyone despite their race, religion and level of education. Personal development plan For me to achieve my goals, I need to put three things in place; 1. Mentorship programs- for one to develop good leadership qualities, they need mentorship programs that would develop their leadership skills. This program may also help one get a mentor in their professional field, and advance through their help. 2. Trainings- Through training one will be in a position to interact with many people who will give ideas on various ways to go about various issues. Through training, one is able to get the latest in their professional area. 3. Read widely- For one to learn on how to be a good communicator, they need to read on good communication skills. With these three steps, one can improve both their personal and career life. Smart Goals As a result of the interaction with the group, I set smart goals for my personal development. These goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. The following are some of the areas of goals set: 1. I would like to develop better negotiation skills within the next three months. This would be done through frequent reading of literature written on negotiation skills. 2. I would check my progress after every two weeks through engaging in negotiation practices with my friends. 3. My vision towards developing negotiation skills would be to attain perseverance whenever faced with a conflict. This should be profound in the first three weeks of my journey towards good negations skills. 4. In the first half of my development program, I would like to have good communication skills through the use of a wide range of vocabularies. I would read widely to ensure that I am a good communicator. Conclusion Piecing together what we have learnt I both the units and from the interview, we see that communication skills is one of the dominating aspects that affect both the personal and career life. A strategic plan is also important for someone to plan his or her personal and career life. Mentorship programs, trainings and reading widely are some of the ways one can improve their life in all aspects. References: Ester, C. &Mike, G. (2008). Making sense of leadership: Exposing the five key roles used by effective leaders. New York: Kogan Publishers Read More