Executive Summary
Self-development as a businessman and a leader is one of the issues on the agenda of the present-day entrepreneurship. The given paper is a continuation of the research in which the personal and professional assets of the research author have been evaluated.
Offering a cohesive analysis of the above-mentioned results, the paper provides detailed recommendations as per the further actions and development.
The given paper will provide the means to combine personal development with the training of the business qualities and recommends the activities which help the author of the research use efficiently of the qualities at the disposal.
Introduction: Personal Development in the Realm of Modern Business
Progress is an integral part of the way our reality works, and developing in every possible way is what every person does.
However, it is important to take into account that, in its turn, living in the modern world presupposes developing in several directions at the same time; to be more precise, there are two key development directions, which are personal and professional growth.
In the given papers, the strategies for the two are going to be introduced.
Personal Development Plan: A Moving Staircase to Success
According to Clegg & Bradley, the plan of personal development must take into account not only the present-day challenges, but also to set the pace for the future development as well.
According to what Clegg & Bradley say, the whole thing is, in fact, a lifelong process: “The development of PDP goes beyond evidence collection; it aspires to form an intermediary stage leading to continuing professional development (CDP) and lifelong learning” (Clegg & Bradley, 2006, pp. 59-60).
Therefore, the ideas below are going to concern the issues which might appear in future.
Using experience in decision-making
Since for a manager, it is important to react adequately towards the emerging issues, one of the most obvious choices for the personal development. The use of the experience in creating a personal working style is quite essential.
As McCauley & Brutus (1998) claim, “Because most development occurs as a result of on-the-job experiences, the manner by which these experiences are allocated constitutes a very important aspect of the overall development process” (McCauley & Brutus, 1998, p. 92).
Putting the marketing background to work
As for the next priority on the planning list, analyzing what kind of experience is going to be of the greatest use and checking what possible results it will bring is a must. Since marketing proved to be one of my greatest assets due to the previous background, it is most reasonable to focus on the marketing skills.
How to use the communication skills
The ability to communicate efficiently is a great advantage. Using personal communication skills is the priority #3, and the third stage of the plan will focus on the given quality.
It seems most reasonable to use the communication skills to solve conflicts and to develop relationships between a manager and the employees. In addition, the communication skills will be especially important when explaining the company goals to the employees.
The ability to multitask and delegate responsibilities
The ability to multitask and delegate responsibilities is the third priority on the list. Developing the given quality, I will be able to use it efficiently when solving the problems that involve a number of issues and demand a lot of attention.
As for delegating the responsibilities, choosing the right person for a certain kind of task means having the given task completed perfectly, which is the ultimate goal for a company manager.
Assessing the Personal Development Outcomes
As it has been mentioned previously, the core of the research centers on the question whether it is actually possible to comprise a PDP together with the one for the professional development without any of them having to suffer great changes.
However, when the PDP is put into practice, the professional development sphere is bound to be changed considerably; therefore, it is necessary to check if any harm will be done and what one will be able to do about the latter.
The methodology: the right way to do it
It goes without saying that, to collect the data which has not even appeared yet, rather tricky approaches must be taken.
Thus, it seems most legit to start with the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses that I possess, deciding how to apply my advantages in the best way, and then thinking whether it is possible to make use of weaknesses as well in a certain context or whether it is better to dispose of them.
Personal development plan
To start with, the PDP is going to be taken into consideration with the professional development as a foil for the personal progress.
As it has been mentioned, it will include the development of such qualities as professional experience, application of the communication skills and the active use of the marketing background. However, it is necessary to consider the PDP in the context of the professional development as well.
Using the strengths and improving them
Despite the fact that the goals of a personal character and those concerning work are quite different, personal strengths which have been indicated owing to the SMART objectives analysis can be used both to develop personally and to achieve considerable results in work.
Effective person habits application
Although I do not have all the necessary habits that, according to Covey, are necessary for a manager to possess, I suppose that it is still possible to acquire these features with the help of consistent and regular training.
In addition, according to Gonsling and Minzberg, it is possible to shape the mindset of a manager with the help of a specific approach.
According to the authors, there are five perspectives which are bound to help shape a true manager’s attitude: “Managing self: the reflective mind-set; managing organizations: the analytic mind-set; managing context: the worldly mind-set; managing relationships: the collaborative mind-set; managing change: the action mind-set” (Gonsling & Minzberg, 2003, 2), I can apply such habits as thinking win/win, sharpening the saw and synergizing, while such habits as being proactive and beginning with the final result in mind can be trained.
Personal skills development
Developing my personal skills will also go on the list of my PDP. It will allow me to shape my professional attitude.
Moreover, I will be able to avoid adapting the leadership style which Covey defined as “clearly manipulative, even deceptive, encouraging people to use techniques to get other people to like them, or to fake interest in the hobbies of others to get out of them what they wanted, or to use the ‘power look’” (Covey, 2004, 8).
Using the weaknesses or defeating them
Although it might seem most appropriate to get rid of the weaknesses which can harm the development of leadership skills, considering some of them and checking whether they can be used at a certain stage will not harm. For instance, such weakness as the inability to keep with the deadlines can be easily defeated with the help of a series of self-training procedures.
Personal work objectives
Analyzing the way the personal work objectives integrate with the PDP brought to life, one can see distinctly every single instance of incompatibility between the two plans and check the possible ways to fix the emerging problems. In addition, both plans can be corrected so that no conflicts should arise between them.
The negative effects and how to dispose of them
Negative results are unavoidable; regardless of the sphere in which the development takes place, the disadvantages will appear together with the benefits. Speaking of the issue in question, it can be suggested that the work on the personal development can hinder the process of professional skills training.
In addition, mixing the leadership styles can lead to losing my own individual way of leadership, not to mention what can happen once I adopt the wrong leadership style.
The positive results and their application
Speaking of the positive results concerning the personal development and the way these results can be used in the business sphere, one must mention that the issues mentioned below are not merely suppositions, but the plans based on the careful results the SMART analysis.
Strategic skills development
The development of strategic thinking is crucial for successful management. Therefore, my ability to think strategically can be applied efficiently in managing the human resources.
Indeed, according to Larson & Hansen (2005), the given quality “this type of problem requires thinking strategically about systems consisting of human actors” (328); distributing the tasks among the staff efficiently will lead to the company’s ultimate success.
7 leadership styles application
Of course, using all the seven leadership styles described in the previous report is practically impossible. However, it is possible to combine two or three of them according to the business context. The given decision is, in fact, an example of using a situational leadership approach.
The choice of leadership is especially important in the light of the rapidly developing technology As Obiwuru, Okwu, Akpa & Nwankwere (2011) explain, “When an organization must adapt to changes in technology, its leadership is a critical factor in its successful change” (Obiwuru, Okwu, Akpa & Nwankwere , 2011, 103).
Conclusion: The Results and the Future Prospects
Therefore, the key to successfully combining personal and professional development is to check what personal qualities can be useful in the realm of business and focus on their development, as well as acquiring the traits of a typical leader.
It is clear now that, once my personal qualities are in chord with the functions which I am supposed to perform in developing my professional skills, the two can perfectly complement each other; moreover, the development of any of my personal qualities will trigger the necessity to train the corresponding professional one.
Reference List
Clegg, S & Bradley, S 2006, ‘Models of personal development planning: practice and processes’, British Educational Research Journal, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 57-76. Web.
Covey, S R 2004, The 7 habits of highly effective people personal workbook: powerful lessons in personal change, Pocket Book, New York City, NY.
Gonsling, J & Minzberg, H 2003, The five minds of a manager, Harvard Business School Corporation, Boston, MA. Web.
Larson, R & Hansen, D 2005, ‘The development of strategic thinking: learning to impact human systems in a youth activist program’, Human Development, no. 48, pp. 327-349. Web.
McCauley, C D & Brutus, S, 1998, Management development through job experiences, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC. Web.
Obiwuru, T C, Okwu, A T, Akpa, V O, & Nwankwere, I A 2011, ‘Effects of leadership style on organizational performance: a survey on selected small scale enterprises in Ikisi-Ketu Council Development area of Lagos State, Nigeria’, Australian Journal of Business and Management Research, vol. 1, no. 7, pp. 100-111. Web.