Improving personal and professional skills to meet goals

To achieve the personal goals and organisational goals each individual needs a set of certain skills to carry out his / her duties and responsibilities. The improved level of skills the organisation employees have, the more the chances of getting goals and objectives achieved. So for both individual and organisation the personal and professional skills advancement always remains of high importance.

The requirement from this assignment is to produce a Personal Development Plan for medium term and demonstrate the steps taken within the plan.

Explain methods to improve personal and professional skills to meet organisational and own goals and objectives.

Personal and professional skills are those skills which are owned by individuals, personal skills are commonly by nature, but can be developed through certain processes and activities, when an individual use his personal skills for his organisational or professional goals / objectives, then it is referred as professional skill. The most common personal and professional skills are communication skills, management skills, interpersonal relations, innovative skills, analytical problem solving, decision making, social skills, pro activity and much more.

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Skills development method

Skills development methods and techniques are the activities or actions taken by an individual or an organisation to explore the hidden potential of their employees and make their capacity more for performing certain task and activities to achieve the organisational goals and objectives. Through skills development methods and techniques increase the knowledge and skills through a consistent process of learning and education. A professional development program boosts the individual’s career, through travel, research, workshops and seminars and by working with professionals who are experienced. People take up a professional development course to build their expertise in business, teaching and nursing and contribute to organizational development.

Following are the details of various personal and professional skills development methods use in different organizations to achieve the organizational and individual career goals.

Class room Courses / Certificates this method widely used now days at almost all good organisations, to provide their employees the opportunity to enhance their skills and learn the latest knowledge through formal class room courses and they are awarded certificate which may help them in getting better positions in future.

Crew Development Program is use by the different multi-national organisations, in which they train their current employees working at operational level in order to take some management position at tactic level or strategic level. For example Mc Donald’s, has a very structured program in which they train their crew member for future leadership and management of the company, and is also a very successful one because 40 % of the top 50 mangers of Mc Donald’s worldwide join this organisation as crew member.

Training and Development is a key method to improve skills of employees, to improve the employees basic skills initially the pre job training is provided and to enhance the capabilities of employees on job training is provided also a series of skill development activities is carried out.

Leadership Development Program is an important program in practice in good and well structured organisations. In this program they select the potential employees for taking over the future management positions and then provide them training, and educate them on how to carry out management activities.

Social Gatherings is also an important activity through which these companies try to socialise their employees, and provide them opportunity to attend these gatherings alongside with their families to give them insight on how to socialise with different people and for their company they value the most.

College / University Placement is the method of skills development in which different organisation arrange different courses for their employees in collaboration with good universities or other degree awarding institutes to cope them with latest knowledge and skills of their field.

Award Winning: To have a healthy competitive environment among their employees which may result in the personal and professional skill development, the method of award winning strategy in which the employees producing good results are awarded benefits (both financial and vertical movement in the management hierarchy) is very helpful. For example Mc Donald’s have award winning scheme, employees producing better results are awarded benefits as financial, promotions etc. while to provide their employees an opportunity for distance learning they also have e-learning strategy and online resources.

Personal Skill Audit

Skills audit is a process that can be used to identify the skill gaps for an individual. The outcome is a training and development needs analysis that identifies where training and development programs are needed. Skills audit results in

An understanding of the skills required and the gaps the organization currently has.

A targeted analysis of development needs.

A listing of skills which need development.

Information that can be used for dynamic succession planning.

Skills Audit Form

I have developed the following skills audit form, after completion of this form this provides me clear understanding of my current skills level, my strengths and weaknesses and will definitely help in identification of the

Skills Audit Form

1 = wide experience

3 = a little experience

5 = don’t know

2 = some experience

4 = no experience

Name: Date:

Work as part of a team

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build and develop working relationships with academic staff, peers and colleagues

work effectively with others to complete tasks and achieve results

empower others to work together as part of a team or group

recognise and understand when compromise and accommodating others is necessary

interact well with others and work co-operatively as a team member

understand how to gain the attention of others in a team or group when required

understand how to contribute effectively and co-operatively with others even if they do not share the same ideas and ways of working

express self effectively in a group and in one-to-one situations

have an understanding of team roles

Use your problem solving abilities

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use an appropriate approach to questioning in order to gain information from which to draw conclusions

use an objective approach to relate to others in order to achieve goals

make good use of verbal reasoning skills, able to handle complex data and make selective use of information

explore more than one solution in order to solve a problem

consider the ideas of others to help solve problems

manage the process of problem solving over a period of time

demonstrate resilience and lateral thinking abilities when applied to problem solving

Apply your communication skills, both orally and written, and use ICT

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understand the differences in presenting types of documents, e.g. reports, essays, dissertations, summaries

check written work for errors before submission

use a range of ICT packages to support work

express and convey ideas appropriately and accurately in writing

successfully give a presentation or demonstration

demonstrate that information being received is understood by using a range of verbal and non-verbal signals

understand when people have taken account of your views and you of theirs

Reflect upon and review your own personal and career development

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recognise and develop skills and competencies required for learning and future employment

develop opportunities for learning activities through current and future roles

recognise the importance and value of activities outside the curriculum, e.g. work experience, sports, clubs

identify when extra support and help may be useful

understand the importance of actively reviewing and maintaining your own development plan in order to set appropriate learning targets

maintain positive attitudes to work and understand when a task has not been completed well and identify changes for the future

understand how to gain feedback on work or performance

Work autonomously and set your own goals

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aspire to and maintain a results-driven approach where appropriate

focus on results and performance indicators and use different strategies to achieve targets

apply suitable approaches and put in extra effort if required in order to meet tight deadlines

work without close supervision and use own initiative

identify resources required to complete a set task

harness motivation and hard work to assist in the completion of work objectives

Plan, monitor and evaluate in order to influence change

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make use of effective planning and preparation in order to anticipate and overcome problems

maintain effectiveness in changing environments

make appropriate adjustments when undertaking tasks

set own goals and review these systematically

adjust to meet different work styles

work alongside colleagues in different environments

Develop time management and organisational skills

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establish a course of action for self and others to achieve goals

plan and prepare effectively for assignments, including use of appropriate resources

plan day in order to manage time more effectively

prioritise own and others’ work

meet set deadlines and understand the process required to meet project outcomes

keep track of work schedules and deadlines by applying multi-tasking abilities

Creatively apply your academic knowledge in work and non-work related settings

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generate and recognize best practice and apply imaginative ideas to different situations

work out a preferred course of action

think laterally and encourage others to do so and consider how they approach an unconventional task

present complex and unusual ideas to friends and colleagues

Understand business environments and other organizations

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understand what is entailed in working in an organization

understand the perspectives and expectations of employers, customers, suppliers and employees

appreciate business activities such as selling and marketing, budgeting and finance and how these interrelate with one another

have an understanding of business issues, such as profit, revenue, productivity, company image

have an understanding of own personal budget and awareness of financial trends, e.g. interest rates

understand how the significance and impact of an organization’s internal politics and business strategy can affect everyday work

keep up to date with current affairs affecting businesses