Personal Development: Plans and Theories

A person when chooses some specific job or field of work or engage him in particular activities such engagements are known as his profession. Every profession has its own requirements which the professional has to fulfill being to known as skilled professional of the same.

Economic environment as well as business environment is changing dynamically therefore, it requires improvement in performing activities or skills of the professional to run with the age. New discoveries and inventions are being removing problems of business and economic environment and also are improving the standard of working and making the performance of work easy and more efficient but a professional can only take the advantage of those discoveries and inventions when he will improve or develop his skills according to the pace of changings.

I started my career from the job of an accountant but I now found myself more improve than before, because when I started the job I had not adept in computer operating and relevant operating software prevailing at that time but then I observed that if I shall not effort to learn the prevailing computer software then my skill shall be remained undeveloped and I shall not be able to grow/develop with the pace of dynamic changes then I started for developing my professional skills through learning and getting help and assistance from my managers and now I have become the assistant accountant of the organization.

Personal development means to improve the innate abilities or learned skills which a person possesses as God gifted or learned from some institution or his seniors or managers. Professional development is indeed personal development such as when I started my job I had lack of confidence that may be I could not be performed my job properly but when I learned the skills and effort to improve my professional skills then, on the other hand I found myself confident about my working because my hesitation has been abolished and my morale has been grown up. Therefore, in my view personal development entirely basis on professional development because hesitation and confusion are personal factors which become hindrance in the way of ones professional success and it only remove when ones professional skills develop and in this way the requirements of the profession are satisfied and it also improve the efficiency and performance of him.

Organizational and Personal Goals & Objectives

Organizational goals and objectives belongs to goals and objectives of one group who are working for their mutual benefits because organization’s progress is their progress, in other words every member of organization represent the goals and objectives of the organization because his progress and organization progress is interconnected. Organization itself is nothing but it is known with the group who is running and representing it.

Personal goals and objectives are the ambitions and aims of one individual which he plans and achieves through his personal and professional skills. Just as every individual desires to be the best in every aspect as in his personal life and professional life but he can be if he plans for to achieve them.

An organization expects good and efficient performance from each of its worker/member and every individual of the organization expects good remuneration as consideration of his professional skills which should be sufficient to satisfy his demands and desires and indeed the demands of an individual are the goals and objectives because he supposes that at a particular post or rank he shall be able to satisfy them therefore, goals and objectives of an organization and an individual are reciprocal because an individual meets with the expectations of an organization only when the organization satisfy his goals and objectives and in the same way an organization do the same when the individual returns the same as the organization expects from him, therefore, an individual can only achieve his, as well as of organizational goals and objectives if he improves his personal and professional skills. A better performer achieves more in short span and lazy one waste a lot and achieves less.

Methods for Developing Personal and Professional Skills

Different people possess different intellectual ability of understanding and performing and also have different innate and God gifted abilities therefore, when one teacher teaches one class together then it is impossible to say that all the students have understood the concepts which have been conveyed to them by the teacher although all the students have different problems in same lesson. It is therefore, important for every student or individual to realize the method through which he can learn easily and whether the method is compatible to his intellectual abilities. Therefore, different methods attract different person at one time due to the compatibility of their abilities with the method so adopted or supposed to be adopted because the efficiency/personal skills and professional skills of every individual are not equal to other. Following are the methods for developing personal and professional skills:-

Development through Learning

Learning is such a method which keeps one in touch with the inventions, changes and challenges which directly affect the performance and efficiency of organizations and of individuals and it also keeps in touch the learners with required solutions and techniques through which they can get them out from the problems. Learning basically reflects the ideas and practical works of the authors who share their experiences with other through books, notes and reports and also provide their conclusions of particular professions on the basis of material works which help the learners in solving their prevailing problems.

In my view learning is such a method through which only theories and ideology of one or more authors could be observed or consulted but practical work is missing from such concepts. Business strategies and methods of doing business are different in different countries because different countries different factors affect the environment and there are no hard and fast rules of doing and running businesses and all the businesses have different problems in same economic environment because nature and size of all the businesses are different and the person doing the business and the strategies of executive management who is controlling the organization’s activities are different, political atmosphere and government policies regarding the concern business are also different then how they could be considered and controlled according to one or more theories based methods which are also of different persons. In my view development through learning is not a comprehensive method but partially it is useful for learner to the extent of knowledge about dynamic changes and future challenges.

Development through Apprenticeship

Development is process in which a person struggles to maintain the quality what he knows and also struggles in the same time to improve or develop his skills more efficiently so that he could be able to achieve his personal goals and objectives by playing his effective role also in achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Apprenticeship a very useful method of development of personal and professional skills because in this method one can apply his knowledge what he learnt during his education under the supervision and support of managers and mentors and also can practically remove his hesitation about concerned working and can build confidence reliance on the feedback from the seniors.

When I started my apprenticeship right after studies, I was thinking, how I shall do my duties, what would be behavior of the seniors towards juniors, shall I be able to be a good accountant and many more questions were in my mind and I was hesitating because I was joining a new environment in which I was totally unknown from every work and every person but during my apprenticeship my seniors played very positive role in removing my hesitations, building my confidence, facilitation me in my working, supporting me in all the way they can and aware me with the techniques to removing hindrances. They always answered my every question about my field. Now up to today I feels that many developments have been occurred in me because my confidence level has been grown more than my expectations because now I know almost all the techniques to work effectively even in pressure and I can plan and settle goals. This is all because of apprenticeship method of development.

Self Managed Development

It is such a method of development in which the individual arrange for learning and developing personally through any means which he considered useful for him. Individual takes all the initiative to learn, training and knowledge with the help of the organization because it is the organization that has to provide him time to its employee to improve his skills and sometimes the organization pays the fee to the courses and training of its employee. A skilled employee is asset of organization but dynamic changes required him to improve his skills to work with the pace of changes and this is possible only when the process of development of individual is in accordance to inventions and dynamic changes in the culture of economy and business.

An organization plays very important role in the development of its skilled individual because to improve the skills of its best employees, it has to arrange training program, seminars, meetings for discussion and all the other possible ways through which it can help its employees for development because efficient employee perform good and also plays its effective role in the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. When an organization provide opportunities to its employees for development of his professional skills then it is indeed providing opportunity to develop his personal skills in the main time because when an individual knows all the ways to perform or face challenges connected to same task then he can work more confidently and his hesitation has been finished and i.e. is the basic factor through which the assessment of development could be measured.

Development through Coaching

Coaching is such a development method in which all the focus is kept only on specific work and all the skills required to perform that very work. Normally coaching method is used for short span of time in such a scenario when the senior employee is getting retired from the organization and such senior employee is held with the responsibility to coach his succession with the all skills and techniques required for effective performance and market culture and all the other connected ways. Senior has to coach the successor with all the prevailing techniques and inventions up to date and culture of the organization to face and work in external environment and he also has to convey the ways with which he can work under pressure and work load and also to defeat he rival acts of the competitors. Under the method of development through coaching the individual is getting advantage from the practical experience of his coach and the coach as culture of all the organizations is not same even if these are connected one industry or field therefore, for effective performance it is compulsory for every employee of the organization to know the culture of the organization.

Coaching is the best way through which one can focus only on the techniques and modes for effective and considerable performance in one field and can save his time even to waste by spending in other activities which are general and irrelevant to the profession. It is such a method in which the individual can improve and develop his personal and professional skills under the supervision of practical experienced coach to the relevant profession who even teaches the individual all the aspects with which he can develop his skills more effectively and get the positive results by applying those skills in his personal and professional life. In my organization the senior manager account was on leave due to training course in abroad for six months and for such period I was recommended for additional charge and my senior was held with the responsibility to coach me as an alternative of senior manager accounts. During the coaching and practical working under the supervision of my seniors I found myself on such a stage where I could not be able to arrive after many years and my skills have been developed at such a stage that I have been promoted for such development. According to me coaching is the best way of development and now all the factors which hesitates me in performance of my duties have been removed from me and my personal skills have also been grown up.

Development through Mentoring

When one skilled individual offers guidance, support, help and facilitate other in performing their work is known as mentor and the method under which he offers help to others in developing their skills is mentoring. Mentoring is such a method in which an individual is allowed to make mistakes under the supervision of supervisor and to satisfy their questions by getting answers from him. Mentoring and coaching are similar to the extent that in both the methods the mentor and coach help the individuals in developing their skills but in coaching the focus is limited to the extent of job and in mentoring the focus is upon all the field and works being done in organization.

Personal Development Plan

Personal and professional skills are reciprocals of each other because without developing anyone other skills could never be developed. Development of professional skills are mainly under focus of mine because I concluded in my professional career that when I was just a raw handed person who had just knowledge about account but no practical experience I was hesitant and had lack of self confidence because I was of the opinion that accounts work is very much difficult but now after starting my professional career and practical working, now I think that accounts work is not a difficult one and I perform my work with confidence and this is all because I struggled to improve my professional skills because improvement of these skills is very much important for me to meet my own goals and objectives and I could not be able to meet my goals until and unless I shall not play my effective role in achieving the organizational goals and objectives and the management of the organization assesses my performance more effective than before.

I planned for the achievement of my settled my goals and objectives that I shall mainly focused on my professional skills development and for this I planned that I shall keep myself prominent and dominant through coaching and leadership and shall not miss a single chance of training from organization and in this way I can develop my professional skills as well as my personal skills and also can keep myself prominent in organization.

My short term settled goals and objectives are to be the best one in the organization’s account department.

My long term goals and objectives are to be the best in the company so that the executive management of the organization promotes me head of the account section/department.

My future goals are to be the best one in accounts field in all over the world.

Action Plan

Now to achieve my own goals and objective through the achievement of organizational goals and objectives I arose a suggestion before the executive management of the organization that we should start a learning program in round the department of the organization through which we could develop the skills of the employees by encouraging and facilitating them with the new and latest thoughts and methods in their relevant fields and I account section I offered my services as a coach. If I shall be afforded this opportunity then I shall be able to develop my skills in all the ways and I shall be recommended for all trainings on behalf of the organization and this shall be the success of my plan’s first stage.

Through coaching I shall coach number of employees and satisfy their queries with my practical experience which will improve my position in the organization and also strengthen my confidence and also keep me integer me with the organization’s management and employees too.

When I started my work on my plan then I had weaknesses such as I was over confident and emotional and my patience was shaky but now I am so calm and believe in practical work not in assumption and my main strength is, I do not afraid from the load of work because my work has become my habit and I feel more relaxed in working than to free time. That’s why my executive likes me a lot and they always want to know my suggestions about the problems solutions and about any new project which the intend to lay down.

On the success of my this plan I think that in the short time I shall be able to achieve my own and organizational goals together because both are combined and without the achievement of organizational goals and objectives I could never achieve my owns therefore, my all efforts are for the achievement of organizational goals and objectives.

Preferred Learning Styles

Learning styles are different of different peoples and it is the mentality of every person relying on which he assesses him that what are his weaknesses and strengths and what are his innate abilities and many other aspects of his professions. As different theorist have difference in their way of thinking and doing same job they present different styles of learning in different ways but indeed they all are presenting same styles there is just difference which is due to their knowledge and mode of explaining. Kolb and Honey and Mumford present different styles but in my view the styles of Honey and Mumford are compressive and therefore, are preferred.

Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles

According to Honey and Mumford there are four learning styles which are nearly around the Kolb’s sequence. They classified they learner into four categories such as activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists relying on the preferences of each group that what are there preferences.

Activists

Activist learner’s preferences are towards practical working because such learners do not completely rely on theories and in other words theories are not sufficient to satisfy their thirst of queries and such learners do not possess patience. These learners are active and they want to sort result quickly on the basis of practical experience not only on the basis of theories. Generally a great number of such learner is around of us because such learners do not have patience and therefore, they are not consistently perform one work and different confused queries remained in them.

Reflectors

Reflectors are such learners who just take a concept from the phenomena and think about them and start working on the task. These learners are over confident learner who is anxious in nature and lack of patience. Such learners are not very much successful because they do not possess requisitive knowledge about the task and even don’t know about the nature and diversification of work. Their works reflect their competence and skills and the concepts of such learners are not based on practical work but based on assumptions and hear say knowledge.

Theorists

Theorist are analytical learners who always seek to understand the underlying concepts and they only considers those approaches which are based on logical reasons and reflect logical solutions of problems because such learners remain in touch with the theories and studies and they have practical working experiences. They analyze the situations and scrutinize the factors affecting their work and then do work on the basis of logical and reasonable arguments. Such learners possess serious personality and so efforts for the sake of development of their skills relying on practical and acceptable reasons.

Pragmatists

These learners are called common sense learners because these learners do not study to improve their skills but the carry on research when the face a practical problem in their works and find the solution of the problems from theories. Pragmatists are best practical experienced employees or learners who are almost expert of their works which they are doing and are consistent worker but when the find any problem in their work or require any invention to improve the working conditions then the carry on study. As they have practical experience of working their basic concepts are very much clear and they learn quickly.

According to me I am a pragmatist learner because I am working as accountant and as a coach in my organization therefore, I always doing practical work during my working hours and almost very well aware of the routine problems and therefore, I do not have need of so much learning but when any employee or trainee asked a unique or different question which I never observed then I effort to satisfy my concepts and to rightly answer the question so put to me. On the other hand I don’t think that I have need of daily study just to repeat my work because account work is routine practice which is making me more conversant to my profession and also developing my both personal and professional skills.

Affect of Learning Styles on Development and Personality

It is very much important for everyone to know his weaknesses, strengths and special competitive abilities which make him special because if someone knows this then he not even can choose right profession for him but also can choose the right style of learning because both profession and learning styles last lasting affect on the personality and development of skills.

A practical instance from my own life is that during my professional education I had a close friend who was interested to become a doctor but his father wanted him to be an accountant because he was an accountant in a well known organization and he got him admitted in my class but my friend neither be able to become a good accountant because his interests were in medical studies and he had abilities that he could become a doctor. Right from that time I got it considered that if a person chooses wrong profession and wrong learning style which is not compatible to his innate abilities then he could never be develop his skills ever his personal life adequately.

Important Management Skills

Management is a very difficult job because a manager is responsible for his work and as well as the work done by any employee under him therefore, a manager should possess the following personal and professional skills to perform his duties adequately and according to the requirement of work:-

Personal Skills

Manager is a person whom has been authorizes to supervise the employees under him and get positive results from them in shape of effective and considerable performance. In my view a manager should possess the abilities and skills of motivation, goals setting, leadership, hard working, loving, patience and many more. A manager is authorize by the authorities to direct the employee of his team for smooth and effective results from them to complete a task assigned to him within in the particular time and budget.

Professional Skills

Good professionals are selected as managers because they are supposed to lead and direct one team and also have to support, help out and facilitate the members of their teams. Therefore, in my view the managers should posses the skills of team management, task oriented, work in pressure, calm minded, controlling, briefing, debating and patience etc.

Conclusion

From the research, consultation, discussion and study on the above explained task it is concluded that organizational goals and personal goals and objectives are names of one thing because when one person is doing job in an organization then his goals and objectives are the success of the organization in which he is working because he knows that his effective working can make him able to meet with the expectations of the organization from him and which shall be return to him by the organization in shape of rewards and promotions which is actually his a positive part of his goals and objectives.

It is further concluded that personal skills can be developed when ones professional skills are developed because if a person doesn’t know any thing about the work he is suppose going to do then he will definitely hesitate and avoid from such work but when he shall know every aspect of the work then he shall perform his work more efficiently and effectively without hesitating because his possess the professional skills about such work. Therefore, development of professional skills is more compulsory for personal development.

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