Self development and attaining my SMART goals

Self development and attaining my SMART goalsI shit a dream. I agnize myself as the chief HR strategist of a world renowned media company or a top HRD consultancy. Sound academic understanding of HR is a priority developmental need, as highlighted in 11 Qualities of Effective Managers Pedler et al. (2006). I am from Pakistan and am staying in the UK for my wifes PhD. Utilising this as an opportunity I hold in enrolled on the MSc. HRD Consultancy course. Different accomplishment ardour assessments helped shake off my understanding of myself as a learner/manager. My larn style is Tactile/Kinaesthetic according to saphead (2000). I view my passage as an opportunity to achieve meaningful objectives in a larger context. Here Scheins (2006) assessment sees strength SV/ apply to Cause. I qualify as Directive on the Rowe (1987) Inventory and on Belbins (1981) I am an Implementer, Team- wee-weeer and Monitor/Evaluator. A Reflector on love life Mumford (1986) assessment, my personal ity fictional character/signature on Personal tendency Inventory Hogan and champagne (1980) is ESTJ (Extrovert, Sensing, Thinker, Judger Stabilizer), whereas I am the Confronting Owl on the Conflict Questionnaire Thomas Kilmann (2007, 1974). An example linking and defining more or slight of the above findings whitethorn be that I unavoidableness to make a difference by devising and implementing HR strategies which have a durable feign on employee well-being dedication to cause. With objectives like this, I like to be at the helm of affairs, preferring full autonomy and control over the situation directive. This brings independence to orchestrate and move things at the required yet desired pace and affords me time to think things through, listen to everybody originally deciding and c arfully consider step forwardcomes before think reflector. I love to be involved in community activities. Persevering, realistic, practical, loyal, steadfast, logical, are keywords for descri bing me ESTJ. However, my career plans are under threat as I face wordiness at work. My wife is expecting a baby so I may have to either defer the degree or roll moxie entirely due to monetary solvency issues. This write-up critically reviews results of various breeding styles assessments and derives a Personal Development excogitation agreeing with the assertion that individuals are responsible for their career development and non just organizations CIPD (2010, 2003). It suggests possible guidances for self-development and attaining my SMART goals. Guidance is provided on overcoming weaknesses to minimise and prevent current and future threats. I cannot and do not rule out the possibility of this being revised as my career evolves in future (maybe 5-10 familys).Career history, Life situations, Overall purpose of planIntroductionI started my career as HR/Admin Officer working for an NGO after completing M.A. in English from Pakistan. The experience proved to be the diving d eck to the field of HR. After 4 years in the role, I joined as Senior HR Officer at GEO TV Network, one of Pakistans leading news channels. A year later I moved to London when my wife was awarded a scholarship for PhD. At present, I am free-lancing at one of UKs leading messenger companies as Training Support Co-ordinator. My wife is expecting a baby and I may face redundancy.My degree in English was my fathers choice and since the very start of my career in HR, I felt the need of complementary formal education. Thus, I had two objectives first, acquiring a wakeless understanding on academic take second, enhancing professional competence, personal/self development. Being in London has helped as I have enrolled for a specialist degree in HR.Developing a personal development plan is an exercise in organizing oneself, identifying development needs, and setting priorities. The very first positive effect of this exercise I noticed was that I learned how not to prioritise and discovere d that I could always use the PDP as a tool/meter to keep a check on personal development. I can see that the PDP give serve as my guide towards developing a resilient sense of personal efficacy (Bandura, 1994 72).Self-description outlineI want to continue my career in HR. Miles and Snow (1996 97) following Arthur et al. (1989) see career as the evolving sequence of a persons work experiences over time.At present I am working as Training Support Co-ordinator at a companys Technical department. However, I am looking to switch back to HR as soon as I get a HR related job. Given that I was Senior HR Officer before moving to London, in my new job i.e. in the UK, I expect to be at least on the same position if not an buster manager or manager. If, however, I have to go back to Pakistan, I will join my parent organization GEO TV Network and continue with my plans. amid the next 5-10 years I plan to concentrate on developing expertise in strategical decision-making and policy formulat ion. I aim to work my way to achieving a top position e.g. Director HR in a leading company like Reuters.It is the sense of fulfilment and effectiveness that I am seeking. Effective careers profit individuals, organizations, and society, notes Wilensky (1961 cited in Miles and Snow, 1996). Garnering sufficient expertise while moving step-wise up the career ladder, I will ensure that I have sound understanding of and experience in roles like partner in strategy execution, administrative expert, employee champion, and change agent Ulrich (1998).Learning/Development Needs AnalysisIdentifying learning style is pivotal to developing a PDP. Learning Styles can be identified by taking learning styles assessments which highlight learning/development needs, identifying shopping centre competencies and strengths and detecting gaps. Table 1 on the next page shows results from various assessments.Learning Style, Keefe (19792) is a composite of sign cognitive, affective, and physiological fact ors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts with, and responds to the learning environment. While with Stewart and Felicetti (19921) learning styles are educational conditions under which a student is most likely to learn. Thus, learning style is not about what is learned, rather how it is learned.Table 1 Learning/Development Needs AnalysisThere is greater consistency in the final results of the abbreviation than in-consistency.Sound academic understanding of HR is a priority developmental need, as highlighted in 11 Qualities of Effective Managers Pedler et al. (2006). In consonance with my aim of veranda the HR department of a renowned company, this questionnaire assesses most of the qualities likely to be compulsory to achieve my aim. As the title suggests, the questionnaire seems designed for on-job professionals.11 Qualities of Effective Managers ascendency of basic factsRelevant professional knowledgeContinuing sensitivity to eventsA nalytical, problem solving,decision/ judgement-making skillsSocial skills and abilitiesEmotional resistancePro-activityCreativityMental agility equilibrise learning habits and skillsSelf knowledgePedler et. al (2006)Table 2 11 Qualities of Effective ManagersWhile taking the Honey and Mumford (1992) assessment a noteworthy invest was that even after I took the assessment twice, with a gap of almost two weeks I scored the highest for being a Reflector, considered to be more thinking and less practical.Honey and Mumford (1986) proposed the Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ) claiming it to be more meaningful than Kolbs (Swailes and Senior 1999). However, this model owes its inception to Kolb (1984 41), learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the gang of grasping experience and transforming it.Kolbs (1988) postulate is based on the concept of experiential learning with the learning process involving four dis tinct learning abilities/styles, based on a four-stage learning cycle. Kolb devised his Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) to measure an individuals relative preference for the four learning styles (Swailes and Senior 1999 Kolb, Rubin and Osland 1995).Fig. 2, Honey Mumford Learning StyleSource http//www.nwlink.com/donclark/hrd/styles/honey_mumford.htmlHoney Mumford use different terminologyActivist for Concrete ExperienceReflector for Reflective ObservationTheorist for Abstract ConceptualizationPragmatist for Active experimentationFig. 1 Kolbs Learning StyleSource http//www.nwlink.com/donclark/hrd/styles/kolb.htmlKolbs Learning ProcessLearning fromCE Concrete ExperienceRO Reflective ObservationAO Abstract ConceptualizationAE Active ExperimentationThe result on the LSQ i.e. Reflector is in sharp contrast to the diagnosis on the Personal Style Inventory, Hogan and Champagne (1980) where my personality signature is ESTJ (Extrovert, Senser, Thinker, Judger) the Stabiliser. The Pers onal Style Inventory, Hogan and Champagne (1980) works with four pairs of personality dimensions Introversion/Extraversion Intuition/Sensing Feeling/Thinking and Perceiving/Judging. These constructs are based on the original work of Carl Jung (1921) and are a variance of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (in Myers and Mc Caulley, 1985).Learners/managers with ESTJ personalities are thought to be more practical than thinking unlike reflectors. However, there is a streak of similarity as well. The Thinker in ESTJ is analytical, so is a Reflector Honey and Mumford (1992) thought of as. The Senser in ESTJ works with tedious detail Hogan and Champagne (1980) so does the Reflector take every detail into account before decisions. The Thinker in ESTJ has critical ability, the Reflector weighs pros and cons.I view my career as an opportunity to achieve meaningful objectives in a larger context. This scores high as a strength on Scheins (2006) assessment and identifies me as SV/Dedicated to Cause. T he same assessment shows my strong GM/General prudence competence, liking for AU/Autonomy and Independence, and a desire for SE/Security and Stability. The finding completely correspond to Rowe (1987) Decision Style Inventory where I qualify as Directive. The best organizational fit for Rowes Directive event and Scheins AU/Autonomy type is structured, such as bureaucracies, or where power and authority are important, notes Rowe (1987).My learning style is Tactile/Kinaesthetic according to Jesters (2000) which seems linked to being Reflector, working with detail.On Belbins (1981) I am an Implementer, Team-worker and Monitor/Evaluator. I am the Confronting Owl on the Conflict Questionnaire by Thomas Kilmann (2007, 1974). Consistent with findings on the LSQ Reflector, Implementers dislike unproven solutions or ideas. Team Workers are risk-averse and work well with clearly defined goals like Reflectors. Team worker also matches Owl the Confronter who seeks to resolve differences unt il all stakeholders agree on a solution. Monitor/Evaluator are slow deciders like Reflectors and prefer to think things through and see pros and cons of opinions and decisions.While Learning Styles are the composite of characteristic cognitive, affective, and physiological factors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts with, and responds to the learning environment. Keefe (1979 2), what such an analysis may fail to consider is the context in which a learner/manager behaves in one or the other way. An agreeable assertion in this regard would be by Sadler-Smith (2001 295) warning against the exertion of learning style in an indiscriminate fashion. A necessary element of any argument that seeks to generalize is some comparison of the domains which one seeks to generalize from and to.Personally, I find 11 Qualities of Effective Manager Pedlar et al (2006) and the Hogan and Champagne (1980) Personal Style Inventory others as both clearly indicat e aspects which are developed or are otherwise.SMART GoalsGet a career job (HR related)Get a job which facilitates personal development on strategic and decision-making and policy formulation skillsWork towards aim to be Director HR at a leading company like ReutersKeep in brain Learning and Development needs and improve uponToolkit Detailed PDPTable 3 SMART Goals3.1 Learning and Development NeedsDifferent learning style assessments helped frame my understanding of myself as a learner/manager. These exercises have been thoroughly helpful in highlighting my learning and development needs.REQUISITE LEARNING DEVELOPMENT translationPRIORITYAcquire relevant professional knowledgeHigh ImmediateProactive AttitudeHighMental AgilityHighTime ManagementMediumTable 4 Learning and Development NeedsTheoretical background/academic understanding, which will augment my professional competence, is what I am acuate to work on and thus have enrolled myself on the course at Birkbeck. Successful mana gers must exhibit career resilience and should participate in the care of their careers by taking greater responsibility for their learning Thomson et al., 2001 Waterman et al., 1994, as quoted in Martin and Butler, 2000.Absence of professional courses induces a sense of under-confidence and sometimes professional insecurity. The nimble negative effect is that it makes my job very demanding and requires use of creativity. On the other hand however, I have thorough knowledge regarding my company and its areas of specialisation. I have been actively involved in various projects, drawing up policies and procedures, organizing job fairs, employer branding, dealing with ER issues, disciplinary, exit interviews, etc.The sense of under-confidence may well be a source of lack of pro-active attitude and mental agility. Given the fact that on my job there are other colleagues with more qualifications and trainings under their belt, this may be holding me back from being active and agile.I a m fairly good with Time Management. However, I do see the need to be more effective at this. Green and Skinner (2005) believe that managing time has positive impact on career and life.Proposed LearningLearning is perceived as a result from four main sources/activities namely experience (from everyday life and on-the-job), training, modelling others in the workplace and coaching (i.e. apprenticeship and being looked after) Antonacopoulou, (1999).There is an apparent inter-dependence between the learning and development needs. This translates into a reliable PDP. As mentioned earlier, I will use the PDP to keep a check on my progress. This means that the PDP will be revised from time-to-time.Table 5 Personal Development PlanConclusionThis write-up critically reviewed results of various learning styles assessments and derived a Personal Development Plan agreeing with the assertion that individuals are responsible for their career development, not just organizations CIPD (2010, 2003). downstairs the following two sub-headings, I will carry out a learning review as well as give a self-reflective account.Learning ReviewVarious assessments have given me a clear picture of what my learning priorities should be and that in order for this to be a learning exercise and experience that delivers, it is essential that my goals be interdependent as well as SMART.At present, figuratively speaking, I am miles away from where I should be working i.e. my current job in a technical department of a courier company is no help to my career plans. However, I am now redundant and this might be a blessing in disguise.I want to be in a HR job. This will help me continue my journey towards my goals all the way developing strategic decision-making skills. Also it will gruntle the sense of professional in-security as I am seeking complimentary formal education. I see that this fear has done me damage in term of reduced mental agility and low level of proactive attitude. I will keep a c heck on my progress through the PDP. both of the above is time dependant. Green and Skinner (2005) put it as having positive impact and I will work towards achieving excellence in time management.Self-reflectionUnder learning review above, I have tried to review my goals as set above to and prove that they are inter-dependant.Further immediate improvement is direly needed in terms of theoretical concepts and formal specialist knowledge-base which will help me gain more professional competence and boost confidence.