Global Brand Management
April 25, 2022Power, Influence & Leadership Models
May 2, 2022The personal development statement presented here is intended to describe my inclinations toward ensuring appropriate development of areas in management and leadership that are observed to be insufficient in my existing skillset. The objective of personal development is not only directed toward enhancing the knowledge of theoretical aspects but also directed toward anticipating a holistic impression of the application of managerial skills in professional scenarios (Arell-Sundberg et al., 2017). It is essential to present the personal development review aligned with my context allowing opportunities for acting independently to establish a course for planning and development to ensure professional development as a manager.
The personal development review presented below would contain profound references to the illustration of a critical review of my role as a manager in my professional undertaking before undertaking the course. Furthermore, the review would also highlight the assessment of the skills and experience I was able to acquire during the course which could be helpful in my future professional undertakings.
The critical review of my role as a manager at a small retail store could be presented as the interpretation of competencies and skills that were acquired by me during my employment. As the store manager, I was responsible for supervising a team of 20 employees in the store and my approach to management was largely based on participative nature. The specific personal skills which I was able to acquire during my employment as a manager refer to creativity, assertiveness, and decision making. I was able to ascertain creativity in the prospects directed towards developing in-store promotional displays which involved the combined involvement of the store staff in presenting their opinions regarding the design of the displays.
The concerns of assertiveness were also observed in my interactions with the senior management regarding the issues faced by employees regularly (Cottrell, 2015). I was also able to recognize assertiveness in my ability to communicate my opinions comfortably without any form of anxiety alongside safeguarding the personal rights of other employees. Another significant personal skill that I was able to apprehend from my role as a manager is decision making which can be easily considered an integral aspect of modern management. I chose to develop this personal skill owing to the implications for saving time while implementing crucial business decisions. I realized that while I was able to address specific stages of the decision-making process such as problem definition and data collection, my competencies were limited in the context of selecting the plausible option and the aspects of planning and execution.
My experience of involvement in the course provided me with opportunities to develop my skills in decision making alongside influencing my approach to implementation of the skills in my future professional undertakings (Hall et al., 2016). First of all, the course enabled me to apprehend the different theoretical aspects related to decisions making depicting classifications of rational and behavioral decision-making.
The seminars, speakers, and interaction with international students also enabled me to reflect on the expanse of my creativity skills alongside obtaining the opportunity to practice cross-cultural communication. The interaction with speakers and the organization of events such as seminars and conferences led me to understand the practical approaches to business management from the examples provided by them (Viitala et al., 2017). Understanding a novel experience communicated by speakers provided adequate support for developing an impression of the significance of responsiveness in contemporary management scenarios (Pedler, Burgoyne & Boydell, 2013).
The skills acquired through my experience in the course would provide viable support to me in my future roles as a manager for improving performance as I would be able to implement my decision-making skills for improving productivity. Participative behavior on my behalf alongside capabilities for cross-cultural communication could also provide a substantial advantage to me in the context of a diversified workforce.
References
Arell-Sundberg, M., Horghagen, S., Hansen, T.E.A. and Jacobsen, C.P., 2017. Creative activities in an international context contribute to cultural sensitivity, awareness, and personal development. Journal of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences, (2).
Cottrell, S., 2015. Skills for Success: Personal development and employability. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hall, R.D., Hall, R.D., Rowland, C.A. and Rowland, C.A., 2016. Leadership development for managers in turbulent times. Journal of Management Development, 35(8), pp.942-955.
Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J. and Boydell, T., 2013. A Manager’s Guide to Self-development. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Viitala, R., Viitala, R., Kultalahti, S., Kultalahti, S., Kangas, H. and Kangas, H., 2017. Does strategic leadership development feature in managers’ responses to future HRM challenges?. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 38(4), pp.576-587.