Professional Development for Strategic Managers Up the Ladder to Complete Success

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.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Professional Development for Strategic Managers: Up the Ladder to Complete Success specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More 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 rea lity 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.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to what Clegg Bradley say, the whole thing is, in fact, a lifelong process: â€Å"The development of PDP goes beyond evidence collection; it aspires to form an intermediary stage leadin g 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, â€Å"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.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Professional Development for Strategic Managers: Up the Ladder to Complete Success specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More 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 abl e 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.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 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 approa ch. According to the authors, there are five perspectives which are bound to help shape a true manager’s attitude: â€Å"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 â€Å"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 â€Å"this type of problem requires thinking strategically about sy stems 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, â€Å"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 bu siness 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. Appendix A: Personal Development Plan Personal Development Plan Training, Learning Development Needs Priority How will this be met? Target date Evaluation – what have you learnt? Evaluation – how much difference will it make to how you do your jobs? Strategis skills development The highest Setting goals and developing careful plans on gradual implementation of these goals Two weeks Evaluating the outomces, one can choose the most suiatble problem solution With the given skill trained, I will be able to plan things more efficiently, which is crucialfor a leader Leadership style application High Solving the emerging conflicts and channeling the employees’ efforts in the right direction Week Each problem needs a unqiue approach, which is why several leadership styles must be taken into consideration I will be more flexible and will be able to find a unqiue solution to any problem Disposing of negative traits (defaulting on the schedule) High Analyzing the negative traits and work on different behavior model. Two weeks Negative character traits are not necessarily the ones that must be eliminated immediately. In certain cases, negative traits can be turned into benefits Once the given stage is over, I will stop making the mistakes Ifrequently make. Personal skills development High Developing a plan on training personal skills Two weeks Despite the fact that personal skills are considered no substitute for business skills, the former can still be used in the realm ofmarketing. Developing personal qualities can help acquire geat business skills I will be able to use my personal skills for developing the professioanl ones aas twell as my leadership style. Communicational skills development Middle Developing communicational skills in the course ofconversations with employees and managerial Three weeks I have learned that the art ofdeeveloping communicational skills goes beyog learning the theoretical material. Despite the fact that the theory ofcommunication explains a lot ofcomplicated issues, it still does not provide the mnaswers to certai questions, which means that I have to search for the solutions to communicational prolems myself I will be able to solve conflicts arising among the staff/managerial and win people’s respect and affection Effective person habits application Middle Analyzing my own behavior, checking when I deviate from the effective person pattern and use the effective perso habits that I have not developed yet in the above-menioned situations Three weeks Although the sev en effective person habits are doubtlessly, the features ofa true leader, they require certain character qualities which popel with certain temperament need to train thorughly I will gain more weight among the staff and the managerial and be able to make decisions more wisely. Marketing background usage MIddle Rethinking the obtained marketing experience and applying the obtained skills when they are required Three weeks In the process I have leraned that every single bit ofexperienc in a cetain field can be used to succeed in the given sphere The active use ofmarketig background will help me find the solutions to the arising problems faster and plan the furtehr actions better. SMART Objectives Element How does the objective include the element? Specific Professional and personal training will affect my current position. Measurable After the training, my performance will increase by 10%. Achievable I have taken into accounts my personal limitations and drawbacks. Rea listic Three weeks are more than enough for training skills and specific character traits. Timescaled The objectives must be met in three weeks. 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. This term paper on Professional Development for Strategic Managers: Up the Ladder to Complete Success was written and submitted by user Andrea Flores to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.