Professional Development Matrix Introduction

The purpose of this matrix is to find out the personal and professional qualities and capabilities. Different competencies have been selected to reflect my personal and professional needs. Furthermore it tells about the perception of my current ability and potential application of each competency.

Competency Self-Management Competency Selected: Learning Styles

Current Ability

Potential Applications

Core Concepts

My learning style pragmatist. Class activity This particular style has got its limitations. As Learning styles showed that I am good listener but when it I personally feel that sometimes I am self- (Honey and Mumford, comes to talking then I have got very absorbed influential personality as I have got very situations when and going through complex 1986). this can make me Learning Cycle

strong convincing power with solid logics unapproachable. This self-awareness will help (Kolb, 1984).

and reasoning. I always participate actively me to put the colleagues jointly on one Stages of Reflection in the group discussions but when I am common point in the time of tough and (Moon, 1999). having very little knowledge about the critical situations. While working as a part of situation then I feel myself miss fit in the a team will improve my communication style situation. I always make sure that I am very and this will also give me a balanced much clear in my thoughts as this makes a approach towards learning styles. Moreover I big difference while convincing others and learn from personal as well as other peoples putting them to one common point. Interpersonal Competency Selected: Team skills experiences too.

From the activity in the class I emerged out I contribute only a narrow front and dwell on Communication Styles as a specialist and being a specialist which technicalities. Sometimes this is the (Whetton and Cameron,

depict that I am single minded. I am always requirement of the organisations where you 2010). kind of self-starter and dedicated to the work. are not expected to show narrow-mindedness Styles of Managing This quality tells that i can provide so in order to comply by the rules and Interpersonal Conflict knowledge and skills in rare supply. The regulations set by the organisations one must (Ruble and Thomas, 1976). second strong quality found was complete come out of this state of mind to focus well finisher along with resource investigator. on the work which could be challenging. In These two qualities indicate I am order groom well in the organisation I must

painstaking, conscientious, and anxious. I develop good team skill while coordinating in search out the errors and omissions and I an effective way which will lead me towards deliver on time. Being implementer I found personal growth and ultimately will assist me myself as a disciplined, reliable, in my professional career.

conservative, and efficient person who turns ideas into practical actions. The third equal quality explored was resource investigator which indicates that I am extrovert,

enthusiastic, and communicative. I am the one who explores opportunities and develops contacts. Self-Development Competency Selected: Receiving Feedback Feedback can be of two types, positive or As for as receiving feedback is concerned, I The Reflective Practitioner constructive feedback which I always have got the curiosity to know about my (Schon, 1983).

welcome and the other kind is negative personal weaknesses but this can have a feedback which can be a form of criticism or negative effect on my learning as I might for the sake of criticism. In this case I am ignore sometimes that people are just very careful as I believe what I think cannot criticising me for the sake of criticism and I be true in every case but I need to be careful must keep this point in my consideration as I while taking any kind of feedback as I always welcome criticism under the intention strongly believe in the point that your of my self-development and growth. If I personal growth stops at the very moment dont overcome this problem then this can be when you start thinking that you have misleading rather than putting me on the right achieved the roof but on the other hand one direction as finding out my shortcomings at have to be careful to know whether someone every time can destroys the abilities I already is just condemning you. have as this can lead me towards inferiority

complex.

After having a group discussion in the class I No doubt I stand between collaborator and Personal Leadership Competency Selected: Emotional Intelligence came to know that I am well capable of accommodating but sometimes I feel that i am Managing Emotions understanding my emotions and the emotions more tilted towards accommodating nature (Barsade & Gibson, 2007). of my colleagues. if the situation appears to rather than collaborator as an accommodating be very complex then I am sometimes in a person cares more for the other and is a little fix as I do not know how to behave in that bit concerned about him/herself. So I give kind of situation and this could be a problem priority to other peoples feelings and in my professional career as you must emotions as I give way to them. In order to understand the emotional feelings of your co- grow the other side stronger I must keep a workers in order to respond well in such kind balanced approach as this helps in personal of situations. But over all I stand between growth while keeping in mind the risk collaborator and accommodating. Engaging With Others Competency Selected: Cultural Awareness associated with emotional black mailing.

As for as cultural awareness is concerned I My curious nature of knowing about different found myself to be adaptive while cultures will help me in better understanding Cultural Differences in implementing the Hofstedes five forces of people working around me in workplace. Perception model. As for power distance is concerned, I Moreover more diverse and knowledgeable (Dunkerley & Robinson, believe in low power distance within the person can easily get good position in an 2002). organisations. I strongly believe if there is organisation. I am always reluctant to work in any hierarchy in the organisation, its only high power distance culture as I believe in

for the sake of convenience. At the same coordination and team work in achieving time I believe in collectivism as I have got goals. Whereas I learn that high power National Culture we mentality rather than I mentality. I distance culture is more focused towards goal (Hofstede, 1994). never tried to discriminate between gender achievement. Moreover, uncertainty

and value the opinion from both male and avoidance can help in mitigating the risk female. I try to discover culture of different while working in an organisations and written students in my class to learn about others rules can assist well in managing tasks and norms and values pertaining to cultural achieving goals. differences.

Improvements: There are different methods and techniques used by different researchers in order to improve the team skills such as tolerance, leadership, communication, and patience, stress management, valuing diversity and avoiding uncertainty. I have adopted different techniques in order to overcome my shortcomings.

Communication: Attending the meetings regularly will help me to reduce the communication gap and a direct communication can be improved by respecting the individuals. Patience and Tolerance:
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In order to achieve goals in less stress, patience, practice, and honest efforts play a vital role so this will be my focus. Participation: In order to improve this corner of my life, I will try my level best to participate in the group discussions without getting integrated. To attend different workshops will also be my priority in order to enhance my team skills. Leadership: As I came to know through different class activities and discussions that I have autocratic style in leadership so I need to address this side as well. Therefore I will try to become a democratic leader rather than an autocratic by avoiding the drawbacks of both styles. This can be achieved through reading related books and implementing the knowledge gained by reading those books.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, at first I thought that studying this subject is like tea with banana but during the course of action and by the end of this course I came to know that this has helped a lot in the development of my personality as a professional. As after studying this model I came to know about so many qualities along with certain weaknesses to which I have set out an action plan and after finishing from Stow College, I will not be merely holding a certificate as now I have encountered with certain professional competencies which will help me in my professional career. CPD helped me to organise certain corners of my life and now I feel like I am able to lead a team with full confidence where I can see myself independent and self- directed. The model also helped me to improve the level of value diversity. The only lacking I will feel in not to take this model seriously in the beginning but I managed to overcome most of the shortcomings. As personal and professional development is a

continuous process in the growth of ones life so this is my aim to implement whatever I have learnt from this model at every step of my professional life as I want to build a good team skills in my professional career.

References Hofstede, G. (1994) The Business of International Business is Culture, International Business Review, Vol.3, Iss.1, pp.1-14 Honey & Mumford. (1986) using your learning styles, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Moon, J.A. (1999) Reflection in Learning and Professional Development, Kogan Page. Dunkerley, K J & Robinson, W P (2002) Similarities and differences in perceptions and evaluations of the communication styles of American and British mangers, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Vol.21, Iss. 4, pp393-409 Barsade, S G & Gibson, D E (2007). "Why Does Affect Matter in Organizations?" Academy of Management Perspectives, February, pp.36-59 SCHN, D.A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: how professionals think in action London: Temple Smith Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall Ruble, T. & Thomas, K. (1976), Support for a two-dimensional model of conflict behaviour, Organisational Behaviour & Human Performance, 16: p145 Whetton, D.A. & Cameron, K.S. (2010) Developing Management Skills, 8th ed., Prentice Hall.