Personal and Professional Development: Self-Managed Learning, Skills Assessment, and Development Plan

This article discusses self-managed learning, skills assessment, and development plan for personal and professional development. It explains the advantages of self-managed learning and identifies the current skills and competencies required to accomplish business objectives. It also provides a guide to developing a personal and professional development plan and effective time management strategies.

Running head: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Personal and professional development
Name of student
Name of University
Author note

1PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Table of Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................2
Various ways to enable learning through self management........................................................2
Advantages of the self-managed learning to the workers and the organisation...........................3
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................4
Identifying the own current skills and competencies required to accomplish business objectives
and achieve organizational standards...........................................................................................4
Evaluating the needs for own development needs and ways of accomplishing that...................5
Development of a personal and professional development plan considering the goals and using
an appropriate time frame............................................................................................................7
Various processes included in the development plan considering the strategies to manage time
....................................................................................................................................................10
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................11
Providing documentation for the planned development activities.............................................11
Reflection on own learning based on the organizational goals present in the development plan
....................................................................................................................................................12
Evaluation of effective strategies for managing time................................................................13
Upgrading the development plan according to the feedbacks provided....................................14
Task 5.............................................................................................................................................14
Approaches to improve the lifelong learning in professional and personal contexts................14
Determining the opportunities for development and meeting the present and future needs......15
References......................................................................................................................................16

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Task 1
Various ways to enable learning through self management
There are various ways and approaches that are considered as part of the research work
and can assist in conducting the research appropriately. This is essential for making people learn
various methods and techniques to accomplish the research effectively. The individuals can
easily learn through the participation in seminars and conferences, which provide great
opportunities to present knowledge and skills, furthermore ensure formation of a dynamic
learning environment. By attending conferences and seminars, people will be able to become
more knowledgeable and skilled to speak in public as well as develop the presentation skills and
transferrable skills used in various contexts of the organizational setting (Busse, Aboneh and
Tefera 2014). This will also empower both the individual and the organization. The formation of
social networks and socializing with people through Facebook, Twitter, My Space has created
convenience for people to interact with each other, which facilitated the sharing and exchange of
information and knowledge through various forums and social media platforms. It has assisted in
obtaining relevant information and applies the knowledge for becoming successful in their
personal and professional career too. The internet is the source for vast amount of data,
information and knowledge that can enable people to learn by own as well as access information
from different sources related to management, businesses and risk management (Hildebrand
2018). The accessibility to data and information becomes easy with the use of internet, which
can further assist in making people gain optimum knowledge and ensure personal and
professional development in their respective careers and becoming successful in the professional
context too.

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Advantages of the self-managed learning to the workers and the organization
The self management learning has benefitted both the organization and the individuals
who are part of the organization. The SML has assisted in maintaining relationships that are
based on the programs related to the gaining of trust and loyalty among the coaches, mentors and
other individuals who are responsible for providing knowledge and skills. The SML has also
helped in providing additional support through various learning procedures and ensured that a
positive attitude and behavior is formed, which can promote individual learning as well as the
learning of other individuals working for the organization (Moon 2013). With the formation of
relationships between individuals and the formation of trust and loyalty, the performances of
individuals increase, which increases the production level and develop a positive and calm
attitude responsible for improving the approaches to learning. Thus, the organizational
performances increase while the individuals who adopt the self managed learning have been
benefited by enhance2ment of skills and knowledge to adapt to different situations. The
individuals also do understand their roles and responsibilities properly, which is necessary for
gaining a good experience while learning new skills and ideas (Dettmer, Knackendoffel and
Thurston 2013). This includes self resilience, ability to meet challenges and goals, knowing to
learn and progress, dealing with ambiguities and even sharing ideas and opinions with others
before putting the most suitable techniques into practice.

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Task 2
Identifying the own current skills and competencies required to accomplish business
objectives and achieve organizational standards
The evaluation of present skills and competencies is essential for ensuring whether the
individual can perform to the potential for achieving the organizational goals and professional
standards or not. I have been working as a HR manager of Shangri-La hotel and my roles and
responsibilities are to keep the staffs motivated and encouraged to improve the level of
satisfaction among the service users. As the manager of the organization, it is my duty to
organize the skills sets of employees and ensure that the performances of the teams are improved
for enhancing the production level and profitability of the organization as a whole (Huffman et
al. 2014). This will facilitate the engagement of customers as well as influence the behaviors of
the clients to visit the hotel on a consistent manner.
Few of my own skills and competencies measured against the professional standards and
organizational goals are leadership skills, management of time and conflict handling skills. As a
HR manager, it is my duty to perform the role of a leader to manage the team properly and lead
the team embers towards the accomplishment of goals and objectives, furthermore improve the
team performance to foster collaboration and effective decision making too (Ebrahimi
Mehrabani and Azmi Mohamad 2015). The leadership skills of mine would assist me in
analyzing the skills and abilities to work with different people and ensure that the staffs remain
motivated by providing them with better rewards and benefits. As a part of the organization,
success is dependent on the way time is managed. The management of time facilitates the
completion of work within the allocated time frame and ensures effectiveness of tasks. The

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Shangri-La, being one of the major hotels in UAE is known for its excellent services provided to
the clients and thus conflict handling is important as well (Dixon et al. 2014). As the HR
manager, I need to use my logical and practical skills to handle conflicts in different situations,
furthermore maintain the professional standards and reduce the chances of risks in business
management. The leadership skills will allow me to encourage people and speak them to
participate, furthermore motivate the team members to work as an unit and in coordination. The
problem solving skills, on the other hand, could be beneficial for the individuals holding the
managerial or leadership position within the organization to obtain the feedbacks of customers,
manage the teams and ensure that differences based on race, religion, culture or ethnicity is
prevented (Bayar 2014). This will improve the problem solving skills of the individual as well as
ensure that the individuals progress in their professional career with much convenience.
Evaluating the needs for own development needs and ways of accomplishing that
My own development will be fulfilled with the way I undertake various approaches and
manage the activities within the workplace. There are various skills and knowledge that are
needed t be managed properly for delivering the best of performance, which can improve the
current skills as well as assist in achieving the professional standards with ease and effectiveness.
As a HR manager of Shangri-La, UAE, few of the needs for development are leadership skills,
communication skills and management or organizing skills (King 2014). Though I have recruited
the skilled and knowledgeable staffs within the hospitality industry and even made sure to lead
the team and its team members through motivation and encouragement. With the help of my
leadership skills, I managed to keep the staffs motivated and created a sense of interest to work
so as to obtain the desired positive outcomes. The areas of improvements and where changes are
needed can be analyzed, which shall add some extra skills and knowledge to my own

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development needs to be fulfilled and meet the professional standards criteria too (Ramia et al.
2016).
With the help of extensive communication skills, I have interacted with my team
members and made sure to clarify their roles and responsibilities, furthermore maintain a sense
of trust, respect and loyalty among them. My interpersonal communication skills have improved,
which has created immense scopes and opportunities to excel in certain areas (Pedler, Burgoyne
and Boydell 2013). The communication skills are facilitated through effective group discussions
and even through the participation in training sessions for improving own knowledge and
managing successful communication process too. The management or organizing skills are
important for any manager or leader of the organization and thus within the hospitality industry,
my own management and organizing skills have enhanced the efficiency of team working and
fulfilled my own development needs too (Mitchell 2016).
The development opportunities needed to meet the requirements and criteria include
internship plan, mentor help and support, attending seminars and conferences, online courses and
enabling continuous development. The internship refers to the work based learning where proper
supervision is managed by the leader to assist the staffs in fulfilling their development needs
(Ward 2016). This would create more scopes for the staffs to excel in their performance and at
the same time, improve my experiences while performing the roles of an effective leader.
Enabling participation in conferences, meetings and seminars will resolve certain issues through
providing solutions to the queries and ensure development of own ideas, views and opinions
obtained from various experts and professionals associated with the hospitality industry (Bukor
2015). The online courses are much more convenient to pursue nowadays, which can also evolve

7PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
the professional skills of communication and leadership and strengthen own capabilities to fulfill
the development needs.
Development of a personal and professional development plan considering the goals and
using an appropriate time frame
Personal and professional development plan
Skills that are needed Aims and objectives Timescale
Communication and
interpersonal skills
The objective is to promote
effective communication
between the employees and
ensure that they understand
their roles and responsibilities
properly. As the HR manager,
it is considered as a major goal
to arrange meetings and
conferences to train the staffs
and develop their
communication skills. The
feedbacks and responses
obtained from the team
members will ensure
monitoring their performances
and make any necessary
2 months
July 1st- Aug 31st

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changes to improve their
communication skills
furthermore.
Leadership skills The objective is to guide the
staffs in the right direction and
make them aware of the
mission, vision and goals of
the organization. It is to be
done through providing proper
training sessions and programs
required to enhance the
leadership skills and facilitate
the encouragement and
motivation level of the team
members at the company.
More than 3 months
September 1st- November 30st
Organizing and management
skills
The management and
organizing the skills help in
maintaining coordination
among the team members and
facilitate the teamwork
capabilities through sharing
and exchange of information
and ideas. The management
Nearly 3 months
December 1st- Feb 15th

9PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
planning is aimed for
increasing the productivity of
the team work and ensure that
the management skills of the
team leaders are enhanced.
This would not only ensure
smooth flow of work, but
should help in improving the
team working skills and
abilities too.
Problem solving skills
Another major goal is to gain
the problem solving skills not
only for progressing in the
career, but also for conducting
research related to the roles
and responsibilities of
individuals working within the
specific sector in United Arab
Emirates. This kind of skills is
important to achieve for
understanding the needs and
requirements of customers
1 and half months
Feb 16th – March 31st

10PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
properly and fulfill those.
Various processes included in the development plan considering the strategies to manage
time
There are various processes and strategies including the most importantly, time
management strategies, all of which are considered as important aspects required implementing
the developmental plan effectively. The development plan must be integrated with a specific goal
or objective that is needed to be achieved for enhancing the business performance as well as
progress in individual career with much ease and effectiveness. One of the most effective way or
approach could be the assessment of skills to identify the areas that need to be improved and
encourage the staffs. The mapping of skills with the organizational goals and objectives can also
be vital for gaining the required skills and competencies needed to maintain the organizational
standards (Megginson and Whitaker 2017). The setting of goals and objectives is also part of the
development plan that assists in identifying the short and long term targets to be achieved,
furthermore track the progress and ensure completion of those within the allocated time frame.
Few of the most effective and reliable time management strategies include limiting the
multi tasking activities and reviewing the progress on a daily basis. By limiting multiple tasks, it
would be easy and convenient to focus on one task at a time and set specific time within which
the tasks would be completed. Overlapping the tasks can not only increase the complexity level,
but will even take more time to complete those and thus focusing on one task at a time can be
more effective to manage time accurately (Kanarek and Lehman 2013). This would increase the
efficiency of the development plan as well as ensure that the processes and activities required to

11PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
implement the development plan were inclined with the business goals and objectives. The
maintenance of a personality profile or document can also be beneficial for evaluating the
required skills and knowledge that will be needed for personal contribution and at the same time,
maximize the productive performance of the organization (Hamilton 2014).
Task 3
Providing documentation for the planned development activities
There are various development activities, i.e., the activities that are needed to be managed
for gaining relevant skills, knowledge and expertise for the growth and development of
professional career. Few of the developmental activities of the plan include gaining proper
guidance and support from the experts, taking part in the conferences and workshops and
managing the profile of own personality properly. This ensures improving the professional skills
in terms of better communication, leadership attributes and problem solving (Brawley et al.
2013). The developmental plan consisting of the planned development activities can assist in
proper management at the hotel and understand the skills that will be needed along with the
outcomes that may be achieved in the upcoming years. As a HR manager, it is my duty to obtain
the feedbacks and keep track of the activities, furthermore compare the existing skills of
employees with the present skills, which can evaluate the contribution level of the management
team at the organization (Dolmans et al. 2015).
Development activities Strategies to monitor
and control
Time frame Feedback and
evaluation
Creating a list of actions Things to be done 2 months 6/10

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to be undertaken everyday
Engage in meetings,
conferences and
workshops
To discuss about certain
matters and clarify roles
and responsibilities
1 month 8/10
Managing time properly Monitoring the tasks and
whether the deadline
approaches or not
2 months 7.5/10
Keeping track of the
activities and measuring
progress
To monitor the progress
and make relevant changes
to improve efficacy
3 months 9/10
Reflection on own learning based on the organizational goals present in the development
plan
As the HR manager of Shangri-La, UAE,I have an important role working for the
management team. It is my duty to establish in a great position and at the same time, focus on
keeping the staffs encouraged to contribute to the organization largely. With their skills being
improved and betterment of organizational performance, my skills would bring positive results
and I could become a role model and manage my tasks properly. From my perspective, I think
that delegating the responsibilities and formulating the strategic plans are necessary along with
the allocation of budget to resolve issues and maintain a healthy working environment
(Hollenbeck, Noe and Gerhart 2018). With the help of communication skills, I would interact
with the team members as well as promote communication between employees; so that they

13PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
could feel free to share their ideas and opinions needed while making effective business
decisions. The main motive behind the development plan was to develop my leadership skills
and with the consistency in results, I can be assured that my skills have successfully managed the
workforce and there has been maximization of productivity and fostering the development of a
positive work culture (Goetsch and Davis 2014). I have managed to deal with multiple tasks and
even completed tasks within the allocated time frame for deriving the positive outcomes
effectively.
Evaluation of effective strategies for managing time
The time management strategies are best suited for improving own personality gain the
ability to self motivate and self discipline to keep others engaged within the workplace. To
manage time effectively, it is important to follow these strategies:
 Understanding the need and ways of spending time properly
 Setting priorities and time frames for completing the tasks
 Utilizing a planning tool, which can record information, assist in creating a list of
priorities and maintain a backup system too
Get organized through sharing and exchange of information in the form of ideas and
delegating the responsibilities properly too
 Scheduling the time appropriately
 Delegating roles and responsibilities and personalizing the tasks to prevent wastage of
time
 Focusing on one task at a time rather than managing multiple tasks, which can increase
the complexity and time consumption

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Upgrading the development plan according to the feedbacks provided
A developmental plan can only be successful when proper feedbacks are obtained along
with the progress. The feedbacks obtained could assist in creating a modified action and
developmental plan, furthermore make necessary changes to improve the development plan. It
could even assess the position and determine the importance of making changes, furthermore
make appropriate assessment of the skills and knowledge needed to develop own self (Luthans
and Doh 2018). The true spirit of leadership is understood by me, which has helped me to
perform as a role model and guide the employees in the right direction for remaining encouraged
and motivated. Due to this, my communication and leadership skills have improved and this can
allow me to make decisions effectively too.
Task 5
Approaches to improve the lifelong learning in professional and personal contexts
There are various ways or approaches to engage in lifelong learning and these are as follows:
1. Reading frequently and expanding the knowledge base through obtaining information
from newspapers, journals, internet websites and searching for a particular research topic
on internet
2. Reaching out to contacts and managing contacts with people can increase the level of
partnership working as well as explore new ideas and learning topics.
3. Teaching others and providing solutions to their queries can not only expand knowledge
base, but will also test own knowledge and skills

15PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4. Listing the most essential things that I want to explore and improve my skills and
expertise level
5. Focusing on the start of a new project and not prioritizing on multiple tasks at a time
6. Development and use of a personal learning environment and experimenting new things
to learn
7. Selecting a suitable job to encourage learning and collaboration. For example, as a HR
manager, I have carried out my roles properly and wish to attain a higher position in
some other company in the future
Determining the opportunities for development and meeting the present and future needs
At current level, I understood the importance of leadership, communication skills and
respected the multi-cultured working environment. Being a quick learner, I inspired the
commitment of employees and managed strategic planning, which facilitated participative
management and personal development for maintaining consistent relationships (Hill 2017). In
the future, I would like to take my personal development to another level, which would require
skills such as managing change, balancing personal and professional life and making decisions.
Planning for the future and tracking the progress of work could be beneficial. I must follow the
principles of democratic leadership to obtain the ideas, opinions and responses of the staffs
before making any decisions that could be vital for the success in business management (Eisele
et al. 2013).
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