Reflecting on Essential Skills for Career Growth

The assignment emphasizes the significance of four vital skills - Time management, Focus and Attention, Team working, and Public speaking - for an individual's current career development as well as future career advancement and growth. It also highlights contradictions that may arise while assessing and developing these skills, providing a comprehensive report on the importance of these skills and areas for improvement.

Reflective personal
development report and
plan

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
TIME MANAGEMENT..................................................................................................................1
FOCUS AND ATTENTION...........................................................................................................2
TEAM WORKING..........................................................................................................................4
PUBLIC SPEAKING......................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Skills and the abilities of an individual which help them to accomplish various tasks,
activities or operations. These skills are been developed within an individual through various
training and development programmes or activities. In the personal and professional career or
development, these skills help an individual to gain success. There are different types of skills
that are vital for an individual which will be discussed in this report. Skills required and
important for an individual in personal and professional life will be studied in the present report.
MAIN BODY
Core skills or attributes
By learning and training activities, I can develop my own skills or attributes for better
performance in organisation and work effectively and efficiently. Following are the
attributes/skills that I have selected for further evaluation:
TIME MANAGEMENT
What is the core skill to develop?
Time management refers to ability of a person/employee or a manager to use more
productively and effectively one's time, at work. It is also planning and organizing time by
dividing it accordingly to specific activities (Abrahams and van Dooren, 2018). So that,
appropriate time is allocated to right activity. As per the importance of an activity, time slots
are assigned for effective time management (Time-management 2018).
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
I am required to have better time management skills to perform various tasks in the
organisation in time. I would like to have time management skill to manage each activities in
organisation according to its importance and priorities. Through effective management of time
I would like to provide better quality work, since I am able to prioritise my each and every
tasks in effective manner and by not wasting any valuable time.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence?
Time management have much importance for effective functioning and better performance of
an individual. By possessing time management skill, I can prioritise my tasks in order
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efficiently. By focusing upon tasks with high priorities first I can ensure that it is been met at
the deadlines and been able to deliver my result or work on time. Better time management
skills make me more productive and efficient worker, as I would be not wasting any time on
unnecessary or less important task, due to which work can be done at fastest time possible.
Through managing time effectively, I can give more time for making better and important
decisions. By self-assessing through questionnaires and feedbacks from my peers and tutor, I
get to know about my current competency in time management. Currently, I was lacking in
this skill as I wouldn't be able to arrange my tasks according to priorities and was wasting a lot
of time doing unnecessary/unimportant tasks.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above?
No, there are none any contradictions on the perspective of myself and of others, in
organisation. They all have provided feedback on the same basis I have assessed myself that I
have been wasting my time on less important and unnecessary tasks and due to which, I am
not able to perform my work on scheduled period and with quality and not able to make better
decisions.
How might this skill help me in the future?
By possessing time management skills, I can be able to get more out the day, by setting out a
schedule for tasks that are needed to be finished. It helps to determine when the work or task
is to be done and how much time it would take to finish the job. Time management would lead
to more opportunities for me to grab upon for personal as well as professional development. It
would help me to make timely decisions and work effectively.
FOCUS AND ATTENTION
What is the core skill?
Focus and attention refers to the ability of a person's brain to concentrate on a certain goal or
target point, for a specific time period. Focus and attention skills in an individual helps to reach
their goals or targets without any distraction (Focused-attention 2018). It is required by every
individual for making effective decisions and to have attentiveness for observing their
surroundings and environment for grabbing better opportunities from them (Luthans and Doh,
2018).
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Why is this core skill important?
Skills for being focused and attentive are needed in me to be more concentrated on my work
and to avoid myself been distracted by any noise or hindrances. Being focused or attentive
would help me to concentrate on my goal or target and can smoothly reach or achieve them
without been getting distracted from other factors. It is important in many ways, it is the
gateway for success of a business. Without been focused or attentive, my all aspects of thinking
ability would suffer. It would affect my perception, learning, memory, decision making,
problem solving and reasoning abilities. Focus is been required in workplace or effectiveness in
my work or if I am not concentrated or focused on my work, the work would not be as effective.
If not focused, can get distracted and unable to work.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence?
Through self-assessment tools and seminar sessions, I get to know my focusing and attentive
skills that are required for effective performance in the organisation. By self-assessing, I get to
know that I have the necessary skills required for being focused and attentive. For measuring
my focus, speed test and attention test is been used. I was attentive on what my tutor told or
teach us and the management told me to do. My peers and tutor have suggested that I am not
fully attentive or focused from the feedback.
Can you identify any contradictions?
Yes, there are some contradictions between my opinion and of the others including peers and
tutor. I believe that I am more attentive and focused on my goal, but in contrast to this others
tell that I need more focus and attention towards what my superiors tell on my goals or targets
to achieve. More time is been taken by me for doing tasks which are not familiar to me and
makes it difficult to focus in them.
How will this skill help me in the future?
In future regarding my career, focus and attention is very much useful for me, for performing
every tasks and activities effectively and efficiently without any mistakes or errors. It would
help me for focusing and to have concentrate on my surroundings and environment for grabbing
better opportunities that would arise and to skip any jargon or hurdles.
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TEAM WORKING
What is the core skill?
Team working refers to achievement of common objectives or goals of an organisation or team
through the ability of an individual to work with other individuals or in a group (Team-working
2017). In a workplace, the most necessary skills required consists of sharing of information or
data or ideas openly and willingly with others, showing commitment towards team, being active
and flexible, persuading, helping and guiding each other (Bens, 2017). To accomplish a task
and to obtain a specific goal it is a collaborative attempt of group or team with team work in an
effective and efficient manner.
Why is this core skill important?
Team work is important in various ways is important for individual or group. In workplace,
teamwork motivates unity. Loyalty and friendship among people is been developed by
promoting an atmosphere with the help of team working skills. Through team-work
performance of a teams and whole organisation is been improved. A better team work structure
in an organisation have diversity of thoughts, problem solving approaches, opportunities,
perspective and creativity. Teamwork helps in improving efficiency and productivity of its
team-members. Pressure on members of the team or group is been reduced as, teamwork allows
people or a team-member to share their workload with others.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence?
I have worked with many teams in organisation which have helped me to attain growth and
development in both, personal and professional life. I have better understanding with others
which would help me to build a better working environment and to work effectively with
coordination with others. Through conducting meeting with other members of team and
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collecting feedbacks and suggestions or opinion from each individual member for knowing the
team performance skills and for identifying my weaknesses.
Can you identify any contradictions?
Among team members working together, there are contradictions in team work related conflicts
and disputes. There are various types of individuals working in a team together, and shares
differences among them in terms of culture, working pattern, perspectives, languages, age, etc.
Due to these differences among team members, there would be rise in issues and conflicts,
which would affect their performances.
How will this skill help me in the future?
It is important for each and every individual in a team to have team working skill. To learn and
develop new skills and knowledge among teams or an individual by working in a group with the
help of team-working skills. Team members can learn from each other, as a group consisting of
different members have various abilities and knowledge, which helps to develop their skills and
knowledge for doing a task in effective way.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
What is the core skill?
Public speaking refers to that skills or process of communicating information’s to a large
audience at conferences, workplace and even in personal lives (What-is-public-speaking-skill
2016). Better verbal or non-verbal communication skills and sharp critical thinking is been
required as skills for public speaking. In public speaking, purposeful information is been
conveyed to audience and meant to influence, inform or entertain them (German, Gronbeck,
Ehninger and Monroe, 2017). There are five elements of public speaking which are as follows: What is the message? Who is the source of the message? Whom is the audience? Medium for delivering message. Ending effect.
Why is this core skill important?
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Public speaking skills helps in development and growth of an individual. It is important to an
individual in many ways. Public skills helps in to increase my self-confidence. As we have to
speak in front of a large crowd and have to overcome the fear of speaking out and sharing with
other what I think. Communication skills are been improved by speaking in public, as it
involves both verbal and non-verbal communication, which is essential for getting my message
to the audience for message. Leadership skills are developed by public speaking, as the best
leader always persuades and inspire those who surround. It also helps to know how much I
know about the topic or matter for which I am addressing. Through public-speaking my fear of
facing huge crowd or large public has gone and can speak confidently to any person and can
convince them in any matter or subject.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence?
I have assessed my skills of public speaking through participating in various meetings and
seminars which have been organized in the company for different purposes. Through public
meeting I have gained better communication skills and ability to easily convey messages and
influence them for accepting my decisions or suggestions. I have also taken part in various
promotional activities of organization for promoting products and services and marketing of the
company. From the feedback taken from peers or team members, they also tell that I am good at
public speaking but needs improvement while addressing a huge audiences outdoors.
Can you identify any contradictions?
The contradictions that I face is building a relationship with audience. It is necessary to use
right words or actions for communicating with huge audiences. One of the main contradiction is
that it could be misunderstood by audiences. As each and every individual have their own way
of understanding and different perception. Due to which the message should be compiled in
such a manner that it would be easy to understand by everyone with same meaning. Public
speaking should be balanced well, it must not be too short or lengthy.
How will this skill help me in the future?
There are many ways in which public speaking skills would help me in the future. With public
speaking skills, it helps in to develop better communication skill within me. With the help of
this skill, I would be able to easily influence and inspire others. Public speaking also improves
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my knowledge and skills and can apply public-speaking skill in other skills. Public speaking
would increase my motivation and my self-confidence. Public speaking helps to use proper
words and in compiling messages in such manner that it would be easy for other to understand
and gets its meaning same to everyone.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report that for achieving success and growth in
personal as well as professional life, there are various important skills which are required by an
individual. It is been discussed in report the four vital skills which are required in an individual,
that are Time management, Focus and Attention, Team working and Public speaking skills.
These skills are important for an individual for their current career-development as well as their
future career advancement and growth. There are certain contradictions that would arise while
assessing and developing these skills. This report reflects and identifies various skills and their
importance and also identifies various areas in the skills for improvement and development.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Abrahams, T.P. and van Dooren, J.C., 2018. Musical Attention Control Training (MACT) in
secure residential youth care: A randomised controlled pilot study. The Arts in
Psychotherapy,57, pp.80-87.
Bens, I., 2017. Facilitating with Ease!: core skills for facilitators, team leaders and members,
managers, consultants, and trainers. John Wiley & Sons.
German, K.M., Gronbeck, B.E., Ehninger, D. and Monroe, A.H., 2017. Principles of public
speaking. Routledge.
Luthans, F. and Doh, J.P., 2018. International management: Culture, strategy, and behavior.
McGraw-Hill.
Online
Focused attention 2018 [Online] Available through: <https://www.cognifit.com/focused-
attention>
Team-working 2017 [Online] Available through: <https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/team-
working.html>
Time-management 2018 [Online] Available through: <https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/time-
management.html>
What-is-public-speaking-skill 2016 [Online] Available through:
<https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/what-is-public-speaking-skill>
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