Understanding Self and Others: Reflective Personal Development Journal

This report is based on a reflective idea of various skills like focus, time management, written and communication skills etc. The report will also throw a light on various strengths as well as weaknesses that a personality would carry within himself.

UNDERSTANDING
SELF AND OTHERS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. Reflective Personal Development Journal...................................................................................1
2. Summary and Action Plan...........................................................................................................6
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
A proper understanding of the self is very crucial for gaining confidence in personal life
as well as professional life. It is thus quite important from the point of view of an individual that
he should work in enhancing various skills as well as abilities of himself. If a person is filled
with skills and abilities, He will be able to work efficiently in his professional life and thus will
have a positive impact on the level of confidence that the person would be having. There should
be a personal development plan which would include various skills, abilities and qualities that a
person possess right now and a action plan to enhance them over period of time (Cheryan,
2012). This report is based on a reflective idea of various skills like focus, time management,
written and communication skills etc. The report will also throw a light on various strengths as
well as weaknesses that a personality would carry within himself. There should be a plan for
enhancement of personal skills, because it will help an individual to grow and prosper in his life.
The duration and time gap of such plan depends on the requirements of individuals and how they
will apply this in their life.
1. Reflective Personal Development Journal
Reflective Journal Entry #1
Public Speaking
What is the core skill to develop?
Public Speaking : It is a very crucial skill which is needed in today's Era for representing either
the organization or the individual himself in an effective manner. It is a very important skill for
an individual for the purpose of growth in professional and personal career. Public speaking is
a crucial aspect of anyone's personality and no individual can not grow in his personal life, until
he wont be able to speak and present himself well in front of people. (Kopala-Sibley, and et.al.,
2012)
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
If I would be having skills of public speaking then I will be able to represent myself and also
my organization in which I might be working as a professional. Without proper public speaking
skills I will not be able to convince other people on my thoughts and it will draw me back in
terms of personal as well as professional growth. Public speaking can build a personality which
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would be hard to copy, public speaking skill comes with confidence and knowledge thus I
would need to implement the same in an effective as well as efficient manner and therefore it is
essential that I have devise a plan to develop my public skills through my own by improving
skills of communications when I am at home. I will try to speak in mirror, which will boost my
confidence regarding speaking in front of people. The only fear that people usually have is how
they look while speaking, if I will feel confident enough to speak in front of mirror, then I will
be able to represent myself well.
Reflection on current competency. How I assess my current Competency?
My public speaking skill right now is very normal, I do hesitate a bit to speak in front of a large
gathering because I have not spoken in front of such gathering ever since my childhood and this
has struck me down on various points of my life. My main aim is to improve this skill by
constantly working hard on it and take participation in various events that would give me
opportunities to represent myself in front of people.
Is there a contradiction between how I see myself and how other People see me?
I do not hesitate a lot while speaking in front of people and gathering. But some times I think
that people I front of me are more knowledgeable than me and I may end making some fumbles
which will be very embarrassing for me. Thus, I want to make sure that I will be able to present
myself well in an effective manner in front of people and gatherings.
How might this skill help me in the future?
For the purpose of raising this skill and ability, I have to work hard by framing some personality
development plans for myself. Some of the elements of the plan would be talk in front of my
friends and explaining them my points so that I will gain confidence to represent myself among
people. Public speaking skill will allow me to present myself and my associate company well in
front of people and clients that will be beneficial from the point of view of company and for
myself as well.
Reflective Journal Entry #2
Time management
What is the core skill to develop?
Time Management : This skill is necessary for an individual to develop ability, so that every
task which is being allotted to the person is accomplished in a timely and effective manner.
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Time management can enable any individual to manage the most important resource of the
world in an effective manner. A person having time management skills will be able to manage
the time and perform task in efficient manner.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
If a person would be having good time management skills with himself, he would be able to
manage his time in a proper manner and this would enable him to perform his work in a timely
and effective manner (Chesser‐Smyth and Long, 2013). Punctual people usually are seen as
more attractive candidate in the professional world to hold a good position than those people
who are lacking skills of Time Management. I selected this skill to reflect on because it is a very
crucial skill that an individual must carry in his personality for the purpose of growing in both
personal as well as professional life.
Reflection on current competency. How I assess my current Competency?
I work in a service firm which provides service with relates to auditing and assurance. Various
task and duties are being allotted to me by my senior associates and I have to accomplish those
task in the time that have been assigned to me otherwise, there might be negative situation for
the firm. I have been able to do those task in a timely and proper manner, also in my personal
life I try to manage my time in the most effective way possible. Hence I can conclude with my
assessment that I do carry some sort of time management skills.
Is there a contradiction between how I see myself and how other People see me?
Despite comple2ting tasks in an effective and timely manner, some times I do misses the
deadlines which are being given to me by my seniors in the professional life, which impacts my
growth and career, therefore I will have to work hard in this area a lot.
How might this skill help me in the future?
Time management is a very crucial skill and I am committed to improve this skill by managing
my time well. For this purpose I will make necessary changes within my Schedule, so that I can
complete the task in appropriate time and reach to my destinations on time. Time management
will give me confidence to manage my professional as well as personal life in an effective
manner. I will be able to allocate time to my tasks in a proper and efficient manner.
Reflective Journal Entry #3
Conflict Resolution
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What is the core skill to develop?
Conflict Resolution : It is a skill to remove conflicts among people while working and is aimed
at making a harmonious environment within the organization or the surroundings in general.
The importance of conflict management skill in current scenario can not be denied in any way.
There do comes times while working in a professional environment that conflicts will arise
between peoples, thus it becomes extremely important to have skills of managing the conflict
well in an effective manner.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
It is a very important skill that an individual must carry within his overall personality, especially
in the professional life. If a person would be having a good conflict resolution skills it would
enable him to not only become a good and reputed manager but also a efficient leader over a
period of time (Magolda, 2014). I selected this skill for my reflection because, there come a
situations in both personal as well as professional life when you have to resolve certain conflict
between team or individuals. Thus possession of such kind of skill is very crucial for
professional growth.
Reflection on current competency. How I assess my current Competency?
I was appointed as the team leader during one of the task in my organization, but during the
management of the team in an effective manner, I came across various situations of conflicts
among team members and which have put a lot of pressure on me to resolve the issue as soon as
possible and bring the task back to track as soon as possible. I sat with people who were having
issues within the team and successfully able to mediate between them and resolve their
conflicts. This has filled me with confidence.
Is there a contradiction between how I see myself and how other People see me?
My weakness is that I am reluctant when it comes to taking opportunities of conflict resolutions
upfront. I was given responsibility by my boss and it was not taken by me. I will work hard in
the future for more such opportunities, where I can resolve of various conflicts among people.
How might this skill help me in the future?
In big organizations it is quite important that you might have to carry conflict management
skills because an organization might come across various situation in which they will need
certain leaders who can resolve those issues. Therefore to tap such opportunities to become a
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manager or leader in future, I will have to improve my this skills as soon as possible. Conflict
management skill will allow me to keep calm and composure in difficult situations that will
allow me to manage the conflict between people so that ultimate aims and objectives can be
achieved in an effective as well as efficient manner.
Reflective Journal Entry #4
Team Working
What is the core skill to develop?
Team working : It is a very important skill that an individual must carry in his life. A proper
team work builds efficiencies within a person by providing a healthy as well as competitive
environment within the organization. Team work is needed in almost every aspect of life be it
personal or professional. An individual shall be responsible for managing team and their work
in a professional life.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
This aptitude is vital for achieving all obligations with most extreme adequacy. It incorporates
working in a group is characterized as system of working with a gathering by joint effort in
answer to hit an objective inside constrained time frame. It is a troublesome piece of each
business in light of the fact that an organization's objective couldn't be accomplished without
assemble efficiencies. This fragment named as group working additionally essential for
appreciating each other (Hasson-Ohayon, and et.al., 2015). At the point when individuals work
in a gathering then they come nearer and become more acquainted with each other and this sort
of conduct upgrades expansive reasoning of a man. Group working is giving collaboration to
others by knowing their behavioural characteristics. This kind of working can be advanced by
well disposed condition in which all labourers become more acquainted with other person's
qualities and shortcomings and carry on as indicated by it. Therefore, clashes get the chance to
low and profitability gets higher of mine. As it were the point at which every individual from a
gathering place endeavours with a specific end goal to finish a typical target then it is called as
group working. For setting up joint effort with others, it is basic that I ought to play out an
errand in a group
Reflection on current competency. How I assess my current Competency?
As a team leader I have been able to manage my team well in the organization and this has
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boosted my confidence that I can manage even bigger teams going forward. When I have been
able to show better team work as team leader, Top management has asked me to take various
important positions within the company, which involved becoming a assistant marketing
manager and handle a bunch of team under me. Therefore I can say that I have been able to
showcase my team work skills in front of the officials of organization.
Is there a contradiction between how I see myself and how other People see me?
There are some sort of weakness as well which is involved in team work, these are like
management of a team that would be diverse in terms of culture and other factors would be a
difficult task in certain scenario. I have seen that my growth rate in terms of managing team
well has diminish after that positive event and I have to focus more on improving it. Also some
times it becomes even more difficult to manage a team within an organization when there are
some personal issues which is going on with team members and therefore, those situations can
be very awkward and thus I will have to improve about getting rid of personal issues and focus
on professional goals of managing team well.
How might this skill help me in the future?
For picking up a noticeable rate in progression of my work conduction I have to contend in a
group with full propriety by achieving every one of my objectives with greatest effectiveness
and specialization. As, I generally need to work in gathering and for this, I have to create
aptitude of working in a group. If I will be carrying right kind of team management skills I will
be able to manage teams in an effective manner for all the tasks that will be allocated to be in
my professional life.
2. Summary and Action Plan
To summarise the above skills and the various strength as well as weakness that are there
within this reflective development plan, following points are being covered :
Strengths
 My primary strength that I have been able to get from this reflective plan is public
speaking, I have been able to speak in front of people with a good confidence level and
this has boosted my confidence level to work for further enhancement of such skills.
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 I have been able to manage teams well in an efficient manner, as a team leader and this
has gave me confidence to do well on top level also. I acted well as a team leader which
showed that I do carry certain leadership skills as well. I do know how to manage my time well and I have been able to prove to my seniors and
my people within the organization that I am Punctual indeed.
Weaknesses
 Sometimes, because of nervousness I do hesitate to speak in front of large gatherings and
this leads to a reduction in my self confidence at times.
 Some times while managing my team I do loose calm and shouted on my team members
which was not a good sign.
 I do carry ego in myself and therefore sometimes It feels awkward to ask from my
subordinates on certain things, which I don't know and thus I try not to ask them and this
affects my team work.
 I also demotivate myself a lot when it comes to applying these important skills on myself.
Thus it is quite important to analyse the importance of these skills and apply them
effectively in my personal life, without thinking too much about it.
SL. no. LEARNING
OBJECTIVE/
GOAL
CURRENT
PROFICIENCY
TARGET
PROFICI
ENCY
DEVELO
PMENT
OPPORT
UNITIES
CRITERIA
FOR
JUDGING
SUCCESS
TIME
SCALE
EVIDENC
E
1 Time
management
skills
Do have the skills to
complete task in the
time frame which is
being allotted.
Present
target is
completin
g all task
in in the
time frame
which has
been given
in the
most
Worker
inclusion
in task of
time with
exercises
according
to
capacities
of labour.
Top
Manageme
nt
1 Month Feedbacks
which
were
received
from co
workers.
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effective
way
possible
2 Team Working Good in working in
a group and the
ability to take the
whole team together
in certain situations.
Healthy
environme
nt should
be there
within the
company
by proper
manageme
nt of team.
New team
working
skill can
be
developed,
and there
is a lot
which can
be learned
while
implement
ing the
task of
team work.
Managers 15 days Reports
are
prepared
by
trainers.
3. Public
Speaking
My public speaking
level is good enough
and I can represent
myself as well my
company well in
front of people.
I need to
improve
on the
front of
my
nervousne
ss and
hesitation
while
speaking
in front of
people.
I can
improve
on this
front by
attending
as much as
public
meeting as
possible
and
speaking
in them
and
Senior
Supervisors
90 Days Feedback
from co-
workers.
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leading
there with
confidence
.
Above Plan can be summed up, as there are such huge numbers of aptitudes that a man has to
comprehend other individuals. In this task four sort of excellencies of an individual depicted
which are centre and consideration, time administration, group working and composed
administration.
CONCLUSION
How much a man is proficient it depends the amount he/she focuses and fixation on a
point or individual with apportioning time in an appropriate and effective way all exercises get
the opportunity to be done and this conduct encourages other to comprehend my practices at
proficient level as well as at individual stake. I have been able to develop my skills well through
this plan and I am committed to improve the same by making a continuous assessment of those
skills from time to time.
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