Week 5 (Strategic Management) | Reflective Essay

Running head: MANAGEMENT
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors Note

1
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Week 5 (Strategic management)
Using the crystal ball analogy what do I see as my future career?
Using the crystal ball analogy, I have decided to pursue a career in the field of banking.
The reason for choosing this specific field is that I am a student of accounts and I have studied
the subject thoroughly in my bachelor’s degree as well. I am aware that no one can truly foretell
the future after all that a lot is dependant on the outside influences. However, I have decided that
I would like to pursue a career in accounts in the future.
Crystal ball analogy and strategic management are very similar in approach. While
contemplating about the future can be an exciting subject, however I believe that we need series
of strategic plan to enhance ourselves and reach our desired goals (Baldwin 2016, p.12). Firstly,
I would like to be involved in the banking industry as an accountant and that is my ultimate goal,
however I realise that I will need certain attributes to fulfil this in the future. Studying strategic
management has allowed me to understand that while vision is an important so is building
strategic plans. Upon self-evaluation I have realised that my education is one of the major
resources that I currently have. This will enable me to develop my skills and capabilities in my
chosen subject so that it can be relevant in the future. Secondly, I understand the threat of
external changes that may affect my work. Technological aspect is a big threat as there might a
computer programming that can take over the accounting jobs completely. Therefore, there is a
need to constantly update myself and always understand the current market dynamic in
accounting. I believe that understanding and proper strategic planning may help move towards
my goal in the future (Graham and Walton 2018). Lastly, I believe that I have good

2
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
communication skills and in can address the need of the customers effectively, given that I hold a
bachelor and master’s degree in the accounts I will be a good fit for the job (Cottrell 2017, p.23).
How am I going to get there?
I think one of the essential qualities that helps in realising goals is research and successful
planning. I am aware that not always things will go my way. However, after studying strategic
management in the class I have come to the conclusion that I need to constantly stay updated and
keep learning that is the first and primary need. Hence, updating and developing my skills will
enable me to gain proper knowledge and stay ahead in my profession. I already have a
Bachelor’s and after I finish my Master’s degree in accounts I would like to pursue a CPA
program. I will also consult some academic counsellors who help and guide me. Secondly, I am
aware of the changing market scenarios in the banking sector. Hence I also intend to start my
own accounting firm where I intend to employ strategic flexibility. Thirdly, I have observed for a
business to grow and prosper there is a need for innovation. Therefore, I intend to use innovative
strategies in my business plan and keep resources fluid so that I may liquidate them if required
and use it as a resource to improve my company. Lastly, I think one of the leading factors that
hinders progress is when the leader is not adaptive of the changes. I understand that there will be
changes in my chosen field as well so, I want to be open to new ideas and changes and
incorporate them in my business model. I think these factors can help me attain my goals.

3
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
What key factors do I see in the people that I work with that make them good
managers and what can I learn to do or do differently to develop my own
Management style?
Management style is one of the key factors that influence the organisational development
is the leadership style. The correct leadership style can influence employees positively, improve
performance and impact the overall work culture of the organisation. In my experience I have
had more or less good managers who have helped me learn and gain experience at work. The
personality of the leader or the manager is influences the employee and eventually the
development of the organisation. Personality traits is one of the first things that creates an
impression. When I began working I was nervous for my first day at work and the very first
things that I noticed was the warm attitude of the manager. She was very understanding, warm
and immediately put me at ease. I was always able to perform with ease and always looked up to
her for suggestions.
The second key factor is the use of effective communication between the manager and
the employee. My manager was extremely good at communicating with all the employees. She
excelled at ensuring that the employees received a proper feedback for their work, even the
difficult subject such a reprimand was delivered in a very effective manner without demeaning
the person. This directly influenced the employees who were always motivated to work and were
willing to communicate with her about their problems (Pennycook et al. 2016, p.342). She
always encouraged questions, was open and fair-minded individual. However, sometimes due to
extreme work pressure she used to act a bit dominant and could be harsh at times. This was the
only issue that was in her management style.

4
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
What are the organisation factors that might assist or inhibit me from being
an effective manager?
One of the factors that assists in effective management is good behaviour something that
I intend to fulfil. Employees sometimes are treated very badly in many organisation, it is also not
uncommon that they may be ignored all their working life and are addressed only when it is
required. Hence ensuring and promoting good behaviour with all the employee and stakeholder
will assist me to become an effective manager. Secondly, a factor that can assist me in becoming
a better manager is understanding my employee’s motivation. Most of the time managers are
driven by targets that fails to address the need of the employees. Once the employees are
motivated that will immediately elevate the work experience. Third factor that promotes
effective management is providing the employees with a proper effective feedback. Previously,
I never received any feedback regarding my performance as a result I never understood if I was
doing a good job or I was lacking in some way. Hence I intend to provide my employees with
proper feedback so they have clarity in their roles and performance. Fourthly, establishing
effective communication is very important in employee performance and effective management
(Cottrell 2017, p.34). Lastly, I think that gender plays a role in setting management styles. As a
woman, I feel I am more empathetic and possess greater people skills that will enable me to
enhance the performance of the employee and consequently the development of the organisation
in the future.
While I plan and imagine the perfect conditions that promotes the best possible
management style. There are certain aspects that may assist or inhibit my management style.
Firstly, of the primary aspects that may assist in the development of my management style is the
support from the organisation. When the organisation leaders support the decision of the

5
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
managers and provide them with useful resources that aids with the decision-making process can
help with building a leadership style. This can be further promoted when the leadership style
matches with managerial style. This will enable a new manager to develop their management
style considerably.
There are several aspects that may inhibit the management style. Secondly, the lack of
effective communication between the top administrative body and the managers. Without proper
communication, things will not follow through properly. For example I may want to create a
project that helps to look after the children of the working employees. If there is a lack of
effective communication the project may never materialise into reality (Graham and Walton
2018, p.45). The third factor that can inhibit managerial style is inflexible management
strategies. The organisation can be really good yet inflexible in adopting new and innovative
programmes this can certainly be a setback in management style. After all no matter how many
innovative solutions I come up with if it is rejected eventually that will harm the management
style and will also impact the development of the organisation. I believe these factors may
assists and inhibit me to be an effective manager.
Complete a personal SWOT analysis
STRENGTH WEAKNESS
 My educational qualification is my
biggest strength. My bachelor’s degree
in accounts and I am currently
pursuing master’s degree in the same
subject. This will enable me to learn
 Poor time management skills I think is
my major weakness. Not being able to
manage time properly means that I am
unable to manage multitasking
(Ekaterine and Natalia 2017).

6
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
better and use the concept later in my
career.
 My communication skills is strong, I
have noticed that from my previous
jobs. Good communication skill can
help me manage customers.
 Future learning interest. I think
lifelong learning is certainly beneficial
for my future career as it will enable
me to stay updated.
Multitasking and time management
can be extremely beneficial traits to
develop in a professional life.
Therefore, they are currently my
weaknesses.
 Not strong leadership traits. I am a
firm believer that leaders are made not
born hence I do believe that my traits
can be built upon and learnt. However,
currently my leadership skills is not as
developed as I would I want it to be.
 I am still pursuing my master’s degree
that means that I do not have proper
qualifications yet to start the job that I
want.
OPPORTUNITY THREATS
 Future learning and capacity building
skill is certainly opportunity in
enhancing my skills.
 The customer service is changing
within the banking and finance
sector. I can enhance my client
relationship through better personal
 Competition from my classmates who
intend to do the same thing in future.
Coming from a finance background it
is quite natural to want to pursue some
similar things. Therefore, they act as
my greatest threat from getting my
dream job.

7
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
engagement, personalised service
and 24hrs network that can help me
seize a better clientele with such a
dedicated service (Kanten and
Darma 2017).
 Later if I want to open my own
accounting firm. I may face threat
from other older organisations who
already have built their target
audience.
What can I do to continually develop my current/future management skills?
Management skills something that should be continuously built upon and learnt to ensure
there is growth in management skills. Firstly one of the primary necessity to develop my current
management skill is to concentrate on my studies and develop my current knowledge on the
subject. Natural skills and talent certainly help however, I feel that if I do have proper knowledge
then I cannot move forward. I also want to improve my time management skills and leadership
qualities because self-aware and self-motivation skills are extremely important in improving my
current management skills (Ekaterine and Natalia 2017, p.112).
As for the future management skills, I want to ensure that I am always learning and
evaluating my management skills. When I stop learning I believe I stop my growing process and
this will affect my management style. The job market is constantly undergoing changes and
therefore I think I need to anticipate those changes before it happens. This will help me gain
leverage against my competition and help me stay ahead in business.

8
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
What are my three take-away messages and the three actions that I need to
implement to further develop my management skills and why did I choose
these as the most important to me?
My three take away messages from this assignment are as follows. The first take away
message is employing strategic management in evaluating and planning my future objectives. I
have learnt that simply setting goals is not enough understanding the purpose of the goal is also
an essential element to gain success. The second take away message is self-awareness is essential
factor for building leadership skills. Through self-evaluation, I have been able to understand my
strengths, weakness within myself (Rubens et al. 2018, p.5). I have realised that there are certain
skills that need to be developed in order to improve myself and achieve my goals. The last thing
that I learnt is the role of management style and employee performance. When I reflected on my
personal work experience I noticed that there were many redeeming qualities in my previous
boss that made her a successful and well-loved manager. In turn her attitude motivated us to
perform our tasks better. I think these are some of the important things that I learnt in this
reflection.
In the future, I need to ensure that I develop my time management skills as it is an
important force which determines how the work is carried out. When people cannot manage their
time properly they can easily miss deadline, appointment and as a result, eventually lag behind.
As a future career person who is interested in accounting I am aware that time management or
lack of can create a bad impression and diminish the quality of work (Ekaterine and Natalia
2017, p.116). Self-management is an important factor that is much sought after quality in
management therefore when I can manage myself better I will eventually perform better and

9
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
manage better. The last thing is building my leadership style. I want to be more assertive,
motivated and driven so that I can influence people around me to perform in a similar manner.
I have always considered education as the most important aspect that helps in
accomplishing my goals. However, I have never consciously given importance to the other
aspects such as strategic management, management style, leadership skills I was never aware of
their importance. From this following reflection, it helped me understand that to achieve a goal
lot of other aspects are also important to enhance. Getting a job is my priority and dream but
with a competitive world, I think these are important aspects to consider and good qualities to
grow.

10
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Reference
Baldwin, M., 2016. Social work, critical reflection and the learning organization. Routledge.
[https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=iebeCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Baldwin,+M.,+2016.+Social+work,
+critical+reflection+and+the+learning+organization.+Routledge.
+&ots=_4HiSSm_WB&sig=d947eGziWHcaYOYJblbST_tVk1o&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=B
aldwin%2C%20M.%2C%202016.%20Social%20work%2C%20critical%20reflection%20and
%20the%20learning%20organization.%20Routledge.&f=false]
Cottrell, S., 2017. Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection. Macmillan
International Higher Education. [[https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=0fVADwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Cottrell,+S.,
+2017.+Critical+thinking+skills:+Effective+analysis,+argument+and+reflection.
+Macmillan+International+Higher+Education.&ots=Wc9Sfw2gHH&sig=e3V5aEOH5cWPZHE
ceX2-VMIL7xQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Cottrell%2C%20S.%2C%202017.%20Critical
%20thinking%20skills%3A%20Effective%20analysis%2C%20argument%20and%20reflection.
%20Macmillan%20International%20Higher%20Education.&f=false]
Ekaterine, G. and Natalia, K., 2017. Impact of Time Management on Personal Development of
Master’s Degree Students. European Journal of Social Science Education and Research, 4(6),
pp.110-118.
Graham, E. and Walton, H., 2018. Theological reflection: methods. Scm Press.
[https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=YGamDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT3&dq=Graham,+E.+and+Walton,+H.,

11
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
+2018.+Theological+reflection:+methods.
+scm+Press.&ots=wdKHUEfRUU&sig=HQA1dFIKKDnFOA_wucSfSgaeptY&redir_esc=y#v=
onepage&q=Graham%2C%20E.%20and%20Walton%2C%20H.%2C%202018.%20Theological
%20reflection%3A%20methods.%20scm%20Press.&f=false]
Pennycook, G., Cheyne, J.A., Koehler, D.J. and Fugelsang, J.A., 2016. Is the cognitive reflection
test a measure of both reflection and intuition?. Behavior Research Methods, 48(1), pp.341-348.
Rubens, A., Schoenfeld, G.A., Schaffer, B.S. and Leah, J.S., 2018. Self-awareness and
leadership: Developing an individual strategic professional development plan in an MBA
leadership course. The International Journal of Management Education, 16(1), pp.1-13.