Self Reflection Report: Leadership and Career Development

This self-reflection report analyzes a student's career aspirations, leadership potential, and the decision to pursue a Master's degree at Rivier University. The report explores the student's nine years of experience as a senior statistical programmer, highlighting their career goals of becoming an organizational leader. It delves into the importance of organizational behavior, diversity management, and employee motivation. The report also discusses the student's reasons for attending Rivier University, the benefits of pursuing a Master's degree, and future career plans. The student reflects on past experiences and how they have shaped current decisions, emphasizing the value of education and leadership skills. The report considers factors influencing employee performance and outlines the importance of diversity training and inclusivity within an organization. The student's insights provide a comprehensive overview of their career journey, the impact of education, and their future goals, considering organizational behavior principles.

Running head: SELF REFLECTION
Self Reflection
Name of the University:
Name of the Student:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Career Goals...........................................................................................................................3
Current decision of attending Rivier University....................................................................5
Why Pursue a Master’s Degree?............................................................................................6
Future Plans............................................................................................................................8
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
A career can be defined as an individual’s progress within the occupation they chose,
or a series of occupations. It can be considered as something that is more than a job, work or
occupation. Moreover, it includes the improvement of one’s entire life, their vocational areas
of growth and development. Most of the students, who acquire a Masters degree, have a
feeling that there is only one occupational area that is best suited for them. Additionally, they
feel that the occupational area is related to the subject on which they are completing their
final studies (Austin, 2012). However, there are many different areas which can prove to be
greater choices for the aspiring students.
The purpose of this report is to analyze the career opportunities that I am interested to
achieve. The report is designed in order to challenge my thinking procedure with respect to
the career opportunities which I hope to achieve. However, the only secret to identify the
occupational areas is to have high probability of success as well as happiness. Being a
Masters student, it is immensely important to identify whether these career goals are related
with the subject, which I am studying or not. In addition to this, the report will also highlight
the past as well as present events that helped me in shaping the decision of attending Rivier
University.
I would like to mention that I have been working as a senior statistical programmer at
a Pharmaceutical Company. Having nine years of experience has enabled me in excelling in
the industry and also it has given be opportunities of working in big companies. However, the
report will help me in analyzing the past events and shaping my career in accordance with
that. In addition to this, I would also mention regarding the benefits of a Masters student in
getting a better position in this current job market. Last but not the least; the report will focus

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on the future aspects of my career goals by keeping into consideration the organizational
behavior principles.
Discussion
The career planning completely depends upon a person and it is regarded as an
individual activity that occurs all throughout a person’s work life. In American society, the
career in which a student enters, hugely influence his lifestyle, income, self concept, prestige,
choice of friends and living location. The career planning is considered to be the
subcomponent of a student’s life planning (Beheshtifar & Roasaei, 2012).
Career Goals
I have been working as a senior statistical programmer at a Pharmaceutical Company.
With around nine years of experience in this industry, I have gained many ideas regarding
organizational behavior and principles. In addition to this, I have got opportunities for
working in big and reputed companies, which has helped me in gaining useful insights. I
started my career in the year 2009 and my roles and responsibilities involved doing statistical
programming, clinical trial data, preparing reports, managing teams, assigning them work and
monitoring them. Currently, I am the team manager of my company and five employees are
working under my guidance.
In addition to this, I am very responsible regarding my work and I have attended all
the organizational meetings regarding ongoing clinical trial. However, I would like to excel
in my career and become the organizational leader of the company I am working in. Each and
every student follows some career paths and has a unique set of work related and personal
experiences, which motivates them to succeed in their respective fields (Boud, Keogh &
Walker, 2013). Moreover, I believe that I have certain skills, which will help me in
succeeding as an organizational leader. Dedication, commitment and hard work are some of

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the common personality traits, which the organizational leaders should possess (Breines &
Chen, 2012). I believe that my nine years of experience have taught me enough of work life. I
came to know about organizational behavioral policies, leadership traits, managerial job roles
and many more.
Being an organizational leader, I will be able to lead my team and take the
organization to the ultimate level of success. Organizational leaders like Steve Jobs, Howard
Schultz and others have always motivated and encouraged their employees to work and
perform better every day. I strictly follow their shown paths, as I believe that I have
leadership traits, which will help me in succeeding. Moreover, I have learned how to manage
demographic as well as cultural diversity. Diversity refers to the way by which people are
considered to be different or similar from each other. It can be defined as the characteristics
which vary within a specific work unit like race, gender, age, education, functional
background, tenure or other factors (Chance, 2013).
Gaining an understanding regarding these characteristics shaping organizational
behavior is considered to be immensely important. Organizational leaders are responsible for
implementing diversity policies within the organization (Davis et al., 2015). It is highly
important to check whether the employees are gracefully accepting diversity within the
workplace or not. While, several companies know how to manage organizational diversity
and get benefitted from it, few struggles with the challenges associated with it (Dweck,
2013). Some employees have the mindset of, “We have always done it in this manner”, which
needs to be changed. Being an organizational leader, I will ensure that the employees accept
diversity and inclusion, which will prove to be beneficial for the organization itself.
In order to motivate the employees, the organizational leaders should conduct
diversity trainings and educate the employees regarding the benefits of diversity (Lent, 2013).

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Many organizations set goals and objectives for each and every employee. The motivation
can be regarded as one of the major forces which lead to great performances (Giacalone &
Rosenfeld, 2013). In other words, motivation helps in achieving the organizational goals and
a certain level of performance. However, along with motivation, comes the employees’
ability to perform the work and it is regarded as a key determinant of effectiveness.
Moreover, the environmental factors like resources, support and information also determines
the factors affecting employee performance level (Karamat, 2013).
Current decision of attending Rivier University
Attending Rivier University was of my best decisions I have taken, as it has helped
me in shaping my career. Rivier University has some excellent professors and majority of
them holds a doctorate degree in their related fields. Each and every professor takes utmost
care of their students and will go beyond their way to assist the students in need of
educational support. Moreover, Rivier University has higher level of academics, no matter
what the topic or subject is and being a master’s student I have learned many things, which I
was not aware of. The University also has flexible hours and conducts tutorial classes for
each and every subject. In addition to this, if the students want their staff members to review
the papers, they will always help no matter what time it is.
In order to attain top notch education, I would recommend each and every aspiring
student to attend Rivier University. Students will get to make valuable connections, gain
skills and learn new things that will prove to be beneficial for their future career. However,
my past and defining events have shaped my decision of attending Rivier University. So far, I
have achieved a lot in my career and with nine years of experience, I have become the team
manager at my organization, successfully managing my employees. Working in that
organization has enabled me in acquiring leadership skills. Moreover, I have become more

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responsible and punctual than before. The past and current events of my life have shaped my
decisions of joining Rivier University, as I feel that from there I will be able to learn more.
Rivier University is one of the best universities of United States. The University
offers great accommodation facilities to its students. Moreover, the students get to learn
various things as the professors are highly qualified. I will be able to get assistance from the
friendly professors, which will help me decide on my career paths further. In addition to this,
the professors also help the students in shaping as well as re-shaping their future goals and
objectives. Therefore, attending this University will prove to be beneficial for my future. I
wanted to opt for a master’s degree and Rivier University was a great choice. Furthermore,
the University offers its students with several field works. From the field works, I will be able
to gain practical experience and knowledge, which I will apply in real life.
The University is co-educational and is dedicated to higher learning of the under
graduate as well as graduate students in both professional courses of the study and liberal
arts. The institution is dedicated to transform the minds and hearts of the students to serve the
world. Moreover, the institution creates a learning environment, where the students get to opt
for integrated courses and it is the shared responsibility of the faculty, students, staff as well
as administrators. The University will help me in taking responsibility of not only myself, but
also others and to engage into societal issues. By acquiring this knowledge, I will be able to
take responsibility of my subordinates and colleagues, within the organization. Moreover, this
will sharpen my leadership skills and polish them further. The University also extends its
hands to serve the community and let others join in. According to me, attending this
University for gaining academic excellence was the best decision. Therefore, these are the
events which influenced me to shape my current decision of joining Rivier.

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Why Pursue a Master’s Degree?
Currently, I am the team manager of a large Pharmaceutical Company. My job roles
include assigning work to my team members and monitoring them. In addition to this, I have
to review their work and check their competencies and in-competencies. I am currently
managing five employees, who are working under my guidance. Moreover, I have to review
their performance, evaluate them and report them to my supervisors. Therefore, I have to do a
huge amount of work and with my nine years of experience, I am able to serve my job
responsibilities in an appropriate manner. However, I believe that there is no end to learning
new things. Therefore, I always find opportunities of learning from my supervisors and adopt
their style of working.
However, there are few issues which I am currently facing in my organization. The
organization does not have any strict policies regarding diversity in their guidelines. The
human resource manager of the company is also not competent enough to monitor the
employee policies and benefits, which is a major drawback. I believe that each and every
organization should have a diversified workforce. Managing it effectively and efficiently will
bring in huge number of benefits to the company. In addition to this, organizational leaders
should be able to implement diversity policies within the company (Men & Stacks, 2013).
These factors of the organization are de-motivating me a lot, which is posing a great
challenge to my future goals. Currently, these are the career issues which I am facing in my
company.
Pursuing a master’s degree in the related field will however, prove to be beneficial for
me in this current job market. Well, one should never underestimate the power of this degree
as most of the employers expect to see the master’s degree on the applicants’ curriculum
vitae, for higher job positions (Zimmerman, 2013). In addition to this, a master’s degree
holder gets more salary as compared to an employee with bachelor’s degree (Nesbit, 2012).

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So, there is no harm in aiming high as a master’s degree holder will always get more
importance than others. In this competitive job market, employees are running behind
companies, which will offer them with the right position (Miner, 2015). Therefore, I believe
that master’s degree is an additional advantage for the students, who aim to establish their
future goals and career path.
According to me, an undergraduate or bachelor’s degree will help an individual in
demonstrating his/her proficiency in a particular area. However, a master’s degree holder will
be able to demonstrate to the employers his/her expertise level in the specific study area
(Maddux, 2016). This degree is an addition to the educational armor and obviously, at the
time of finding a job with leadership responsibilities as well as higher salary, the investment
definitely worth the overall effort of the students. Top Colleges understand the challenges
graduate students have to face in finding the right job just after their graduation (Owings &
Kaplan, 2012). Therefore, some Universities provide the students with three to six months of
internship as a particular section of their overall master’s program.
According to me, the decision of pursuing a master’s degree will prove to be highly
beneficial in this current job market. I will be able to gain experience all throughout the
course, which will definitely enhance my profile and the internships will transform into full
time opportunities of employment. Moreover, the course will make me more confident and
efficient on entering the current job market. In addition to this, I will be able to gain top notch
education from Rivier University and enhance my career opportunities.
Future Plans
According to me, there is no shortcut to success. One needs to work hard as well as
engross himself/herself to their specific job role, in order to attain higher success level. By
the entry job levels, an individual will be able to gain huge experience in the related fields

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(Park & Millora, 2012). This will help in shaping the future track and also he/she will be able
to present the ideas more effectively and creatively. Gaining experience from my recent field
of work will enable me to gain practical experience of an organizational setting. Moreover, I
will gain practical knowledge and experience from the master’s degree which I opted for.
Rivier University will also assist me in achieving my future goals. The expert professors of
the University will re-shape my future goals and polish my career track. In addition to this,
my dream of becoming an organizational leader will get fulfilled if and only if I gain practical
knowledge in this area.
Moreover, becoming an organizational leader is not that easy as it seems.
Organizational leadership requires the individuals to develop an understanding regarding the
view points and opinions of others (Pedaste et al., 2013). Successful leadership requires huge
amount of skills and strengths, in order to lead the team for the organizational success
(Rothwell et al., 2015). Therefore, from the experience and knowledge I am gaining from the
respective areas, will enable me to focus on the future and establish my career in
organizational leadership. I have always followed the paths as shown by eminent
personalities and organizational leaders, Howard Schultz and Steve Jobs, in order to gain an
idea of effective leadership.
I have gained an idea regarding encouraging and motivating employees to give their
best to the organization. Moreover, the practical knowledge of managing teams has enabled
me in handling tough situations, in an efficient manner. In addition to this, being an
organizational leader, I would introduce diversity policies within the organizational setting. I
would train my employees to accept diversity, as diversified workforce brings in huge
creativity. Furthermore, I will offer trainings to my employees on how to lead teams
successfully and more efficiently. Therefore, I hope to see my career established as a

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successful organizational leader, who will be able to motivate and encourage teams for the
success of the company.
Successful leaders are the intellect and power behind successful organizations. They
are the strong visionaries, always charged with steering the brands around the pitfalls (Taylor,
2017). Successful leaders have an understanding on how to seize opportunities and also how
to motivate employees to perform better, towards the company’s goals and objectives
(Schunk, 2012). Effective and efficient leaders have the perfect combination of enthusiasm,
self assurance and charisma along with the healthy dose of timing as well as luck (Wicklund
& Gollwitzer, 2013). Few people are gifted with such skills, but as per my opinion, I believe
that most of the leadership traits are sharpened and learned with practice as well as time.
I believe that a successful leader have some traits which enable them to manage their
teams effectively. In order to have a successful future in organizational leadership, I need to
have some characteristics related to managing teams, acting strategically and many more.
Being an efficient communicator is also considered to be a major trait of the organizational
leaders (Zimmerman, 2013). The powerful leaders have the power to speak clearly and
explain succinctly to their subordinates regarding the organizational goals and specific tasks
(Vaccaro et al., 2012). Therefore, I believe that having these traits will enable me in
becoming a successful organizational leader in the upcoming years.
Conclusion
To conclude, career planning is considered to an immensely important phase in every
person’s life. It consists of actions or activities which one needs to undertake for acquiring
individual objectives as well as goals. Career planning is regarded as an ongoing procedure
that helps the aspiring students to explore their abilities as well as interests. Moreover, the
career planning programs enables the students to plan strategically their career prospects or

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goals. In addition to this, through the programs, an individual can create his/her future work
success by designing learning and action plans. This will further help the aspiring students to
achieve their desired objectives and goals.
The entire report have discussed about the career plans and future prospects. In
addition to this, I have discussed about my future plans and what I aspire to become. In
addition to this, I have also provide detailed insights regarding opting a master’s degree at
Rivier University. Moreover, I have explained how these factors will enable me in becoming
a successful as well as effective organizational leader. Apart than these factors, while
analyzing this report, one will be able to gain useful insights regarding organizational
behaviors and what a leader needs to perform in order to achieve success.
According to me, there are certain stages for a development plan. The aspiring
students must be able to gain a clear understanding regarding his/her strengths, competencies,
weaknesses and in-competencies. In addition to this, the students should conduct a self
assessment test in order to gain complete idea regarding his/her preferred career choices and
future prospects. Individuals should make proper career decisions at an early stage, in
accordance with that. I believe that the early the career decision is made, the more is the
chance of doing well in the preferred fields.