PGBM68 London Campus: Developing Skills for Business Leadership Report

This report outlines the development of various leadership skills pertinent to a future career in Human Resource Management. It emphasizes the importance of self-confidence, teamwork, socializing, communication, and decision-making skills. The relevance of these skills, such as effective communication, independent and group work capabilities, conflict resolution, and decision-making, are discussed in detail. The report also reflects on the lessons learned from participating in a PALs group and visiting speakers programs, highlighting the importance of problem-solving, efficient leadership styles, and the dynamic nature of leadership. A personal and professional development plan is included, focusing on acquiring techniques through various means such as joining a management college, attending seminars and workshops, finding information online, and seeking real-world experiences. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for practicality and continuous skill acquisition for effective leadership. Desklib provides similar solved assignments and study tools for students.

Running Head: Management 1
DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR BUSINESS LEADERSHIP
Student’s name
Course
University
Date

2
Table of Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................2
Developed skills..........................................................................................................................................3
Relevance of these skills for the future career development..................................................................5
PALs group and what I have learnt.........................................................................................................7
Review of what I have learnt....................................................................................................................8
Developing of personal and professional development plan...................................................................9
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................................10
Appendix one Personal and Professional Plan..................................................................................11
Appendix two- Group log....................................................................................................................16

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Introduction
A successful manager needs to possess several leadership skills for the efficiency of operations
within the enterprise. According to Amanchukwu, Stanley and Ololube (2015) such skills are:
communication skills, negotiation skills, conflict resolution skills, decision making skills,
strategic management skills and critical thinking skills. As a postgraduate student in the field of
Human Resource Management, these skills are very vital for my future career. I am going to
discuss on the skills I have developed and further outline how they may be relevant in my future
career as a human resource manager. I shall also outline the efficiency of PALS group in the
process of developing my skills. Lastly I shall provide a general overview of the lessons I have
learned from taking part in visiting speakers programme and various organizational visits.

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Developed skills
Being a human resource student has enabled me to develop a number of skills that shall be
relevant to my future career which are:
Self-confidence.
Various roles of leadership in the University has enhanced my self-confidence because Iam
usually confident to express my opinion when there is a necessity.
Team work
In various group assignments, team work has been the key to our success which is also a very
crucial aspect for any organization that needs to succeed. Without team work, the objective
cannot be achieved.
Socializing (interaction)
I have obtained most of the management skills as a result of interaction with my
colleagues. From this, I have appreciated the fact that working with individuals and
understanding their individual needs, strengths and weaknesses can result to greater levels of
success within the enterprise. I have learnt to appreciate the diversity that usually exists in the
society.
Communication skills
This is the most significant aspect for a leader. I have developed my communication
skills from various roles as a student. Presenting the group work in class has been vital for my
communication skills. Being a student leader has also contributed towards enhancing my
communication skills.

5
Decision making skills
In my life as a student I have always learned to make wise decisions which has been helpful for
my success. I have been able to excel in my exams due to the wise decisions I have been making
like taking my time to prepare for my exams
Conflict resolution skills
Peace is my dream each day. When people are in harmony life is usually good hence I always try
to resolve any conflict that arises among my friends and I have always been successful.

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Relevance of these skills for the future career development
According to Grubaugh and Flynn (2018) these skills are very important for several reasons.
Proper communication for instance is key in ensuring the flow of information is not tampered
with.it is through this that direction can be given both vertically and horizontally at the work
place. This is important in the firm, as it will increase workers’ morale, reduce wastages and
hence ultimately cause higher productivity to the firm (Hall and Rowland, 2016). When there are
problems with communication, there is likely to be production of sub-standard goods and
services which will come with its own share of problems.
The ability to work both independently and in groups is another key skill given its
importance. Being able to work without supervision means a lot both to the firm and to me as an
individual. From the perspective of the firm, it would mean I can be trusted with tough tasks, and
can be held responsible for the well-being of the firm. From my perspective, it would mean an
improvement to my self-esteem. It would also mean I get more creative and innovative to face
challenges whenever they come up. Working with groups effectively will be of great importance
as well, given the opportunity it gives for one to learn new concepts from others (Reichenpfader,
Carl fjord and Nilsen, 2015). Learning to work with teams will mean that I will be able to
understand how to deal with people who for instance may be stubborn, unwilling to change, and
the very talented and focused ones. It will be an opportunity for me to understand their points of
view on various issues which will help reduce wrangles by great margins.

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Given that conflicts are always bound to occur, knowing how to deal with them effectively will
be relevant in the development of my career. It is an open secret that conflicts have been
accepted as being instrumental in the wellbeing of a firm, particularly when kept in check.
Keeping them in check means having the ability to deal with them as soon as they appear. How
useful these conflicts will be to our firm depends on my abilities to deal with them, reason why I
need to learn the techniques. According to Preston et al (2015) good decision making skills shall
enable me as a manager to make wise decisions that shall enhance the success of the
organization. Finally, given the importance of change, particularly technological changes, it
would be reasonable and necessary to learn how to introduce, manage and perpetuate changes in
the firm. This is key, given that firms which choose to remain obstinate to changes end up
required to be phased out of the industry.

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PALs group and what I have learnt
As a Human student I felt it necessary to join a certain online forum for managers and CEOs who
discuss various issues in management together with the challenges they face as leaders in their
various organizations. They usually discuss various current trends in management which keeps
me updated with what I should expect in the real organizations in the near future. I have learned
much from the Pals group just to mention a few. From the various forums, I have come to
discover that leadership requires persistence and resistance in order to achieve success. Managers
face various challenges in organizations but giving up is usually the last thing they would think
of doing. Through interpersonal relationship with successful managers, I have been able to
acquire various tactics in leadership. The motivational theory of leadership states that a
successful leader should be in a good position to motivate the employees. After a thorough
analysis of the theory, I have discovered that there various ways through which the employees
can be motivated in the organization. These are: participative decision making, enhancing a
conducive work environment for them and offering various categories of compensation. The Pals
group has been of great help because we always brainstorm over various subjects and come up
with various ideas such as how managers can achieve the required change with minimal
resistance and many others.

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Review of what I have learnt
According to Smallbone, Kitching and Blackburn (2015) the following are the lessons that I have
obtained throughout my experience in life as a human resource student
Leadership is about solving problems
An effective leader should always be in a good position to solve any problem that arises
among his subjects. This improves the trust that people might have for their leader.
Efficient leadership comes with efficient style.
A good leader should strive to choose an efficient style of leadership that achieves the
maximum support of his subjects towards the achievement of the desired goals and objectives.
Leadership is dynamic
This is a never ending process in the entire life of a leader. Furthermore a leader acquires
new ideas everyday on how to be more efficient in his position.
Developing of personal and professional development plan
Acquiring these techniques will require a given method and plan to achieve (Owen, 2017). There
is need therefore to know how best to learn, what thing needs a clear map. Some of these means
will include joining a management college, attending seminars and workshops, finding
information online and seeking to obtain knowledge from real world experiences such as
working through internships. This is portrayed in the appendix section.
Conclusion
As a future leader, one needs to be practical as it makes perfect. Good leadership comes with
acquisition of various skills which have to be applied by an individual in everyday life.

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References
Amanchukwu, R.N., Stanley, G.J. and Ololube, N.P., 2015. A review of leadership theories,
principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1), pp.6-14.
Grubaugh, M.L. and Flynn, L., 2018. Relationships among Nurse Manager Leadership Skills,
Conflict Management, and Unit Teamwork. Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(7/8), pp.383-
388.
Hall, R.D. and Rowland, C.A., 2016. Leadership development for managers in turbulent
times. Journal of Management Development, 35(8), pp.942-955.
Owen, J., 2017. The Leadership Skills Handbook: 90 Essential Skills You Need to be a Leader.
Kogan Page Publishers.
Preston, G., Moon, J., Simon, R., Allen, S. and Kossi, E., 2015. The relevance of emotional
intelligence in project leadership. Journal of Information Technology and Economic
Development, 6(1), p.16.
Smallbone, D., Kitching, J. and Blackburn, R., 2015. Anchor institutions and small firms in the
UK: A review of the literature on anchor institutions and their role in developing management
and leadership skills in small firms.
Reichenpfader, U., Carlfjord, S. and Nilsen, P., 2015. Leadership in evidence-based practice: a
systematic review. Leadership in Health Services, 28(4), pp.298-316.

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Appendix one Personal and Professional Plan
What I want to learn What I will do to
achieve this
The support and
resources I will need
My success criteria

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Effective
communication skills.
o Learn the
relevant
languages that
may be
required at my
work place.
Specifically, I
need to
improve my
English and
French
grammar
skills.
o Learn
etiquette; that
is the cultural
orientations of
different
people as
regard such
things as non-
verbal cues
etc.
o Seek the help
of more
skilled people
in this
language
o Attend a
foreign
languages
school to
improve my
proficiency in
these
languages,
especially
French.
o Information
on the
internet,
books and
journals on
the cultures of
people
o I will be
clearer when
talking.
o I will be
mindful of
different
people’s
cultural
orientations to
various body
sign
languages.