Leadership in Action Report: Personal Development Plan - MBA, Chester

This report, submitted by a student pursuing an MBA in Marketing from the University of Chester, UK, focuses on leadership in action and personal development. It begins with an executive summary and an introduction to the student's career aspirations in real estate marketing. The core of the report centers on two personal development priorities: effective communication and time management, identified through a SWOT analysis. The report outlines a detailed personal development plan, including activities such as brainstorming sessions, case studies, group discussions, and competitive analysis, to enhance these skills. It reflects on the actual learning activities, providing insights into the student's experiences with each activity and how they contributed to skill improvement. The report also discusses how these skills will be continued for the chosen learning priorities, concluding with a summary of the findings and references.

Leadership in Action

Table of Contents
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.........................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
2. TWO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES..................................................................1
3. Personal development plan..........................................................................................................2
4. Reflecting on actual learning activities........................................................................................4
5. Evaluation of personal learning...................................................................................................6
6. Three specific ways which will be continued for the chosen for learning priorities...................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Leadership can be defined as a system in which employees are guided and directed in
order to achieve their goals and objectives. In the present report, as per the given scenario, I am
pursuing MBA in Marketing from the University of Chester, U.K. I am a Commerce Graduate
from the University of Mumbai, India. I have worked in real estate markets in Mumbai, India as
a freelance broker for 3 years and later with a Real estate broking firm in Mumbai for 1 year as a
property advisor. After completion of my MBA course, I am looking forward for a job as a
Marketing manager in Leading Real Estate Developer in Mumbai. Over the next 5 years I wish
to be in the Marketing of Indian properties in the international markets for the Non Resident
Indians in U.A.E, U.S.A, U.K., etc. who are looking forward to invest in property in India.
There are different set of skills which are required in order to perform the job that is
provided to me. In this context, there are different types of learning styles which can be used in
order to develop understanding. With this respect, Honey and Mumford is a type of learning
style which includes four different characteristics with the help of which people can develop
their learning (Honey and Mumford, 2015). Following are the four types of characteristics:
Activist: These are the types of people who learn from practically doing their tasks. They
are open minded and learn from different types of situations they face. I prefer to have this type
of learning style as it helps in developing my understanding with the help of issues and problems
which are faced by me.
Theorist: These people focus on understanding the main cause of any type of issue. They
focus on gathering information so that they can solve the problems. Further, they make an
effectual use of existing theories and prefer to develop their understanding.
Pragmatist: These people analyse the situation and make appropriate outcomes in order
to overcome the issue. They try new ideas and techniques in different types of situations they
face. I prefer to learn from this style as it will enable me to think over the situations and act
accordingly.
Reflector: They are the one who learn from observing others. They understand the
decisions made by others and learn from them. They collect data and take time in order to come
up with appropriate solution.

INTRODUCTION
Different people have diverse set of skills and capabilities and in order to perform a given
job, it is important that individuals identify the skills which would help them to perform
effectively (DuBrin, 2015). However, if one would not possess such skills, then strategies should
be developed so that goals can be achieved. General skills include decision making, time
management, communication, leadership, etc. Present report is about developing personal plan
which will enable to focus on enhancing two different skills which will be helpful for the future
career. Further, it covers different set of strategies that will help to make improvement in these
skills.
2. TWO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES
There are different set of skills which are required in order to perform a job. However,
there are two different proficiencies which will support me in career development. Further, there
are diverse tools which can be used in order to identify the areas in which one is lacking. In this
context, one of the tools which can be used is SWOT analysis (Prakash, Héritier and Brousseau,
2015). It enables one to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Following is
the SWOT analysis done for me to identify the development areas:
Strength:
 Problem solving
 Listening skills Decision making
Weaknesses:
 Effective communication
 Time management
 Presentation
Opportunities:
 Learning attitude Modern sources of learning like
internet.
Threats:
 Competition
From the above analysis, it can be stated that effective communication and time
management skills are very important in which I need to develop. Below given are the
importance of these skills in future career:

Communication skill (Verbal): To be a Marketing manager, it is important for me to
have effective communication skill so that I will be able to handle clients and provide them
proper necessary information. There are cases in which workers get confused and they fail to
perform effectively. Further, it is also important that the idea which is developed in the mind
should be conveyed to others and in order to do so, it is essential to have this skill. Moreover,
with this proficiency, it will be possible to develop healthy environment within organization and
it will help me to identify the issues which are faced by employees (Carver and Klein, 2013). All
the functions which are included in marketing like handling clients, guiding marketing team,
making use of marketing tools, etc. requires effective verbal communication.
Time management: To become the Marketing manager, there are different tasks which
have to be handled at a time and it becomes difficult to perform them with standard quality if
time is not managed. In order to perform any type of job, it is essential for one to perform with
maintaining the quality (Anderson, 2012). When I would perform my tasks on time then
management may provide me with extra responsibility as they will develop trust on me. On the
other hand, if I do not possess time management skill, then management will not prefer to
provide me with extra responsibilities and this will negatively affect my learning and career.
With these two skills I will be able to lead and manage people and help the firm to grown
and this will also help me to develop my career.
3. Personal development plan
As per the type of learning style through which I can learn, there are different type of
tools which can be used in order to develop the skills. This context, following are the skills
which can be used with the help of which I will be able to enhance my understanding and
capability over communication and time management:
Brainstorming sessions: This a type of development activity which includes lot of
interaction and sharing ideas. In brainstorming section many people are involved and they are
allowed to share their views (Uhl-Bien, 2015). A topic is provided and all share their views and
ideas, this enables to have interaction and this way I will be able to improve my communication
skill. Moreover, suggestions can be taken through which improvements can be made and skill
can be enhanced.
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Case studies: There are many books and different cases which are available within
internet which will enable to develop time management strategies (Margetts, John and
Reissfelder, 2015). Cases will also help to determine different set of situation which diverse
organization face and what all strategies were adopted in order to overcome them. As I learn
from doing things and so by going through different case studies I will be able to develop my
understanding towards different issues or problems which are faced within the organization.
With the help of cases studies I will be able to rank the tasks as per its importance and this way I
will be able to develop time management skills.
Group discussions: Through group discussions, new ideas can be generated through
which one will be able to manage time. Delegation is also important strategy with the help of
which time can be managed. In order to make use of this strategy, it is essential to know the
skills and capabilities which others process (Rush, 2013). The time taken to complete a task by
one perform will always be more when compared to the same task which done my two or more
people.
Competition: As per the learning attitude I possess, I will be able to develop my require
skills with the help of competing a person who is better than me in the skills which I want to
develop. This way, in order to become better from other person, I will observe him/her so that I
will be able to develop communication and time management skills. This way I will be able to
measure the improvement level and more efforts can be made through which I could become
better than my competitor.
Objective Activities required Resources Time frame
Verbal communication
skill
 Brainstorming
sessions
 Competitors
 Group of eight to ten
people
 note book
 Room in which
conference can be
held
 Knowledgeable
people
3 weeks’ time
Time management  Group  Eight to ten people 2 weeks’ time
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discussions
 Case studies
 Tool for accessing
internet
 Topics on which
discussions can be
made
4. Reflecting on actual learning activities
In order to develop my skills that is for communication and time management. There are
four development activities which were undertaken. In this context, following are the experience
which I have by conducting all the four different activities:
Brainstorming: So as to conduct a brainstorming session, it is important for me to
determine people who possess effective communication skills, this will enable me to develop my
understanding and improve my skill. With this respect, I identified 10 people who have effective
verbal communication skills. Then a place was discussed on and them based on the issues which
were faced by each one of them, discussion took place (Daniels, Farquhar and Gachuno, 2014).
One of the main issue which is faced at the initial stage was that I was not able to provide my
suggestion as I was not able to express them. However, the idea which I wanted to share was not
so clear but others understood them and helped my to present it correctly and this enabled me to
know the issues and then after few days I was able to convey my suggestions effectively. This
also helped me to develop my understanding towards the different ways through people think for
one issue helped me to develop my understanding. This way I was able to improve my verbal
communication skills and to share my ideas to other in an effective manner.
Case studies: In internet, there are many different set of case studies which are available.
It included issues which are faced by different organizations. Firms make use of different
strategies with the help of which they were able to resolve the issue of problem. There are were
parts in which I was not able to understand the issues as the area of study for me is marketing
and the issues which faced by companies were related to some other areas. There were many
issues related to handling clients, guiding marketing team, making use of marketing tools, etc.
(Rycroft-Malone, Wilkinson and Staniszewska, 2013). From this I got to know that
communication play vital role in order to perform the role of marketing manager efficiently. This
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enabled me to develop my knowledge and understanding towards the issues which organizations
face and the issues were helpful in develop proper plan for my communication and time
management skills. In all the cases time is required in for example to solve conflicts time is
required as time passes on the issues gets resolved, This also helped me to learn different
strategies which can be used in order to manage time. It includes strategies time staying healthy,
making notes, preplanning, etc. All these skills are helpful to develop time management skills
and in identifying the solutions which were faced by different organizations.
Competition: As stated above, there were ten people selected who have effective
communication skills for brainstorming session. Among those ten people one person is selected
who have both time management and effective communication skills (Baron, 2016). There were
many issues which were faced by me like I took lot of time observe him in order to learn the way
he express his views to others. For time management, it is important to schedule all the tasks
which has to be performed. This way one will be able to make time manage and all the tasks
which has been provided can be me completed efficiently. Proper plan was made for develop my
communication skills and for each plan proper time is required in completed them. Others were
helpful in guiding me and I observed them to develop these skills,
Group discussion: In group discussions there many issues, as ten people were selected
whop used to shout on the topic which were provided. This created confusion and no one was
able to understand what all things were been discussed. In order to solve this issue, we discussed
to give chance to everyone so that they can share their view over the topic (Bitterman, Nakamura
and Mustafa, 2012). This way all were provided with the chance to speak and it helped me to
develop my communication skills. Topics were related to the society, issues within organization,
etc. It all enables me to develop my understanding towards the different type of issues which
were going on around the world and perception of other towards it.
From the above given activities I was able to develop my skills related to communication
with the help of brainstorming sessions and groups discussion. On the other hand, through
competition and case studies, I was able to develop time management. In addition to this, fit also
developed my knowledge, understanding, listening and observation skills.
In addition to this, there are different type of other activities which I could have adopted
with the help of which I would have improved these areas. In which context, following are few
more activities which I should have followed:
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Emotion Roulette: This is type of activity in which total three people are required in
which one will act as moderator and other two will have interaction regarding anything. After
two minute, moderator would shout random emoting and participants need to continue their task
through that emotion. This enable to develop communication skills.
Last word response: It requires two participants minimum. There is only one rule and
that is to respond other person using the last word which was used by other. For example:
A: I have to drink water often.
B: Often I make use of my brain.
A: Brain is like a computer.
B: Computer is helpful to develop understanding.
Learn to say no: In order to manage time, it is important to know the tasks and the time
which each tasks will take. If someone gives other tasks, then one should be able to say no to it.
5. Evaluation of personal learning
As per the activities which were developed, it helped me to develop my communication
skill. There are continuous brainstorming sessions which took place and this enabled to develop
my skills effectively. However, it also developed many skills to manage others. As stated above,
there were about ten people who were call on for group discussions and brainstorming sessions
(Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, 2013). There were cases in which all the people who were
required to came for these activities did not come and this caused issues to other people. In such
situations, I had to make sure that all people come and start the sessions on time and everyone
get to learn from it. By calling all people on time and to make the session start has helped me to
develop my time management skills. Further, with the help of internet and book I was able to go
through different case studies which helped me to enhance my understanding and develop time
management skills and it also helps me to understand the importance of effective communication
skills to be a marketing area. However, in this context, one of the main issues which was faced
by me was to search of books which includes cases studies but is found internet to be more
helpful and time consuming. It enables me to find out the case studies related to organization
easily and I was able to develop my understanding out of it. Moreover, I was able to rate tasks
which were given to me. This way I was able to complete by tasks effectively. Case studies
enables me to know that for solving any issues like conflicts, it is important to give time as with
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the time conflicts gets resolved. From this practice, I got to know that I am good at learning
thing quick
6. Three specific ways which will be continued for the chosen for learning
priorities
In order to have continuous development over the skills which I wanted to improve. It is
important for one have lifelong learning, only then one will be able to make improvement. I can
make use of following set of ways:
Educational institute: During different type of classes which take place within different
section of MBA enables to have proper interaction with other students. It enables to have
continuous learning and it will help to enhance the skills which would help to have effective
interaction with others (Pinheiro, Geschwind and Pekkola, 2015). In addition to this, there are
many professionals who take classes based on different areas related to marketing and with their
knowledge, I will be able to develop my skills and understanding towards different areas. As to
be a marketing manager it is important for me to have effective communication skills so that I
will be able to guide and direct clients and employees under me within the organization. Through
educational institute will have continues interaction with other student and professors and this
way I will be able to have frequent development in the skills which I want to develop.
Social media: There are different set of social sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
which are helpful to have interaction with people around the world. It is helpful to develop my
understanding and to develop skills like communication as it enables to have effective
communication with people around the world (Hackman and Johnson, 2013). Further, there are
different posts which are made by people which enable to develop knowledge regarding the
issues which are going through within the country and around the world. Further, there are
different social sites in which interaction with professional of different organization can be
interacted and it enables to develop healthy relationship and also opportunities for the future.
Social media can be determined as one of the best tool to develop communication skill and this
also enables to develop other skills like time management and understand over different issues
which are faced.
Family: Support from family is very helpful in order to grow. Most of skills are mainly
developed with the support of family. In this context, it helps to develop information way of
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communication (Walia and Marks-Maran, 2014). There are family members in my family who
understand the importance of time management ans communication skills as in their profession
they understand its importance. I will take help from these members of my family and they will
share their experience and provide me with appropriate strategies wit the help of which my skills
will be developed. It enables to develop strong relationship with other through proper interaction
and by understanding the issues which are faced by others. It also helps in making effective
decisions for the different type of situations which are faced. In addition to this, there are many
different type of surveys which are conducted and it can be stated that most of the skills and
habits are developed through family member and more specifically parents.
CONCLUSION
There are different skills which are required in order to make the employees perform
roles and responsibilities effectively and efficiently. In this context, it is important that firm
identify the areas in which they lack and accordingly strategies can be developed with the help of
which tasks can be done effectively. In order to determine the areas in which one lacks
individual can make use of self-assessment and SWOT which enables to develop skills and make
appropriate plan through which knowledge can be developed.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Anderson, S., 2012. Distributed leadership in action: A complex pattern of people, tasks, and
goals. Linking leadership to student learning, pp.42-56.
Baron, L., 2016. Authentic leadership and mindfulness development through action learning.
Journal of Managerial Psychology. 31(1). pp.296-311.
Bitterman, J. E., Nakamura, Y. T. and Mustafa, S., 2012. Three Years in the Life of a Peer
Support Initiative for Graduate Students Studying Adult Learning and Leadership–an
Action Research Project Implementing the “ALL Peer Connect Project”.
Carver, C. L. and Klein, C. S., 2013. Action Research: A Tool for Promoting Faculty
Development and Continuous Improvement in Leadership Preparation. International
Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation. 8(2). pp.162-177.
Daniels, J., Farquhar, C. and Gachuno, O., 2014. Training tomorrow’s global health leaders:
applying a transtheoretical model to identify behavior change stages within an intervention
for health leadership development. Global health promotion. 21(4). pp.24-34.
DuBrin, A. J., 2015. Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Nelson Education.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. and McKee, A., 2013. Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of
emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press.
Hackman, M. Z. and Johnson, C. E., 2013. Leadership: A communication perspective. Waveland
Press.
Margetts, H. Z., John, P. and Reissfelder, S., 2015. Leadership without leaders? Starters and
followers in online collective action. Political Studies. 63(2). pp.278-299.
Pinheiro, R., Geschwind, L. and Pekkola, E., 2015. Academic Leadership in the Nordic
Countries: Patterns of Gender Equality. In Women’s Voices in Management (pp. 15-33).
Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Prakash, A., Héritier, A. and Brousseau, E., 2015. Organizational Leadership and Collective
Action in International Governance: An Introduction. Global Policy. 6(3). pp.234-236.
Rush, S. ed., 2013. The Leadership in Action Series: On Leading the Global Organization (Vol.
4). Center for Creative Leadership.
Rycroft-Malone, J., Wilkinson, J. and Staniszewska, S., 2013. Collaborative action around
implementation in Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care:
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