Personal and Professional Development Plan: A Report

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PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................2
TASK 1...................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 EVALUATION OF APPROACHES TO SELF MANAGED LEARNINGS........................................3
1.2 WAYS TO ENCOURAGE LIFELONG LEARNINGS...................................................................3
1.3 BENEFITS OF SELF-MANAGED LEARNING TO INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONS..............4
TASK 2...................................................................................................................................... 6
2.1 EVALUATE OWN CURRENT SKILLS AGAINST PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES
................................................................................................................................................. 6
2.2 IDENTIFY OWN DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AND THE ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO MEET THEM.....7
2.3 IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT FOR MEETING CURRENT AND FUTURE
NEEDS.......................................................................................................................................7
2.4 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN BASED ON IDENTIFIES NEEDS.......8
TASK 3.................................................................................................................................... 11
3.1 PROCESS AND ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN...............11
3.2 DOCUMENT THE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AS PER THE PLAN.......................................12
3.3 REFLECT OWN LEARNING AGAINST THE OBJECTIVES SET IN THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN. .12
3.4 UPDATE THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN THROUGH FEEDBACK AND EVALUATION..................13
TASK 4.................................................................................................................................... 16
4.1 SELECT SOLUTION TO WORK-BASED PROBLEM................................................................16
4.2 COMMUNICATE VARIETY OF STYLES AND MANNER AT DIFFERENT LEVELS.....................16
4.3 APPLY EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR TIME-MANAGEMENT................................................18
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................0
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................. 1
1

INTRODUCTION
Improvement in the personal and professional life of an individual is very important since it
helps in building the skills, talent, potential and knowledge of a person. The assignment
focuses on the concept of personal and professional development of an individual. This
approach makes an individual confident and self-directed employee. The assignment also
focuses on the analysis of self-managed learning, creating a lifelong experience, evaluating
those and preparing a personal and professional development plan. Evaluating and making
necessary changes in the plan is very curtail step for improving an individual goal and
objectives. Finding the solution and strategies that would best suit the development of the
individual also counts for the business.
National Trust is an organization that looks toward the preservation of the culture of an area.
It also aims to preserve historical items and nature (The National Trust, 2019). The employees
of the National Trust are also provided with the opportunity of developing their skills and
talent through various programs. The trust by motivating the employees for their self also look
forward towards the achievement of their own goals and objectives.
2

TASK 1
1.1 EVALUATION OF APPROACHES TO SELF MANAGED LEARNINGS
When an individual undergoes a process of learning something on their own, it is termed as
self-managed leanings (Zimmerman and Schunk, 2012) Here, individually set up their personal
goals, objectives and aims (Pedler, 2011). The organizations can have programs related to self-
management. Individual take up this program to evaluate their self and improve their personal
and professional life. Following are the approaches of self-managed learning:
Seminars and conferences- This is the best way of gaining knowledge and gathering
information based on other people’s experiences. It helps us know about how to solve various
business-related issues and learn from their mistakes. The confidence level of an individual
also increases by attending different seminars which also improves communication and
presentation skills.
Social media- Business article and annual reports available online are also useful in gaining the
idea about how business function and what are their operations undertaken. Usage of
Facebook, Google, YouTube and many other networking sites can help an individual in
increasing their knowledge and abilities. The advantage of this approach is that information
reaches to a vast number of people while the disadvantage is that the information mentioned
here is according to the people's experiences and not the original effect (Sandeep, 2017).
Research work- A person can also gain knowledge from the journals and work done by other
people. This is the best way of updating the knowledge as information is collected from
reliable sources. The disadvantage of this approach is that data collected may not have
statistical analysis and the process is time-consuming. The advantage is that it provides the
individual to gather the information in an elaborative form.
Online learning- It includes learning through newspapers, web articles or from peer groups.
The main disadvantage of this approach is it does not offer interaction between the
organization and an individual. Whereas the advantage is it is an effective way to complete the
given task on time (Sandeep, 2017).
1.2 WAYS TO ENCOURAGE LIFELONG LEARNINGS
A continuous process of learning is termed as lifelong learning. It can be stated as a continuous
process of learning formal or informal education either for personal development or for
increasing career skills (Robert, 2018). As the manager of the national trust, there are various
3

ways through which we can have lifelong learning. These learning will also help in proving the
services to the visitors. Learning is a continuous process and does not stop until a person dies.
Some of the ways to encourage lifelong learning are:
Allow employees to self-direct their learning- The manager of National Trust tries to motivate
the employees and enhances their skill and knowledge. By applying different types of learning
the National Trust make efforts to build a person's personal and professional life. The trust
uses the VARK model, Kolb's learning model and various other models to encourage their
employees.
Make learning goals as important as performance goals- The National Trust ensures that
learning done by the employee makes them achieve their goals. They make learning goals real
for their employees by reviewing their performance daily (Wabisabi, 2018). Performance of
the employees can only be improved once they understand the importance of learning goals.
Apprenticeship learning- New skills and knowledge is gained by the employees while working.
The National Trust helps in supervising and guiding the efforts of the employees and thus try
to improve their learning (Nikos, 2018).
Connect employees with inspirational mentors- For keeping the employees motivated, The
National Trust offers formal mentorship programs. This program allows employees to connect
with experienced industry professionals. By organizing such programs the National trust allows
the employees to discuss the challenges and problems they are facing with company
professionals.
Create opportunities for social learning- An individual learns better when they learn it from
their surroundings. The National Trust allows its employees to learn in the group so that
employees can come up with better growth opportunities. The National Trust can host lunches
where an employee may learn new things from others and gather experience from them.
1.3 BENEFITS OF SELF-MANAGED LEARNING TO INDIVIDUAL AND
ORGANIZATIONS
Self-managed learning focuses on the development of individual and achieves their personal
goals and objectives. There are some of the benefits that are provided to individuals as well as
to the organizations (Self-managed learning, 2019).
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Benefits to Individuals
An individual having a self-managed learning attitude may increase the competition in the
market. These individuals may work efficiently to achieve the highest position in the
organization. Increase in confidence among the employees will also help them in gaining
opportunities and compete with competitors. Errors can be minimized by the employees in
their personal and professional life (Brefi group, 2018). Thus the improvement made by the
employees by carrying out self-managed learning would be the next level and help them in
both personal and professional areas.
Benefits to the organization
The benefits to the National Trust will be that they could gain the best employees who are
motivated and dedicated to their job. And so the burden of responsibilities could be divided
among such employees. The self-managed employees will lead the organization to greater
success since they always aim to achieve the best from the market. Further, the tour and travel
sector will get those employees who possess great knowledge and experience in the field
helping them in making good decisions (Self-managed learning, 2019). The employees who
gain self-managed learning may come up with innovations, ideas and technology. This would
make the National Trust stand out from other charity trusts.
5

TASK 2
2.1 EVALUATE OWN CURRENT SKILLS AGAINST PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
AND OBJECTIVES
Current skills Professional standards Business objectives of The
National Trust
Leadership Skills: I can bring
all the employees together
and can encourage them to
perform as a team.
To manage the task and
team properly is one of the
main leadership qualities. A
leader should possess full
knowledge about the task
appointed as well as help the
employees with their work.
The National Trust looks for
those managers who are
excellent in required skills. A
good leader must be a good
motivator and work to
accomplish the goals of the
trust.
Communication skills: I can
communicate well to the
employees about strategies
and goals.
To manage the working of
the organization an
individual must be able to
communicate and be fluent
in their thoughts. An
individual must speak clearly
to make a positive impact on
employees.
The National Trust aims at
having those managers who
are good at their verbal
communication. They should
possess good listening and
speaking skills. They should
be clear with what they
speak to the employees.
Decision making and
problem-solving: I analyse
the situation and then
reacts upon it. I make sure
that the decision taken by
me can resolve the problem
or not.
A fair and quick decision
should be made by a good
leader. Critically analyzing
the scenario and then taking
the best decision is the
effective way of managing
the task.
The managers of the
National Trust should have
decision-making skills. The
issues faced by the staff
must be solved with no time.
This will also create
satisfaction among the
employees.
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2.2 IDENTIFY OWN DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AND THE ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO
MEET THEM
Improvement needs Ways to improve skills
Leadership skills To improve my leadership skills as a manager
of The National Trust, I should try to
motivate employees effectively. I should
perform my best to become an inspiration
for my subordinates. I should try to inculcate
good values and beliefs in the minds of
employees. Giving them a friendly condition
for work is also part of my duty as a
manager.
Problem-solving skills This skill can only be developed within me by
experiencing the issues arising day by day in
the organization. I can also read from various
case studies and try to evaluate the situation
based on them. I can also improve my skill
by meditating and keeping my mind calm.
Communication skills I can improve my communication skill by
having group discussions with my
subordinates and interacting with them
regularly. Communicating with seniors
formally will also improve my
communication skills.
2.3 IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT FOR MEETING CURRENT
AND FUTURE NEEDS
To meet the current and future needs, as a member and visitor manager at The National Trust,
it is very important to grab the opportunity and take corrective action both within and outside
the organization. Also, the development of personal and professional skills will enhance the
working of the organization.
7

Further to increase my strengths and overcome the weaknesses, as a manager of The National
Trust I would try to perform the given task effectively and efficiently. At the same time, I will
try to analyse the threats present in the market and would grasp the opportunities coming. I
also need to work upon my communication and problem-solving skills to help better serve the
needs of the visitors (DSR, 2019). I will encourage my subordinates to work for the
organization in effective way and help visitors gain good experience overall.
As a manager, I would enhance my knowledge and skills by attending various training and
development program. The National Trust provides different ways to its employees to work on
their personal ability and capabilities in handling a task. The Trust also believes in providing on
the job training to its employees hence, I will try to upgrade my knowledge further by paying
attention to such program. Presenting a case study, Discussions with the employees regularly
and receiving advice from superiors will help me in my further growth and development (DSR,
2019).
I should also attend various workshops and training program courses to enhance my
professional skills. This will help me in my career development and making contacts with new
experienced people of the industry. I would also try to develop a workforce that is self-
managed and is ready to work for the organization in any given circumstances.
2.4 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN BASED ON
IDENTIFIES NEEDS
Improvemen
t needs
Current
situation
Aim &
objective
Opportunitie
s for
development
Strategies
formulate
d
Time
requir
ed
Monitoring
&
evaluation
8

Leadership
skill
I have
provided my
employees
with the
best training
and skills. I
had also
motivated
them to
perform
their
responsibili
ties well for
the
organization
.
The aim is
to be an
inspiring
person for
the
employee
and try to
improve
the ability
of every
member of
the team.
By gaining an
effective
leadership
skill will help
in the
completion
of the task
and attain
desired goals
for the
organization.
By
applying
various
theory
and
concepts I
as a
manager
can
increase
the
productivi
ty of the
employee
s. I can
apply
Maslow’s
hierarchy
needs and
democrati
c
approach.
3
month
s
The
working of
the
employee
will be
monitored
daily and
feedback
given by
the visitors
will help in
the
evaluation
of the
strategies
made.
Problem-
solving skill
Since much
time is
taken by me
to analyse
the situation
carefully
and then
react upon
them my
A manager
aims to
solve the
choirs
effectively
so that
employee
and visitors
can be
Once the
employees
and visitors
are happy
with the
services, they
would be
loyal and
always show
I would
consult
senior and
experienc
ed
members
of the
organizati
on and
1
month
The
improveme
nt will be
noticed by
the
superior
members
of the
organizatio
9

problem-
solving skill
is not so
good.
satisfied. up for the
organization.
This will also
increase the
profitability
of the
organization.
read
various
case
studies.
This will
help me in
taking the
right
decisions
further.
n and help
me in
gaining
new
opportuniti
es.
Communicati
on skills
I can
interact will
the
employees
but still, I
need to
work upon
my clarity of
thoughts.
The
objective is
to
communic
ate
properly
and gain
fluency
while
interacting
with
employees
and
visitors.
By improving
the
communicati
on skill I
would
enhance the
productivity
and solve the
confusion
arising out of
not having
proper
communicati
on.
By
reading
good
books,
blogs &
newspape
r
vocabular
y could be
improved.
Also by
reading
inspiring
stories
and
journals
innovative
thoughts
could be
created.
1
month
This skill
could be
evaluated
by
obtaining
feedback
from
visitors and
employees
regarding
the
interaction
had with
them.
10

TASK 3
3.1 PROCESS AND ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT THE DEVELOPMENT
PLAN
To attain a good development plan, I undertook various processes and activities that would
help me in achieving my personal and professional goals. The process I formulated to develop
a good and effective plan is:
1. Self-assessment- I tried to improve my communication, leadership and problem-solving
skill (MSG, 2015). I also attended various seminars and courses through which my
productivity could improve.
2. Assess current position- I evaluated my position and made efforts to create a good
name in the organization.
3. Identified development activities- I critically evaluated activities and strategies made
by me and tried to bring changes in them (Inserity, 2019). This will not only improve
productivity but also bring new innovative ideas.
4. Implement the plan- I then prepared a report summarizing the corrections I need to
make for the effective working of the organization. By implementing the new plan
made will lead to the progress of the organization.
5. Time management- I then focused on managing the time to implement the strategies
and activities. To achieve the plan made I allotted a particular time for each activity.
6. Evaluating the changes made- Finally, I evaluated my performance based on the
strategies formulated and tried to figure out the gaps still needed to be filled.
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