Reflective Development Report: Personal and Professional Growth

This reflective development report presents a comprehensive analysis of a student's personal learning journey and professional aspirations. The report begins by identifying the student's learning style as primarily aural, supported by observations of their study habits and preferences for auditory learning. The student then assesses their competency skills, highlighting strengths in leadership, communication, and teamwork, while also acknowledging areas for improvement such as networking and reacting flexibly under pressure. Furthermore, the report details the student's short-term and long-term development goals, emphasizing the importance of aligning personal objectives with employer expectations. The student outlines plans to enhance their skills, including improving numerical and customer-focused abilities, and emphasizes the need for continuous learning and adaptation to achieve career success. The report concludes with a reflection on the importance of matching personal goals with employer objectives and the role of analysis and feedback in the development process.

Running head: REFLECTIVE DEVELOPMENT REPORT
REFLECTIVE DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1REFLECTIVE DEVELPOMENT REPORT
Learning is an important part of the development process of an individual. Personal,
professional development of an individual also encompasses learning that aides in one's career
progression. Every individual has his or her own learning style that directs the way in which one
absorbs information. Having a personal style is important as it helps an individual to maximise
his own strengths and do so in an enjoyable manner. In order to gain professional development,
an individual should set proper short-term and long-term development goals. Progressing with a
proper plan gives an individual a proper direction to move forward in one's personal as well as
professional life. The present paper aims at presenting a reflective development report on my
personal learning style, my short-term and long-term goals of personal development as well as a
reflection on my learning journey that has helped me in my personal and professional
development.
Task 1:
Recognising learning needs is vital for one's progress in their career. I am a quick learner
and I have also been appreciated many a times by my teachers and well-wishers that I also grasp
things quickly, which is a very positive point for my learning process. My personal learning is
always based on the thoughts, which I crave to learn. I spend no time in searching and finding
the coveted subject in solving the problems as early as possible. Until I find the solution of the
problems, I do not take a lot of time to think about any task, which is my strength. The patience
that I have, has taught me to stick to one thing at a time. Analysing my personal learning needs
has helped me to understand the areas where I lack mastery in. It is important that I realise that
my learning is relevant to the goal that I am trying to reach. My personal learning style I believe
is aural learning as found out in the results on the learning style test (Zoe 2020). Aural learning
style is a learning style where an individual loves to work with music and sound, is good at

2REFLECTIVE DEVELPOMENT REPORT
listening to what others have to say, have an uncanny ability to remember the lyrics of songs and
use aural language such as words like "that sounds right" or "listen to me", and so on
(Educationplanner.org 2020). Whenever I do an assignment, I make sure that there is music
somewhere that I can listen to while I do my task. Presence of music keeps me motivated. When
understanding any concept related to psychology, I make sure that I read the content out loud so
that I can hear vividly while understanding the concept. Reading out loudly helps me in
understanding the concept clearly and quickly.
Task 2:
I took the competency skill test and found out that I am a good team worker, have good
communication skills, verbally as well as writing, and I like to take the initiative. I am a rather
flexible person who can react extremely well under pressure. While my scores showed that I was
just above average in the competency skills as mentioned above, I scored high on leading
(123test.com 2020). People who score high on leading can exert influence and exercise control
over others. I believe that with strong leadership skill, I would be able to manage the employees
in the organisation extremely well. To develop more in this category of competency skill, I need
to scrutinise how different people lead and persuade others. I must have a clear understanding of
what I expect from others and understand whether they have a clear understanding of the
situation and their consent in doing the work. Understanding their body language, their motives
and paying attention to their feedback, both positive and negative is a vital developmental
process in career progression.
In developing my career, I took a skills audit test that showed that I had to improve upon
my numerical and communication skills. Numerical skills involve making simple calculations,
presenting information accurately, using percentages and decimals and interpreting of

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information through charts and graphs. Communication skills include actively listening to others,
delivering business presentations, handling conflicts and communicating assertively
(Careersmart.org.uk 2020). Another area of development identified by the skill test was customer
focus. I need to focus on satisfying customers’ needs and expectations, manage customer
complaints, and help others deliver customer excellence. To improve upon my customer focus, I
need to adopt a more professional approach, prioritise the needs of the customers and seek to
provide better service to them.
Task 3:
Developing proper short-term and long-term plans are important to have a clear vision of
the goal. I always develop my personal plan keeping in view the goals I have to achieve in a
given time. I give myself a certain time for rendering and completing the plan as per my strength,
which is entirely based on my future project. In achieving a short-term target, I do make some
specific pattern and follow them one by one, such as to learn a foreign language in three months.
I do make the subject and task in such a way that suits me and my time to deal such thing in a
befitting manner, and I do not feel burdened in dealing with other important work, which I have
assigned to myself on a priority basis. I have made an enormous time slot for my long-term
development goals. Such goals are life changing in career and in no way I can take them lightly.
My priority is to pursue my goal at any cost for which I have to make a certain routine. I must
follow that routine in such a way that I do not feel the heat for shaping my career I do find
myself very active as long as I am involved in performing the assignment relating to my long-
term development goals. It gives me immense pleasure to pursue the goal, which I have allotted
to myself in giving it a concrete shape. In the competency skill test, I found out that I scored low
in networking, reacting flexibly and functioning under pressure. Therefore, my short-term goals

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would include improving these skills so that it helps me in future to develop my skills of working
with people and handling any rough situation that comes along. My long-term development plan
would be to build upon my strengths, such as my leadership skills, my analysing skills, and my
communication skills (CIPD 2020). I should also be more active in taking the initiative of the
responsibilities that would come along with the job that I would do, as it would help me in
becoming a competent employee in the future.
Task 4:
I have to match personal goals with my employer goals. There is, of course, some
relativity between them, which is sowing the seeds of relation in one way or other to achieve one
other's most coveted target. The task of the assignment will be in tandem with each other's goal.
There should not be any place of contentment that I have done the best from my point of view. I
must look after the employer goals, which must be taken into consideration to fulfil each target
and there should not be any gaps, which may vitiate the relation between personal goals versus
employer goals. It is important that I match the goals that my employer will have for me with the
skill sets that I possess and try to improve upon my skills and learn new things too to meet the
expectations of my employer.
My developmental work must be reflected in such a way that everybody should be
pleased, and my employer must be ecstatic. There must be some learning process of the journey
in performing the given task so that I find the work to boost my career manifold and there should
not be any lacunae left behind which may, in future, call upon me to repent for such task.
Identification through reflection and analysis indicate the areas of good practice or areas of
improvement. Therefore, analysis must be there for good work and evaluation of work should
also be done periodically, which will maintain the robust health of assignment. It is true that

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future development goals comprising an update of long-term goals are based on the reflection of
work assignment and day-to-day analysis and feedback to self. This is very important to look
into the loopholes of the process I am following so far and must also maintain the standard of
magnitude, which is needed to complete the assignment, which will set a paradigm for the
industry.
Thus, in conclusion, it can be said that in order to progress well in my career, I have to
keep building upon my skills and keep learning throughout. Using my aural learning style, I can
learn more in an effective manner and improve my leadership skills. With the competency test, I
understood that I am strong on my leading skills and communication skills; however, I need to
have proper plans to improve my networking skills and reacting flexibly under pressure. With
the skills audit, I found that I should have plans to improve upon my numeric skills and be more
focused on my customers. These skills would help me in building a successful career in future.

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References
123test.com, 2020. Competency Test - Free Competencies And Skills Assessment At
123Test.Com. [online] 123test.com. Available at: <https://www.123test.com/competency-test/>
[Accessed 12 April 2020].
Careersmart.org.uk, 2020. Career Test: Skills Audit | Careersmart. [online] Careersmart.org.uk.
Available at: <https://careersmart.org.uk/tools/career-test-skills-audit> [Accessed 12 April
2020].
CIPD, 2020. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) | CIPD. [online] CIPD. Available at:
<https://www.cipd.co.uk/learn/cpd> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
Educationplanner.org, 2020. What's Your Learning Style? 20 Questions. [online]
Educationplanner.org. Available at: <http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-
assessments/learning-styles-quiz.shtml> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
Zoe, B., 2020. How To Identify Your Learning Style In 5 Minutes | Simple Life Strategy | Simple
Life Strategies. [online] Simplelifestrategies.com. Available at:
<https://simplelifestrategies.com/sls-learningstyle/?cn-reloaded=1> [Accessed 12 April 2020].