Reflective Account on Leadership, Skill Development, and Teamwork

This report is a reflective account of a student's experience in a project involving sustainability and globalization, leadership and entrepreneurship, and community participation. The student focuses on the development of key skills, including time management, delegation, and interpersonal communication. The report details the processes undertaken, such as prioritizing tasks, scheduling, and execution, and highlights the importance of interpersonal communication and networking in team projects. It discusses the understanding of contemporary trends related to sustainability, globalization, and entrepreneurship. The student reflects on the concepts of global citizenship and sustainable projects, and the relevance of these skills in the corporate world. The report concludes with an appreciation of team dynamics and the application of these learned skills in future endeavors.

Running head: REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Reflective Account
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:
Date:

1
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Introduction
The presentation done by our team members Andreea, Patrick, Bulbul and Lina covered
three topics. These are Sustainability and Globalization, Leadership and Entrepreneurship and
Community participation. The three skills that I have developed from the commencement till the
end of the project are Time Management, Delegation and Interpersonal Communication.
Discussion
Identification of personal skill set
The skill of time management adds value to an individual and development of this skill
enables an individual to organize and plan the time which will be allotted to specific activities.
There are many benefits associated with development of the skill of time management. These
benefits are increased level of productivity and higher level of efficiency, ability to complete the
assigned task within deadline, lesser stress and achievement of a good professional reputation
(Rapp et al. 2013).During the project I developed three skills associated with time management.
These skills are prioritization, scheduling and execution. Members of our presentation team
divided the responsibility of research on the presentation topic. We have prepared a to-do-list
everyday from the start till the end of the presentation.
Process undertaken
The to-do-list covered all the tasks that were required to be done on a particular day. I
applied the ABC rank method to prioritize our task for the day. A implied the activities of the
presentation topic which was of high priority and was supposed to be done immediately. B
implied the second-priority activities and C implied the low-priority tasks. I applied the
scheduling technique for my tasks of the day. I divided each day into 5 parts like morning, noon,

2
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
afternoon, evening and dinner hour. Then I made a note of significant tasks of the day and
assigned a block of time for each tasks. I also applied the execution technique for my prioritized
schedule. Along with my team members, I assigned a deadline for each topic of the presentation,
broke down each topic of the presentation into smaller tasks and assigned a deadline for each
task (Crane and Matten 2016). I also ensured to focus on one task at a time rather than multi-
tasking. This method ensured that my research for each topic of the presentation was in-depth
and adequate. I kept myself motivated by taking small breaks after completion of each task. I
have gained several personal experiences while preparing and conducting our presentation. I
learnt to collaborate with my team members and after the end of individual research on each
topic we discussed about the results of our findings which enabled us to develop a holistic
viewpoint towards each topic of the presentation which are Sustainability and Global
Citizenship, Leadership and Entrepreneurship and Community Participation (Rapp et al. 2013).
Amalgamation of skills and tools
Interpersonal communication is a skill of paramount importance which I developed
during the commencement of this project. Researchers have depicted that open communication
model among team members increases the productivity and effectiveness of a team. The method
of interpersonal communication which proved to be highly effective for our team members
during the commencement of the presentation are face-to-face group meeting and Skype
sessions. In each group meeting, I got an opportunity to discuss about the learning outcome of
each topic of my presentation. The team leader of our team, Andreea communicated effectively
during each group meeting (Crane and Matten 2016). Our presentation followed an action plan
and a roadmap. After completion of research on each topic of presentation, the key findings were
discussed among group members. We conducted secondary research for each topic of

3
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
presentation from existing books, journals, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter,
magazines and company websites. The face-to-face team meetings helped us to clearly
communicate with each other about the roles and responsibilities that each team member shared
to prepare the presentation. Our team leader Andrea reviewed whether each sub-topic of the
presentation was completed within the planned deadline. Interpersonal communication helped us
to maintain transparency within our team member. Development of the skill of interpersonal
communication also helped me to cultivate a positive outlook towards our project, acknowledge
the expertise of our team members, practice active listening and be empathetic towards our team
members (Fussell and Kreuz 2014 ).The interpersonal communication skill which I have learnt
during the presentation also helped me to understand the viewpoint of my team members about
the sub-topics of our presentation like environmental sustainability, sustainable projects in the
sector of retail, leadership and entrepreneurship and the benefits of community participation.
Learning process
The discussion about these topics with our team members enabled me to understand the
present research that have been conducted on these topics and the current trends, issues and
challenges related to sustainability, globalization, leadership and entrepreneurship and that are
faced by industries and society. I also got an opportunity to discuss about the solutions of the
most challenging problems related to this topic. Networking is focused around developing and
maintaining contacts with other people. I developed networking skill while working with my
team members on this presentation. I developed networking skills with team members and the
senior students of my educational institutions who worked on similar projects to draw external
information about the project topic. I enhanced my networking skills by asking meaningful
questions to my seniors and team members and tried to interpret their answers effectively (Beck

4
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
2015). I had to be active on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and
Instagram to conduct and prepare this presentation. Networking on social networking sites
helped me to comprehend the trends, issues and challenges of sustainability, globalization,
entrepreneurship and leadership and community participation (Rennie and Morrison
2013).Understanding of contemporary trends and issues which are prevalent among members of
community and different industries was of paramount importance to analyze each sub-topic of
the project. Networking on social media platforms provided me access to a substantial amount of
meaningful information which was extremely effective for me to complete the project.
Networking helped me to interpret the issues on the presentation topics which are prevalent in
my country and across the globe. During my presentation I could contemplate that business
organizations perform on an international scale in this modern era of globalization (Rapp et al.
2013). Enterprises could leverage on multiple benefits due to globalization. Some of these
benefits are cost advantage, availability of resources in host countries and outsourcing business
processes from developing countries by utilizing cost-effective labor. However, I learnt from my
group discussions and research of my group members that globalization needs to address the
issues of sustainability. Sustainability is satiating the needs of the present without hampering the
ability of future generations to meet their needs. I also learnt that social, environmental and
economic are the three pillars of sustainability. The environmental sustainability issues are a
contemporary concern for many business organizations in this modern era of globalization
(Moldan, Janoušková and Hák 2012). The global organizations publish annual reports of
sustainability to gain credibility of the stakeholders. These reports discuss the initiatives and
contribution towards sustainability undertaken by the global organizations. The sustainability
reports of the organizations focus on the Triple Bottom Line of business which is people, planet

5
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
and profit. The creating of long-term value is of prime importance for global organizations. I
collaborated with my group members to research about the topic of sustainability and
globalization on social media platform. I could comprehend from our face-to-face group
discussions that environmental sustainability is a rising concern for various industries like
tourism, retail and finance (Beck 2015).
Concept of global citizen
Global Organizations focus on reducing environmental footprints, making use of
renewable energy sources, reducing the impact of environmental pollution and adopting safe
procedures for handling of wastes. The face-to-face group meeting at the end of the completion
of the topic of sustainability I learnt that global organizations also foster diverse work culture,
open communication model, flexible structure and fair accounting practices indulges in corporate
social responsibility to address the concerns of sustainability. Globalization has also led to the
concept of global citizen where the world is considered as a community (Beck 2015). The retail
sectors also adopt a sustainable supply chain management and implement modern technology in
supply chain (Crane and Matten 2016 ). A global citizen is ready to cross the boundaries of his
home country and travel to a foreign land for work and respect diversity related to language,
ethnicity and culture.
Examples of sustainable projects and environment sustainability
I collaborated with my team members to develop powerful insights about
entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are ready to take the risks and rewards of a business venture and
serve the needs of the society with their powerful business ideas. From interpersonal
communication and networking on digital platforms I learnt about the contributions of several
entrepreneurs like Richard Branson of Virgin Group, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Elon

6
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Musk of Tesla. The face-to-face discussion with my team members has helped me to understand
the importance of leadership in global organizations. I learnt from the research of my project that
previously business enterprises adopted models of transactional leadership where organizations
had rigid structure to ensure strict control points (Nahavandi 2016). However, secondary
research on the presentation has helped me understand that at present, business organizations
have adopted transactional leadership which fosters innovation and creativity. Transactional
leaders support employees of the organization and there is a flexible work structure and open
communication model which are adopted by business enterprises in modern era (Drucker
2014).The presentation has helped me to understand that community participation is important to
develop tolerance for linguistically and culturally diverse communities and encourages tolerance
towards minor members of a community like people with disability. During the research of the
project, I discovered that community participation is practiced in sports, for instance, the
Paralympics sports organized by International Olympic Committee fosters participation of
disabled athletes who have physical disabilities like limb deficiency and impaired muscle
power(Brittain 2016 ).The presentation has helped me develop several skills of employability.
Skills like time management, interpersonal communication and networking which I have gained
during the presentation and by collaborating with my group members during the project will
have several long-term benefits when I enter the corporate world(West 2012) .

7
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Conclusion
Global enterprises have offices in different countries and foster work in cross-cultural
team. I have learnt to appreciate opinion of my team members which will help me in working in
corporate teams in future. Interpersonal communication plays a significant role in global teams
of business enterprises. By completing this project I have learnt to overcome the barriers of
communication which can adversely affect the work process of a team. A personal skill-set
knowledge relevant to this project is that I have knowledge about the sustainability factors that
are implemented by different industrial sectors like retail sector

8
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Reference Lists
Beck, U., 2015. What is globalization?. John Wiley & Sons.
Brittain, I., 2016. The paralympic games explained. Routledge.
Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2016. Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and
sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press.
Drucker, P., 2014. Innovation and entrepreneurship. Routledge.
Fussell, S.R. and Kreuz, R.J., 2014. Social and cognitive approaches to interpersonal
communication. Psychology Press.
Moldan, B., Janoušková, S. and Hák, T., 2012. How to understand and measure environmental
sustainability: Indicators and targets. Ecological Indicators, 17, pp.4-13.
Nahavandi, A., 2016. The Art and Science of Leadership -Global Edition. Pearson.
Rapp, A.A., Bachrach, D.G. and Rapp, T.L., 2013. The influence of time management skill on
the curvilinear relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and task
performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(4), p.668.
Rennie, F. and Morrison, T., 2013. E-learning and social networking handbook: Resources for
higher education. Routledge.
West, M.A., 2012. Effective teamwork: Practical lessons from organizational research. John
Wiley & Sons.

9
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Presentation Plan
Activity Time of commencement
Individual Research on Sustainability and
Globalization
Week One
Meeting with Team Members At the end of week one
Understanding Learning outcomes of team
members
Skype meetings and Face-to-Face meetings at
the end of week one
Preparing the Slides of the presentation with
general topics of Sustainability and
Globalization
Week 2 –Beginning
Individual research on sub-topics of
Entrepreneurship and Leadership
Week 2- End
Attending team meeting Skype at the beginning of Week 3
Individual research on the topic of Community
participation
Week 3-End
Attending team meeting Week Four-Beginning
Preparation of the conclusion side Week Four-End

10
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Editing , referencing and in-texting my part of
presentation
Week Four-End

11
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Screenshot of Presentation

12
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Screenshot of Presentation

13
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Screenshot of Presentation

14
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Screenshot of Presentation