Developing Personal and Management Skills: Reflective Skills Report

This report explores the development of personal and management skills, emphasizing the importance of skills in achieving personal and professional growth. It includes a reflection on a past experience using Gibbs' Reflective Cycle, focusing on leadership and management skills. A personal development plan is outlined with goals and strategies for improving communication, decision-making, self-management, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. The report also discusses transferable skills, highlighting supportive communication and motivation. The Berlo model of communication is suggested for improving communication at Marks and Spencer (M&S), along with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to enhance employee motivation and satisfaction. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of skills development and its practical application in personal and professional contexts.

Developing Personal and
Management Skills

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Reflection.....................................................................................................................................3
Personal development plan..........................................................................................................5
Transferable skills7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Skills are the ability which an individual person should adopt in their life for growing and
developing themselves successfully. These skills play a crucial and important role in an
individual life where it includes the different types of skills such as leadership, management
and transferable skills which can provide a better growth to individual. The report will
illustrate the different types of skills by using different models and also develop a personal
development plan to increase the individual weak points and can grow successfully. Also, the
report will explain the transferable skills by utilizing the relevant theories and models which
will ensure the person to grow in their professional life as well.
MAIN BODY
Reflection
Reflection means analysing my own experience from which I can be able to adopt and
learn the different work and skills. Reflective skill is important for me to grow and develop
myself in personal and professional life. It helps me to focus on my personal areas and motivated
me to analyse myself and my experience from which I can be able to learn something from the
past moments. Reflection is an ability to express an individual feelings and experience from
which they can be able to get understand and can learn in their future life. According to this, I am
also able to improve my reflective skill from which I can also share my experience to others
from which they can understand and can learn in definite manner. There are many theories which
are making me understand writing the reflection where I identified that Gibbs reflection model is
one the best and most useful method to reflect upon experience. Here, I want to share my
experience by using the Gibbs reflection model. This model is consisted of six stages which
includes:
Description: In my academic time, it was an occasion of welcoming the fresher students where
my tutor has given me an opportunity and a responsibility to conduct and lead the entire
arrangement where I need to express my skills and abilities from which my tutor can be proud of
me and can also create a good image in front of entire educational institute. I got an opportunity
where I needed to look out for the management of the entire event which is very huge
opportunity for me.
Feelings: When my tutor gives me this responsibility at first I was quite nervous as I thought I
am not that much capable to manage all the things and arrangements but my tutor believes me

and give such a huge responsibility. It felt very nice that there were many other students also but
tutor has chosen me for all the management which is quite excited for me and from there only I
had decided to put my best efforts in leading and managing the whole event.
Evaluation: As, I was responsible for leading and managing the entire event, I went to my tutor
for asking and setting the schedules and taking such more preparation ideas which can help me a
lot to perform and conduct the event well. By taking the support and help from my mates and
tutor helped me a lot from which I can be able to conduct the event successfully but in the mid of
event I got some problem in managing the schedule according to the planned schedule where I
got bit nervous but at the end it was went at good side.
Analysis: During the event, I noticed that leadership is the skill and ability or strength which an
individual person required to adapt and deliver the effectiveness so that they can be able to
achieve their goals. As, in my opinion leadership and management skill is required to be
improved my me so that I can be able to conduct any event successfully. I got some distracted
and confused during the mid of the event as this situation has been occurred due to lack of
leadership and own management skill which made a hurdle for me while leading and managing
the event. I was responsible for providing all the requirements and needs to the audience but I
failed at some point.
Conclusion: At conclusion, I think I am required to enhance my leadership and own
management skill from which it will be very beneficial for me in the future career and also very
useful and beneficial in my personal life as well. At profession level, these skills can help me to
create a good image and reputation where I can be able to become a good leader and can conduct
the management successfully.
Action Plan: For improving my leadership and own management skill firstly, I am required to
understand the importance of both the skill in my personal and profession life from where I can
put the best efforts to learn and adopt these skills and can grow in my individual life.
In other terms, it is the process of organizing or guiding other people from which they
can achieve their goals and objectives. Leadership skill is important for me because it helps me
to increase my knowledge and understanding in effective manner and can also deliver the best
outcome to the organization. I analysed that for being a professional I am required to become a
good leader to deliver the effectiveness from which it will also increase my reputation and image
at the organization. Leadership skill is a key factor of the management skill where I am required

to improve my management skills as well. There are different types of leadership skill where in
my opinion authoritative leadership style is quite good for me to adopt and enhance for the future
development. This leadership style is very useful and effective as it helps to motivate the team
and can empower and encourage them to achieve the goals. Along with this, management skill is
also required to be obtained by me as it is very useful and effective for me to maintain the
professionalism. Self management skill is the ability to manage own behaviour, thought and
emotions and spread the positivity around which helps me and other people to focus on the work
activity and can grow.
Personal development plan
Goals Strategies required
for the improvement
of skills
Measure of outcome Time-frame
Communication skill For improving my
communication skill I
will participate in
public speaking events
which will help to feel
confident and can
convey my speech
appropriately. Along
with this, I will also
talk to my peers on
regular basis and read
and write articles
which helps me to
increase my
communication skill.
I will measure my
success and outcome
of improving my skill
when I will get
reviews from the
people and when
people can be able to
understand my speech
clearly.
1 month
Decision making Improving the decision When I will be able to 3 months

making skill is
required for growing
and developing my
own capability. For
improving this skill I
am required to interact
with my mates so that
I can be able to
improve this skill
appropriately.
take decision
appropriate which can
provide the
effectiveness at
particular work then I
can be able to measure
my outcome.
Self management Self management is
important for me to be
improved as
conducting and
managing myself
which can be
improved by analysing
my own activities and
by taking the
feedbacks from people
which helps me to
conduct my self
accordingly.
I will measure my
success when I will be
able to manage myself
accurately.
2 months
Team work skill I also required to
enhance my team
working skill by doing
I will measure my
success when I will be
able to work as a team
1 month

the project in form of
team from where I can
be able to learn the
effective team working
skill.
and can make the
appropriate progress.
Problem solving skill For improving the
problem solving skill
of mine I am required
to analyse and search
for the appropriate
solution which helps
me to identify and
understand the
problem effectively.
I will evaluate my
success when I will be
able to provide the
effective solution
which can actually
solve the issue and
problem.
1 month
Transferable skills
Transferable skills is an ability from which an individual uses this ability in variety of roles and
position at different occupation. It is an important and very beneficial skill which can help an
individual person to grow and develop at each business area.
Supportive Communication
Communication skill is very useful and beneficial in every sector. Communication simple means
an individual person express their speech and sayings verbally or in written form from another
person or group of people can understand effectively. The supportive communication is the type

of communication which helps the person in time of stress, heartbreaks, and physical or mental
disorders. There are mainly two types of communication verbal and written where verbal
communication is used to adopt any concern with any person or employee but on another side
non-verbal communication or written has been performed in the organization where management
conveys their speech in written manner. The company named Marks and Spencer who is an
international clothing retail company have number of employee in their organization who are
able to contribute their efforts is a effective way and can push the company to grow and develop
effectively. The M&S have a quite good structure of communicating with their employee from
which they are able to contribute their efforts properly but for more improvement in the business
outcome the company should utilize the Berlo model of communication which can help the
company to obtain more beneficial outcome and result. This model of communication refers the
different components of communicating where it represents the simplest form from which an
individual person or an employee can be able to understand the ideology of the speaker
effectively. This model contains four elements such as source, message, channel and receiver.
Implementation of this model helps the M&S company as it can be effective in such a way where
a manager of speaker who wants to send the message and information to the employee where the
speaker has to write or verbally required to prepare a content in the simplest form so that an
individual employee can be able to understand. After this, this the management or speaker has to
decide from which source they have to communicate the employee like internet mails and at last
the information has been received to the receiver or employee. Using this kind of model will help
the management of the M&S to communicate with their employee easily and can overcome the
barriers of communication at the workplace.
Motivation
Motivation is a feeling which helps the individual person to be desired about something and puts
their efforts in achieving the definite goals. It is a kind of process where an individual person
wants to accomplish their gaols and targets from which they can be able to grow and develop
themselves easily. The motivation skill and feeling helps the person to generate new ideologies
in their business from which they can put the positive impact on the outcome of the company.
The M&S company required or should implement the motivational theory and model of
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs which can help the company to grow and develop effectively. To
run any business or organization the company has to keep their focus on the employee

satisfaction and motivation from which they can be able to contribute the best efforts in making
the M&S company to grow at higher level. This theory contains the five elements where first
factor is phycological needs which means the employer or M&S company management has to
understand the employee emotional needs which includes the clothing and shelter , overall health
and such more areas. The second factor include the safety needs of an employee which is the
most important factor to be focused by the management so that they can feel safe at the
workplace and can deliver the fruitful results and productivity to the company. Accordingly, love
and belonging needs,esteem needs and self-actualization needs has to been keep focus by the
company so that M&S can be able to obtain the fruitful result. It has been commonly known that
employee working in an organization requires a definite amount of motivation and strength so
that they can feel good and stressless and can be able to deliver the fruitfulness.
Empowerment
The term empowerment simple means having own power and strength to control own lifestyle
and belongingness. It is the concept of self-determined and having confident in own manner so
that an individual can deliver the effectiveness easily. In the companies and organization this
empowerment can encourage the employee and can deliver the motivation from which the
employee can be able to deliver their creative ideologies and can improve the employee retention
areas. The M&S company should implement and adopt the empowerment theory of Kanter
where it refers to empowerment is promoted in work environment that can help the employee
and staff to access with information, support and resources and can get the opportunities and
learn and develop. This theory suggests that organization operates in integral components where
how employee derive their attributes and behaviours. According to the theory, there are major six
conditions for empowerment to take place which includes the opportunities of advancement
where the company M&S has to give opportunities to their employee to express their talent and
skill so that they can be able to feel strengthen and courageous and also develops a feeling of
being a trustworthy and valuable employee of their company. The second condition refers that
allow and gives right to the employee to speak and express their ideologies and suggestion so
that they can feel satisfied. Listening to the employee is the best motivation and courage a
company can provide to their employee and staff member as it shows the respect and value of
them. Third condition refers access to support where the company M&S should support the
employee and help them to grow and develop themselves. M&S can provide the different

opportunities to the employee and can support their decisions and ideas where fourth condition is
to access the resources which helps the employee to give their best in implementing their actions
by having the appropriate resources. The fifth condition according to the theory is the formal
power where company can allow the employee to come forward by showing their skills and
abilities and can make the management to believe their strength. The last condition of the theory
is informal power where the company can give the rights to a person to implement any decision
and action without owning any higher position by keeping the trust on them which will make the
employee to feel empower.
Conflict management
The concept of conflict management is to limit and bound the negative aspects and increase the
positive aspects of the conflict. This management has main aim and purpose is to increase the
coordination between the employee and can learn the group outcomes so that effective
organization setting can be improved. In an organization there are different types of conflicts
takes place which becomes barriers sometime for the organizational growth and development.
The company Marks and Spencer has to focus on these areas and should adopt the practices for
management of the conflicts happens at the workplace. The M&S company should implement
the model of Thomas Kilmann which refers to resolve the conflicts at the workplaces. This
model consists and concern two dimension for taking the action to resolve the conflicts which
are assertiveness and cooperativeness. The term assertiveness defines that where a person try to
satisfy the needs of the own and cooperativeness includes to satisfy the needs of other person and
their concerns. The company M&S should consider this model at their organization which helps
and supports them to resolve their conflicts. Thomas model includes the five stages: avoiding
where the company Marks and Spencer can try to avoid the conflicts at the workplaces so that no
issue can created. Accommodating refers to deliver the satisfaction to other person by own
expenses of the management so that employee can be able to deliver the effectiveness.
Compromising step where trying to find the acceptable settlement between two people.
Competing define to satisfy the concerns from own expenses and collaborating where both the
people can win and can satisfy them accordingly. Following these steps can help the M&S to
resolve the conflicts between the employee and can make the company to obtain profitable
results.
Team effectiveness

The term team effectiveness in an ability or skill which an individual person is required required
adopt and can be able to contribute their efforts in making the workplace at successful level. The
company Marks and Spencer should requires to adopt and implement team effectiveness model
in their organization from which the company can be able to grow and develop at appropriate
level. The model named GRPI should utilize by the M&S where this model refers the four steps
which includes goals, roles, procedures and interactions. Implementing this model can help the
company to grow and develop successfully.
CONCLUSION
The report has concluded the importance of different kinds of skills which can deliver a
definite amount of success to an individual person. It has included the reflection area of a person
by using different theories and models to deliver the effectiveness of leadership and own
management skills and created a personal development plan which will create an understanding
of which areas the person has required to improve themselves. Along with this, it has included
the different type of transferable skills by using the models from which the person can be able to
identify their weak areas and improve them which will be beneficial in their profession life.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals