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It can be argued that underdeveloped managers are a greater cost to a company than the ones investing in personal development in their careers. We operate in an ever-changing, fast-paced, highly competitive and global world of work. Is personal development worth it? This personal development assignment will explain the value an MBA can add to my personal development and the positive effect it will have in the organization I work in. It is structured in three parts: my personal development to this point, my recent career and my plan going forward. 1. 2 Personal Development to this point.
I went to Technical School in Springs, east of Johannesburg from 1983 to 1987, hereafter I still wasn’t sure where I wanted to go or do with my life. After this I joined the army in January 1988 up until December 1989, which was compulsory in South Africa at the time. During this period, I made a decision to study Mechanical Engineering at the Detection of Pretoria, now called Testate University of Technology, and completed my studies in 1993. I was privileged enough to have a bursary with Eskimo and worked for them until 1998 as a Project Engineer, which made me realism that I was more interested in management than engineering.
I completed my Diploma in Project Management at the School of Project Management – University of Pretoria in 1995, which gave me a much better understanding of the three main components of project management namely cost, time management and quality. This helped me with my personal development, as I started to understand the business and Economics around this. Genres Engineering is a division of Murray Roberts, where I started working four years ago as the Senior Contracts Manager, overseeing a number of project managers who report directly to me. 1. 3 Key Learning Moment
I deem my biggest learning moments and events to date were the managing of the two Power Projects. Both of these projects were in a critical stage as deliveries were late and did not show any profit. The contract wasn’t read properly and I did not fully understand the content of it. If I had more knowledge and experience, I could have managed these projects and the people in my team more effectively. During this process I learned a lot about myself and that I need to develop my writing and reading skills, as I struggled to put facts into organized writing because of my technical background.
Now I make use of Mind Maps which help me with my personal development writing. “Mind maps are a method of storing, organizing and proportioning information (usually on paper) using Key Words and Key Images, each of which will trigger specific memories and new thoughts and ideas”. (Suzan, 2006: 12) A person can comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, only going through difficult times he will start to understand himself and this will be the beginning of his learning. (Seen Aggregated) 1. My Recent Career Even though I went through a difficult and very challenging time in my career, I still engaged to develop my managerial skills in the organization. I’m always interested in seeing possibilities beyond what is currently known. By having a less emotional approach to work-related issues, I made good progress by focusing on the challenges in my work environment. This has allowed me to communicate clearly and effectively and to achieve the business requirements. Innovative and creative thinking has made me aware of new possibilities and more effective ways of doing things that can be of a great asset to the organization.
When working in a team, I offer the team a Eng-term vision and have the ability to inspire and communicate that vision to others. I tend to think out loud, which enables others to follow my line of thinking. As per Beeline Team Role Summary Description (Proof. Beeline – Henley Starter Workshop) I will play the role of a coordinator in a team and delegate tasks effectively. Due to my commitment to achieve goals and deadlines, I tend to overwork myself and others, getting too involved and ignoring my own and others’ needs. 1. 5 Henley Star I have used the Henley Star model to analyses my personal development. Personal Development Part 1, 2012) The Henley Star An inventory for current roles Personal characteristics ; Family life – support ; Recognized education ; Accountability and responsibility Knowledge and understanding Effective behaviors Outcomes for individual, organization and community qualification Learn to Learn, Patience, knowledge sharing, adaptability, sociability. ; Develop personal qualifications ; Promotion in organization ; Positive contribution to organization and community ; Management skills ; Negotiation skills ; Communication skills Skills and experience Figure 1 – The Henley Star
I chose Henley as my preferred Business school, as they highly encourage a balance between work, study and family. Due to the fact that Henley is a triple international accredited organization, I’m positive that I can develop my Personal development through them. 3 2. 2. 1 Plan It is firstly important to me that my family knows they have my love and commitment, no matter what the circumstances, and that I have the same from them. Doing an MBA will have an impact on each and every aspect in my life, especially my family and work life.
How will I establish a balance between my work life and studies going award? This will be by management, as a project, deadlines and commitments have to be met. The assignments in stage 1 will have an impact on my organization and my career and a plan needs to be in place for my development. 2. 2 Impact that assignments could have on my Organization and Career My life is relatively well structured and even in the planning stages to do my MBA, the impact this will have on my personal life has been discussed with my family.
I formed a much better understanding of the impact of doing an MBA will have on my career, after the first workshop at Henley. I made a decision to manage my MBA as a three year project, where a well-compiled plan must be in place and deadlines have to be met. Some people might argue that your work and personal life are two separate issues and need to be treated separately. I do not agree with the statement, as they play a big role on each other and need to be managed accordingly.
The plan Vive put in place has been discussed and agreed, firstly with my family, as they fully my personal development. My plan has also been discussed with my senior managers, as this will have an impact in my organization. The following concerns eave been raised and discussed with them: 0 0 0 0 Working late hours on company Projects Study leave for workshops and exams Organization will benefit through my personal development by doing an MBA Support from Senior Managers My Managing Director fully understands and agrees on the role an individual personal development can play in an organization.
I have the full support from my senior managers and they also agreed on my stage 1 project plan going forward, see appendix 1 – Project Plan. 2. 3 Plan for Development There are certain things I would like to achieve in my life, which can be done by losing the learning gaps in my life. This can be split into three criteria: a. Short- Term Objectives b. Medium-Term Objectives c. Long-Term Objectives I will keep a daily diary to monitor the progress on my day-to-day work, managing my studies and my personal life. Time management will play an important role and needs to be monitored closely.