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“Any effective system for management development must increase the person”s capacity and willingness to take control over, and be responsible for, events – particularly for themselves and their own learning” (Peddler, Burgeoned and Bodily, 2007: 3). In my role as engineering manager at Polyp, It is expected of me to take control over events. This requires me to Increase my personal capacity and growth. How did I develop personally up to now, and what are my plans for further growth In the future? This writing Is a reflection of my personal development up to now, my aspirations and my plan for achieving future goals. Self-awareness reflection 1 .
Personal development reflection Having grown up in a household with a hands-on; father, I became interested in the technological aspects of life from a young age. My passion for technology was the deciding factor in choosing a technical high school over an academic high school. I completed grade 12 in Rhodesia High School with Mechanical Engineering as technical subject. My secondary education was complemented in 2006 with a National Diploma In Mechanistic Engineering from Testate university of Technology. In 2011, I realized that I needed to expand my knowledge In the technical environment to stay competitive, and thus enrolled for a part time Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanistic Engineering at the Testate university of 2.
Key learning moment This a-Tech degree was a key learning event in my life, which can be analyses by making use of the Atkins and Murphy model of reflection, as introduced in the personal development notes (Personal Development Part 1, 2012: 31). Derrick Herbs – 21034113 14 July 2013 Personal Development 1 Assignment Page 1 Awareness Completing my Bachelor of Technology degree Describe the Situation Identify any learning 1 . Ability to solve problems 2. Personal ability to achieve more 3. Importance of time management 4. Taking responsibility for my future 1. Personal goal 2. Challenging 3. Frustrating 4. Rewarding Evaluate the relevance of knowledge 1 . Strict time table 2. Self discipline Analyses feelings and knowledge 1. Personal goal: Success Figure 1 – Atkins and Murphy model of reflection on my personal life The technical degree was a long standing personal goal.
Numerous other factors also contributed to my decision to enroll for the degree, including career opportunities, professional competition and social pressure. It was a challenging, tiring and sometimes frustrating experience. Yet, at the end of the day, it was worthwhile and rewarding. The additional academic workload, combined with pressure from work, made it a challenging and tiring experience. Being a part time course, late nights and early mornings were quite common during assignment completion and exam preparation. I felt additional pressure being a newlywed, with a new house that needed a erroneous amount of work, all happening at the same time. However, I was confident that I would be able to complete my degree successfully, despite the mentioned pressures.
This assumption proved to be correct. I made it a personal goal to make a success of this opportunity and aimed for an overall distinction. The feeling that I got for every subject that I passed made all of the sacrifices worthwhile. On the day that the results of my last subjects were published, I had a feeling of satisfaction – I have reached a major milestone in my did not pass with a distinction, I still managed to obtain an average of 72% for the verbal degree. I knew right from the start of the degree that I would need to approach the degree with a proper plan. Time management was crucial – therefore, I drew up a schedule to finalize all study related work well in advance.
This allowed me to work overtime occasionally, even in this demanding phase, for any unexpected emergencies at work. Derrick Herbs – 21034113 30 June 2013 Personal Development 1 Assignment Page 2 The first and most important thing that I learned from my degree is to solve complicated problems systematically. On a personal front, I proved to myself that I m able to achieve more in life, and that personal motivation is a very important factor for achieving the most out of any experience or opportunity. I have also realized that time management is critical in order to satisfy all parties involved. 3. Implications that followed My a-Tech degree served a twofold purpose in my adult life.
Firstly, it helped me identify my strengths and what I would like to achieve in my career. Secondly, it gave me the confidence to take on further education in my adult life, knowing that, with careful planning, dedication and motivation, I am able to achieve my dreams and oils. 4. Professional development reflection My career could be analyses by using the “Three levels of change” (Personal Development Part 1, 2012: 7) and “Building your change agenda: key questions” (Satang, 2013: 6) tool introduced in the Henley Starter workshop. Inventory: Setting Goals ;Learn business skills, including financial management, HER management, project management and marketing. Increase managerial skills. Making Things Happen ; New Context: ;Polyp ‘Taking Stock’ ; Context: ; Role: ;Engineering Manager ; New Role: ; Competence: ;Technical and Analytical Skills New Skills: ;Involved with full product development lifestyle ;Business skills Review and reflection Figure 2 – Three levels of change model for my professional life Derrick Herbs – 21034113 30 June 2013 Personal Development 1 Assignment Page 3 In my role as the engineering manager at Polyp, I use my technical and analytical skills to solve problems on a daily basis. In this position, I have identified certain shortcomings in the daily operations of Polyp.
I believe that my influence on a senior level will assist Polyp to become an efficient and cost effective business. With this in mind, I have made it my personal goal to become the technical director of Polyp within the next five years. In this position I will be responsible for the entire product development lifestyle. Typical phases of a product include: market research, financial planning, human resources and project management as well as the marketing aspect. I acknowledge that the technical department is very important in the company, and I will have to employ sound business practices to succeed in this role. I will have to develop the business skills needed for this position in order to be a competent and efficient technical director.
I have enrolled for the MBA program at Henley business school, as I believe that this is the best business school in the country. It will prepare and equip me with all the necessary skills needed to perform the duties in this position. Plan 1. Impact of stage 1 assignments in my career As the engineering manager in Polyp, I have noticed that there are two areas within the company that raise concern and need to be addressed. The first is the unusual high staff turn-over rate. A great amount of time and other resources are spent on the training and development of new staff, only to have them leaving the many within a short period of time after Joining Polyp.
I hope that the models and skills in the Managing People and performance module would not only equip me to identify the underlying source of the problem, but also to implement changes in the organization to overcome this problem. Of the market is custom designed displays. I feel that the current process plan is not entirely geared up for custom manufacturing, with the result being that deadlines for orders are often missed. The direct result of late completion and delivery is clients that are angry and frustrated with the company. Theories from the Managing Processes, Systems and Projects should enable me to investigate and evaluate the existing processes and project management plan. I hope to implement an efficient project plan that will contribute to the successful delivery of goods on time. Personal Development 1 Assignment Page 4 2.
Overcoming barriers Unexpected situations might occur occasionally during the duration of my MBA studies. I realist that this might prevent me from attending workshops. I place a high value on the content of the workshop, and will try my utmost to make sure that I attend each and every workshop. As a precaution, l”eve decided that I will finalize my work with a minimum of one week in advance. This should alleviate the stress of work during my MBA program. 3. Plan for development I understand the importance of personal development in order to achieve the most out of my life and career. In order to achieve my dreams in my personal life and my goals in my professional life, I will reflect on any development and learning that took place.
I will also document the skills and abilities that I need to develop in order to achieve these goals. This documented Journal will be updated on a weekly basis, referable on a Saturday after peer meetings. This Journal will be documented on my Personal Development Learning Journal on Blackboard. My Learning Journal will be made public to the members of my peer group. Conclusion The module on personal development highlighted the importance of reflection and planning in my life to me and I realized that personal development is a continuous process. Using the models and tools from the Starter Workshop, I am able to reflect on my knowledge, skills and experience that I have obtained to this point in my life.