Managing One’s Professional and Performance Development

Managing one’s professional and performance development requires knowledge and skills. Application of a range of strategies, good analysis of information and meeting the set priorities are essential in professional development. It is important for managers to be skilled, organized and systematic so that they may be able to lead others in their duties. Managers are mostly seen as role models at their work places and therefore, it is important that they maintain a high degree of professionalism. This unit is important for all managers as it helps them to understand how they are supposed to carry themselves at their work places.

It is important for employees to align their personal goals with those of the business in order to fulfill business goals. It is therefore essential that they develop their knowledge and skills so as to fill those gaps that may exist at the work place. This unit therefore focuses on role models at work place, traits that an effective leader should have, aligning personal goals to be on par with the organization objectives, meeting work place responsibilities and maintaining and measuring personal performance.Other issues in the report are how one manages change, prioritizing professional and work development, benefits of informal and formal networks, balancing between work and life, technology at the work place and managing feedback from clients about personal performance.

Being a role model

Every manager is a role model to others since most of the employees take most of behavioral cues from those who are in power. Therefore, every manager acts as a role model with or without their knowledge. A good leader should listen and learn more than they speak. Employees respond positively to the managers they feel listens to them and understand them (Eraut).Good leaders lead by example. Most employees emulate their manager’s behavior. If a manager is rude to the clients, the employees will also acquire this trait and disrespect the customer. It is therefore important to behave in a manner you expect your employees to behave. Managers should also follow rules that have been put in place. Managers who do not follow rules make it easier for their employees to break the rules.

Personal goals and plans should reflect the organization’s plans

One of the powerful motivators at a work place is the goal that one has. It is important to have SMART goals in order to ensure one does not lose focus while working. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound (Earley). Performance is automatically improved when one works towards achieving a certain goal. Difficult and specific goals lead to greater task execution compared to easy and vague goals.

There are five philosophies of setting goals which are; simplicity, challenge, dedication, response and task complexity (McGill). Clear goals enable one to know what is specifically expected and reduces misunderstanding on what is to be done. Vague goals also are less motivational because one is not aware of what is to be accomplished at what time. Another important characteristic of a goal is how challenging it is. Challenging goals are more fulfilling once they are achieved compared to easy goals. Challenging goals should still be Achievable since failing to achieve a goal is more demotivating than achieving an easy goal. Employees should be involved when goals are set since they will find it easy to commit towards a goal they were involved to set. More commitment is required for harder goals as compared to easy goals that demotivate employees. Employees should be encouraged to set their own goals and they should also be informed on what happens in other parts of the organization.

An effective goal should also include feedback which is important in clarifying expectations, gaining recognition and adjusting goal difficulty. Feedback enables individuals to gauge how they are performing towards achieving their goals. The last factor in goal setting is task complexity. Complicated and demanding roles provide high motivation to those working on them. People may push themselves too hard if measures are not put in place to accommodate expectations. The main aim of setting goals is to facilitate success. It is therefore important to ensure that there are no conditions that inhibit individuals from achieving their goals. Commit yourself to achieving challenging and clear goals that you have set.

Align personal goals to organizational goals

As an employee, ensure that organization’s goals do not clash with your personal goals. Employees should understand the organization’s tactical, strategic and operational plans (Quinn and Sydney 87). This will help them to align their goals in a way that also boosts the company’s outcome. One needs to understand the role he plays in the plans of the organization before developing their personal plans. Conflicts tend to arise when one does not align their personal plans with their job descriptions. This will then affect your ability to accomplish the organization’s goal as well as the personal goals.

A manager should work with their team to ensure that their goals are in line with the organization’s strategy. The manager should enable the employee understand which direction the organization is taking and how they can help achieve success. This will improve the company’s productivity since the group will be moving in the same direction. It is the manager’s duty to also frequently update employees of any changes that take place and this will improve their outcome.

Measuring and maintaining personal performance

Performance is defined as achieving personal goals in an efficient and effective manner in alignment with the company’s goals. The tool that one uses to gauge their performance should be able to benchmark their performance against others and evaluate their weaknesses and strengths. One needs to determine what knowledge and skills are appropriate for their team. Ensure as a manager that your plans and activities align with those of the organization.

Benchmarking is one of the best ways to use in measuring one’s performance. An organization determines its outcome by comparing to its competitors in the market. Therefore, one can use performance appraisal to benchmark their performance. One can use benchmarks to monitor his or her performance against reliable measurements. One can also track his own progress by keeping track of the benchmarks thus ensuring that one makes appropriate adjustments to changes in their own performance objectives and outcomes and making sure they are aligned with the work contexts and conditions.

Feedback can also be used to measure personal performance. it provides you with vital information on your actions and behavior. One can achieve results by adjusting their behavior based on the feedback that they receive. Performance reviews can also be used to measure performance. Good performances reviews are conducted on yearly basis except for those organizations that rely heavily on performance achieve their objectives. One can review feedback from their superiors through performance reviews. They are either formal or informal and actions can be taken to correct problems if identified. Feedback on performance reviews should be provided faster to ensure that in case of a problem, it is dealt with before escalating to a big one.

Prioritizing work and professional development

Most effective people are very good at time management. One should concentrate mostly on the results and not just being busy. Effective time management enables one to be in control and choose what to do and at what time rather than chaotically working here and there. Procrastination is one of the root causes of time management (Kydd and Colin). Many people postpone doing tasks and they end up not delivering on time due to the increased workload. Procrastination can be prevented by understanding why you procrastinate and taking active steps to managing your time and outcomes.

One should be able to determine which tasks are urgent and therefore they should be given priority. Paired comparison analysis helps one to prioritize options by comparing all the options on the list and being able to decide which one should come first. Grid analysis on the other hand helps one to prioritize those tasks that require other factors to be considered. Action priority matrix is a plain but speedy illustration technique that designs the worth of an activity against the endeavor required. The critical/important matrix lets one decide if tasks are urgent or important. There are tasks that are critical and not essential, not critical but essential and not urgent and not essential. It is therefore important to learn to categorize those tasks into those groups.

Efficient use of technology manages work priorities and commitments

Appropriate technology can be used to meet commitments and manage tasks. For example when using a computer; the most used folders should be saved on the desktop, electronic documents should be filed in the correct folder, emails and faxes should have their folders different from electronic documents. Mobile technology and electronic diaries assist in the effective running of office. Records like phone calls, appointments, emails and meetings can be accessed easily. Information can be searched or can be edited easily, reminders for appointments can be set and one can easily access data.

Benefits of networking

Networks are different individuals who have common interests and they exchange ideas and information. Networks help one to build interpersonal skills while increasing their contacts (McGill and Liz). These contacts can be helpful in forging alliances and providing opportunities which you did not have access to. Contacts also help to generate reliable information and one can make better decisions from the information. Networking also propels business relationships and opens doors for new markets. Members of your network can also provide updated information that can help you when developing staff.

Conclusion

Managing work priorities and personal development requires a lot of self-discipline. Managers should be role models to their employees since most of them look upto them. The world is changing and technology is very essential at any workplace since it makes work easier. It can also be used to reduce paper work in the case of computers. Networking is very important in any organization or business because one can get vital information from their contacts. Priority should also be given to those tasks that are important and urgent rather than those that are urgent but not important.

Works Cited

Eraut, Michael. Developing professional knowledge and competence. Routledge, 2002.

Earley, Peter, and Ms Sara Bubb. Leading and managing continuing professional development: Developing people, developing schools. Sage, 2004.

McGill, Ian, and Liz Beaty. Action Learning: a guide for professional, management & educational development. Psychology Press, 2001.

Kydd, Lesley, Megan Crawford, and Colin Riches. Professional development for educational management. McGraw-Hill Education (UK), 1997.

Quinn, James Brian, Philip Anderson, and Sydney Finkelstein. “Managing professional intellect: making the most of the best.” The strategic Management of Intellectual capital. 1997. 87-98.