Case#11:Where you are now

Before you start on your programme of self-development, you need to have a clear idea of where your starting point is.The rst exercise in this section is about identifying and documenting your past achievements.Then you will have the background to the picture you are building up of yourself.Of course, you will already know about it, but you can start analysing it in terms of what it says about you: the skills and knowledge demonstrated.As a bonus, you could be pleasantly surprised at how good you look on paper when you see all the data together.You will be using the information later, when you develop your personal prole. In the previous section, you were introduced to the concept of personal competence: the fundamental skills that contribute to the process of management: how a job is done rather than what is done. These skills are transferable to any management position and are. also known as personal transferable skills. The second exercise in this section concentrates on the transfer- able skills and competence you have, by asking you to log current activities, identify the skills you are using daily and map your personal competence. In the process, you will also be able to identify competence gaps so that you can address them in the next section.

Exercise 1: Logging your achievements It is not easy to conjure up a list of past achievements from thin air. You need to nd a way of categorising them. A few categories are provided below to help you make your list, but dont be hidebound by these, you may think of other categories. Use the miscellaneous space at the end of the page or start on a new sheet. Leave the right hand columns blank for now: you will be using them later. You will also be asked to use this list when collecting information for your personal prole, so make it readable! Also, dont forget achievements and awards outside work: they demonstrate personal competence, too. Jot down anything you can think of, however unlikely it may seem (a bronze medal in drama may seem weak until you use it to show your ability to present yourself, for example) you can weed out the irrelevant ones later.

Exercise 2: Personal competence and skills activity analysis Write down one activity you have performed or have been involved in over the last few days. For example: a team meeting, project brieng, budgeting activity or a presentation. Choose a whole activity with a beginning and an end, like a meeting, rather than a small task. Identify the skills involved in the course of that activity. It may surprise you to see how many personal skills you use at one time. For example, in a team meeting you might seek to improve performance; encourage others to assess progress and effectiveness; identify problems; see others point of view; maintain focus on task; demonstrate clear purpose; encourage exchange of information; differentiate key issues from irrelevant ones; and check own logic with others.

Competence evaluation Now read through the skills you have logged for the activities and tick the ones where you are most competent. Put a cross against any skills you feel you need to develop. When you have done that, draw up a priority list of skills from the ones that you crossed. Compare this list with your ndings under the weaker headings from the competence check in the introduction to Part 2.You can use this information when you clarify your development objectives in Section 3.

Summary In this section you have gathered information about your achievements to date, and the skills you have. This provides you with background information about your competences.You can also use it when you put together your personal prole. You have also identied some of the transferable skills you use currently and evaluated your competence in them.You will be using this information when you come to setting development objectives. The next section is about how you can learn both formally and informally, the methods available, your preferences and what you can do to help yourself.

Question#1: Summarize the case study with your own wording & understanding into 500 words. How can this chapter help you in your life? Provide practice examples from your life, about its usage?

No plagiarism, it will check,