Personal Development Plan as a First Line Manager - Essay Example

Personal Development Plan as a First Line Manager Task Self Assessment Part Introduction Admittedly, managementof practical organizations is characterized by multiple challenges like resource limitations, team diversity, personnel safety, and time limitations. Such challenges become extremely important and influential for middle level managers, especially first line managers. In essence, first line managers must intensively and extensively apply both their personal skills and technical knowledge in effectively managing workplace teams. In this context, it is appropriate for first line managers to objectively appraise their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to gauge their level of professionalism as team leaders (Gold, Mumford and Thorpe 2012). Typically, job description for first line managers include but not limited to; employees’ welfare duties, preparation of work schedules, direction of workflows, upward management of employees, and budgeting among others. Below is a personal development plan as a first line manager. Part 2: Personal Development Plan Personal SWOT Analysis What I need to do Why I need to do it Activities to achieve goals Measuring outcomes Timeframe Strengths: Creativity, innovation, excellent communication skills, and significant experience and technical qualifications Skills: Improve interpersonal skills, especially negotiation skills and relevant technical skills, especially time management skills Upward management requires excellent written and spoke negotiation skills, whereas job scheduling needs time management skills Attend first line management seminars on topics related to verbal and non verbal communication techniques, and application of different communication styles Measure proficiency through online assessment tests on first line management skills Approximately 2 weeks for each seminar Weaknesses: Easily bored with monotonous workplaces, poor time management and planning skills, limited knowledge and experience on emerging first line management tools and techniques Knowledge: Acquire relevant knowledge on computer application Upward management entails preparation of workflow reports and presenting them to superiors, thus adequate computer literacy is necessary Receive academic training on first line management courses, especially on the use of emerging tools and techniques in planning and delegation of duties. Also, receive coaching on development of upward management skills, especially on adherence to organizational values Academic sit-in continuous assessment tests, and proficiency of oral responses during coaching sessions Enroll for academic training lasting for approximately 12 months, and coaching programs for approximately 3 months, with both coaching and academic courses running concurrently Threats Limited training and experience in computer skills, no training on management of diverse teams in today’s diversified workforce Training: Receive training on team dynamics and managerial tools like computer technology Direction of workflows involves assigning duties to team members; hence comprehension of team dynamics comes in handy Attend seminars on topics like personal development planning and role assessment exercises. Also, online academic sessions on team dynamics will be beneficial, especially on the use of technology in assessing and maintaining team effectiveness Participate in online discussion forums and assess my proficiency based on technical rating of responses. Also, assess my competence by practically solving team conflicts through skills acquired in the online sessions Attend two seminars each lasting for approximately 2 weeks, and two online academic sessions each lasting for approximately 2 weeks Opportunities Chance for career progression, approval and support by organization during trainings Task 2: Report Part 1: Planning and Managing Work Task Prioritization In first line management, there are situations when multiple duties require relatively similar levels of prioritization. For example, a managing director may direct a first line manager to plan and direct workflows for completion of a batch production within a period of six hours. At the same time, the managing director needs the first line manager to submit a completed work schedule plan within a period of six hours. In addition, some employees require personal attention from the first line manager, which may consume at least two hours of the manager’s busy time schedule. In such a case, the first line manager is faced with multiple situations requiring immediate attention, all stuffed within a restrictive timeframe. Therefore, it is necessary to employ priority determination methods like the ABC Method. ABC Method enables first line managers to list tasks with different priority levels in a descending order (Shin and Zhang 2007). Letter ‘A’ stands for the task requiring highest priority level, and such tasks have grave negative consequences if not completed in time. From the illustrative example, directing workflows for the batch production task takes position A, simply because failure to meet the deadline may attract punitive actions from the boss. On the other hand, letters ‘B’ and ‘C’ stand for priorities with declining levels of importance and potential for undesirable consequences. From the example above, preparation of the work schedule plan and addressing concerns of employees would assumes letters B and C respectively. Time Management Admittedly, work plans come with restrictive timelines. Tasks contained within each work plan have a prescribed deadline; hence time is usually a limitation in executing work plans. Fortunately, appropriate approaches can be employed in order to meet a work plan’s objectives within the prescribed timeframe. One suitable approach for time management is avoiding distractions. In today’s work environments, there are numerous sources of distractions like cell phones, social network chats, and leisure chats with workmates. In order to avoid time wastage, all potential forms of unnecessary distractions must be eliminated or placed away from work stations (Lewis and Smith 2006). Practically, first line managers must direct all team members to switch off their mobile devices and restrain themselves from engaging in informal chats during work exercises. Besides avoidance of distractions, time management can also be achieved through setting of realistic deadlines. Remember, no runner can win a race if there is no finish line. Similarly, employees need to work towards accomplishment of a realistic deadline. For example, a first line manager can put one hour as the standard time for completing a specific unit of work, like production of 10 units of a product should be accomplished on an average of one hour. Setting of realistic deadlines creates a sense of winning whenever employees meet such standardized benchmarks (Arnold 2010). Work Plan Flexibility Typically, work plans are roadmaps guiding employees and employers towards a desirable destination in organizational undertakings. Unlike geographical roadmaps, work plans should be flexible in nature. Technically, flexibility in work plans is encouraged because lack of rigidity present beneficial consequences to both employees and employers. First, flexible work plans allow employees to ask for unscheduled breaks for personal reasons, especially family emergencies or health related causes. Also, flexible work plans allows employees to have personal control over work schedules and work environments; hence preventing burnout associated with work overload (Adewale 2010). With respect to employers, flexible work plans not only reduce employees’ turnover, but also curb employees’ tardiness and absenteeism. Undeniably, rigid plans suffocate professionals, thus increasing chances of losing valued staff through turnover. Also, overworked employees suffer from fatigue; hence necessitating tardiness and unscheduled absenteeism. Part 2: Leadership and Relationships Management Leadership Styles In practical work environments, one leadership style may fail to provide suitable results in different situations. For example, a first line manager tasked with implementing a change in staff reporting time may decide to employ an autocratic leadership style in ensuring compliance with the new directive. In such cases, autocratic leadership is often unsuitable for change implementation; hence employees can stage protests and demonstrations in resisting the management style used to implement change. Therefore, different leadership styles are suited for different situations. For example, a participative leadership style encourages democratic decision making through channels like popular election or selection of alternative courses of actions (Arnold 2010). Participative leadership is effective in fostering inclusivity, thus enhancing the workforce morale. A transactional leadership style involves the use of rewards and punishments in steering employees towards a desirable destination. Punishments in transactional leadership proves instrumental in discouraging bad habits like lateness, while rewards like bonuses encourage individual or team productivity. Transformational leadership involves motivation and inspiration of employees through enticing communications. For example, motivational talks on career progression can arouse attributes of hard work and professionalism from individuals and work teams. Workplace Relationships In workplaces, creating and maintain excellent work relationships with colleagues and managers is instrumental in enhancing individual and collective productivity. One way of creating and maintaining good workplace relationships with both colleagues and managers is to apply active communication skills, especially active listening skills. Admittedly, no one likes to be ignored while talking. During either formal or informal conversations, it is advisable to nod or partially repeat what a manager or a colleague says as a means of assuring him or her that you are paying attention (Beard and Salas 2012). Besides the art of active listening, work relationships can be enhanced by exercising genuine respect for oneself and for others. During team deliberations and discussions with superiors, disagreements may occur. In such circumstances, it is appropriate to resolve the disagreement in a courteous manner. Therefore, relationships can be built and maintained by suppression of negative emotions like anger and resentment, and expression of positive attributes like kindness and compassion during disagreements. Team Effectiveness As a first line manager, it is necessary to be a good team leader and also a good team member. As a team leader, a first line manager should not only inspire but also motivate team members to work towards accomplishment of both team and organizational objectives. As a leader, one way to enhance team effectiveness entails development and subsequent assignment of definite job roles (Burke, Guire and Sabella 2011). A first line manager must explicitly delineate distinct job roles, and objectively assign each role to individual members according to their respective skills and capabilities. Delineation of job roles is the first step towards achievement of equality and professional accountability within a workplace. As a team member, a first line manager must engage in active communication with all team members. Communications can be either formal or personal in nature. Through active communication, team members can build trust and loyalty, thus enhancing coherence and collaboration during work projects. Finally, team effectiveness can be improved by discouraging win/lose situations. Team members should not be competitors. Rather, team members should support each other and strive towards collective attainment of goals as opposed to competing among each other (Mosley 2007). Part 3: Health and Welfare Team Welfare In essence, first line managers are responsible for directing and controlling employees within a given work team. First line managers not only report to their superiors, but also strive to implement workplace plans as directed by their superiors. For example, a managing director may ask a first line manager to ensure that some industrial waste materials be removed from a factory’s dumping site and delivered to a municipality waste management facility. During issuance of the directive, top management may fail to provide safety equipments for handling of industrial wastes, yet some of the waste materials to be removed may be hazardous to health. In such cases, first line managers must safeguard the physical wellbeing of team members. Therefore, first line managers must report problems and demand for solutions pertaining to physical and emotional welfare of subordinate employees. Technically, first line managers must act as arbiters in defending and protecting team members against unreasonable and unsafe workplace practices (Gold, Mumford and Thorpe 2012). Indentifying and Monitoring Risks In workplaces, risk factors and hazardous causes must be identified in a timely manner in order to avert occurrences of negative consequences. After identifying risk factors, appropriate corrective measures must be taken to eliminate the root causes of such safety concerns. One way of identifying risk factors in work environments involves interviewing workers at their respective work stations. Admittedly, managers at their prestigious offices may remain oblivious of real safety challenges faced by technical employees at their respective work stations (Hale 2003). Therefore, only the workers know and understand the depth and breadth of risks involved in task performance. In this case, personal interviews with workers are the surest approach to capture first-hand details and using the first-hand responses to systematically identify the most influential risks that can affect team welfare. After identifying workplace risks, first line managers and health workers must monitor and evaluate potential severity of the identified hazardous workplace practices and processes. Risk monitoring can be achieved through frequent documentation and reviews on employees’ health records, and assessing effectiveness of corrective changes like issuance of protective and preventive gear at risky work stations (Moyle 2007). Risk Assessment Basically, the first step in workplace risk management is risk classification, followed by risk identification. After completion of risk identification tasks, the next step is risk assessment. After identifying a risk facing a team, the first sub-step to take should be predicting the likelihood of a risk’s severe consequences (Hale 2003). For example, slippery floors near moving machines pose frequent risks to team members because of high likelihood of accidental slippage during machine operation. On the other hand, the risk of electrocution by a heavily insulated electrical equipment is remotely possible; hence possessing a seldom likelihood of occurrence. After predicting a risk’s likelihood, the next sub-step is identifying employees or stakeholders who are more likely to be affected by consequences of the identified risk. Potential victims of a workplace risk may include employees, visitors, and customers (Davies 2013). Finally, risk assessment ends with evaluation and selection of appropriate precautions. Examples of appropriate precautions include corrective modification of work places and work practices to eliminate or minimize the risks, and provision of instruction manuals and public documentation of other occupational safety standards. Reference List Adewale, M. (2010) Effective Leadership and Management: An Integrative Approach. Manchester: Author-House Publishing. Arnold, J. (2010) Coaching Skills for Leaders in the Workplace: How to Develop, Motivate and get the best from your Staff. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Beard, R., and Salas, E. (2012) “Team Building and its influence on Team Effectiveness: An Examination on Conceptual Empirical Developments.” International Journal of Management Psychology 42(1), 92-105. Burke, C. S., Guire, W. L., and Sabella, A. (2011) “Impact of Cross-training on Team Effectiveness.” Journal of Applied Management 6(2), 48-56. Davies, J. (2013) Team and Personal Development: Theory and Practice. Indianapolis: Global Professional Publishing. Gold, M., Mumford, A., and Thorpe, R. (2012) Gower Handbook of Leadership and Management Development. London: Gower Publishing. Hale, J. (2003) Performance-Based Management: What every Manager Should Do. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Lewis, P and Smith, F. (2006) Management: Challenges for Tomorrow’s Leaders. Pittsburg: Cengage Learning. Mosley, D. (2007) Supervisory Management: Art of Inspiring, Empowering, and Development. Pittsburg: Cengage Learning. Moyle, J. (2007) Effective Leadership and Management in the Early Years. Cardiff: McGraw-Hill Education. Shin, Q., and Zhang, K. (2007) “A Comparative Study of Priority Setting Methods for Management.” Harvard Business Review, 28(6), 19-26. Viitala, R. (2005) “Perceived Development Needs of Managers Compared to an Integrated Management Competency Model.” Journal of Workplace Learning, 13(5), 67-82. Read More