Unit 13

Personal
&
Professional Development

Table of Contents
1

Introduction.......................................................................................3
Task 1: Understand how self managed learning can enhance lifelong
development......................................................................................4
1.1 Evaluate approaches to self managed learning............................................4
1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional
contexts could be encouraged, use any learning style for this criterion.............5
1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self managed learning to the individual and
organization........................................................................................................ 5
M1 Identify and find your own learning style using the Honey Mumford system 6
Task 2: Be able to take responsibility for own personal and professional
development......................................................................................6
2.1 Evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional
standards and organizational needs...................................................................6
2.2 Identify own development needs and the activities required to meet them.7
M2 Carry out self skills audits and spot out the areas of development..............8
2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined
needs.................................................................................................................. 9
2.4 Devise a personal and professional development plan based on identified
needs................................................................................................................ 10
Task 3: Be able to implement and continually review own personal and
professional.....................................................................................12
3.1 Discuss the process and activities required to implement the development
plan.................................................................................................................. 12
M3 Present your curriculum vitae with professional format..............................12
3.2 Undertake and document development activities as planned....................13
3.3 Reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in
the.................................................................................................................... 14
3.4 Update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation.............14
Task 4 Be able to demonstrate acquired interpersonal and transferrable
skills................................................................................................15
4.1 Select solutions to work based problems...................................................15
4.2 communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various
levels in the negotiation practice of the class..................................................16
4.3 Evaluate and use effective time management strategies..........................16
Conclusion........................................................................................................ 18
References:....................................................................................................... 19

Introduction
Generally, every organization focuses on achieving its own objectives by taking any sort of
means. These objectives are set by people and later on completed by people. So the core
element of achieving organizational objectives are people and by people we mean,
individual who puts his or her abilities, skills, potentials and knowledge for the betterment of
the organization. So it is important for an organization to check the personal and professional
development of an individual, because it defines what an individual is capable of. An
individual backing with a personal and professional development plan is the best asset an
organization can have, because he or she is always ready to face problems and knows how to
deal with them easily.

Task 1: Understand how self managed learning can

enhance lifelong development
1.1 Evaluate approaches to self managed learning
A person can learn in various ways. It is difficult to select a single approach because the
content of the self managed learning is constantly changing. With the introduction of latest
technology, and easy access to information the formal ways of learning methods are
becoming obsolete.
One approach to self managed learning can be learning from experience, which was
developed by American educational theorist Kolb (1984) under the title Experiential
Learning. Though one can learn by observing others or reading about it, Kolb (1984)
suggested that people actually learn best from the experiences they were exposed to. He
developed a learning cycle that includes 4 steps:

Other approaches to self managed learning can be free choice learning, service learning,
adventure learning, or enquiry based learning. While every learning method is unique and has
its own methodology of teachings, the common factor is that- each of the learning methods
mentioned above focuses greatly on experience, personal choice, and preference of the
learner as well as direct exposure of the learners to certain events.
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1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and

professional contexts could be encouraged, use any learning
style for this criterion.

Many ways are out there by which, learning can be practiced. They are:
Learning from the environment: A person can learn by himself from the very environment
he lives in. For example, internet is a widely used tool for self managed learning. A person
can also learn from his friends, from virtual chartrooms, from forums or discussions, by
attending seminars & conferences, by participating training programs and by doing research
etc.
Collaborative learning: Collaborative learning refers to the process of learning naturally
when people work together to achieve a common goal. Bird (1995) tells, true learning begins
when people share their own and authentic beliefs to the group and when other group
members provide essential assistance.
Self-directed learning: self managed learning allows a person to learn whatever he or she
wants. It creates an opportunity for that person to choose his own goals, methods and
resources. Using SDL, a person can be motivated strong enough because it fulfills ones
needs of highest orders, which Maslow(1943) defined as self actualization
Strategic learning: According to (Cunningham, 1994), SML synchronizes managing and
learning. As SML is a lifelong learning process, the people following SML methods are well
aware of the change in learning in each area. Now they can come up with new and innovative
strategies that may overcome the day to day organizational and personal problems.

1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self managed learning to the

individual and organization
Self directed learning plays a vital role to enhance the personal and professional performance
of the learner by allowing him to choose what he wants to learn and how he wants to learn. It
is a whole new learning method that replaces the traditional routine based boring learning by
offering with more flexible way of learning along with greater freedom. Self directed learning
facilitates a person and a company in many ways.
5

Advantages for an individual

individual enjoys greater freedom of learning

Individuals can learn anything at anywhere with the help of any resource they want.
Individual forms a habit of learning at every step of his life. Thus learning becomes

lifelong
As learning happens with everyday work activities, individual start to face many
challenges and thus get greater knowledge from the experience.

Benefits to the organizations:

individuals are more skilled, better at communications while working with others
individuals have greater motivation towards organization
individual can provide innovative, creative ideas
managers can come up with extraordinary strategic plans
individuals are now more willing to help and learn from others

M1 Identify and find your own learning style using the Honey
Mumford system
Peter Honey and Alan Mumford (1982) developed four learning styles based on the theory of
Kolb: Activist, Theorist, Pragmatist, and Reflector.

Activist: a person who learns by activities (doing things)

Theorist: a person who learns by theories (understanding the facts behind actions)
Pragmatist: a person who tries fresh and new ideas into practice (avoids old ones)
Reflector: a person who analyzes the experiences from different perspectives.

To find out what learning style is best for one, Honey & Mumford have also prepared a set of
learning style questions. By answering these questions one can get idea what learning style he
should follow.

Task 2: Be able to take responsibility for own personal

and professional development
2.1 Evaluate own current skills and competencies against
professional standards and organizational needs
My own current values are:

honesty: being authentic in very situation

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flexibility: being adaptive to multiple situations

loyalty: being loyal to work objectives as well as senior members
reliability: being a friendly colleague and providing assistance when necessary
self motivated: being a passionate and energetic employee
strive for learning: having a hunger for learning at every stage of my life

My own current professional skills and competencies are:

communication skill: be able to write, listen and communicate smoothly, even with a

person of different language

analytical skill: be able to find out exact path of decision making by analyzing

evidence
multitasking skill: be able to do multiple tasks simultaneously
computer/technical literacy: be able to use computer and computer related software

perfectly
leadership skill: be able to manage people, guide them and motivate them toward a

goal
organizing skill: be able to build plans and coordinate resources to execute projects
and assignments within desired time frame

2.2 Identify own development needs and the activities

required to meet them
To asses self improvement needs, I have decided to use SWOT analysis. Though SWOT
analysis is widely used to understand the risk and strength related to specific business
situation, it can also give excellent output for self assessment.

SWOT analysis: Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats

Strength

Weakness

be able to use an foreign language

self motivated
friendly and reliable
an expert in computer and software
honest, flexible, good in convincing

others
Opportunity

Threats

impatient
not timely
cannot handle

stress

and

work

pressures
easily distracted
fear of taking risk

getting promotions
getting important assignments
raise in pay scale
training availability that opens doors

to new skills and competencies

getting technical knowledge from

complete projects in time

rejection and avoidance by other

colleagues
stress from work
financial breakdown of organization
competitors of the organization

senior colleagues

M2 Carry out self skills audits and spot out the areas of
development

Self skills audits give an individual clear idea about his or her abilities and weaknesses. An
individual may have many personal and professional abilities but some abilities are must to
get a high position in society. Ive listed some of my abilities below and rated them based on
4 points scale in a chart.
Scale of rating:
not satisfactory- 1
up to the mark- 3

satisfactory- 2
exceptional- 4

Self skills audit chart:

skills and potentials
1. able to use computer and related software
2. able to use an foreign language
3. able to handle work stress
4. able to work with team and groups
5. able to finish projects in time
6. able to involve other persons in decision making
7. able to do overtime
8. able to cope up with flexible work time
9. able to appreciate and praise other collages
10. able to adjust with different situation
11. able to take decisions quickly
12. able to understand organizational politics
13. able to communicate smoothly
14. able to use analytical tool to measure risk and profitability

points
4
3
2
3
4
3
4
2
3
3
2
4
4
2

According to my rating, Im not very good at item no. 3, 8, 11, and 14. So my areas of
development are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

to be good at handling work stress

to be good at coping up with flexible work time
to be good at taking decisions quickly
to be good at using analytical tool to measure risk and profitability

2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet current and

future defined needs
Many methods of learning can be found in an organization. They are described in a table in
brief:
On the job learning learning a job by actually doing it
apprenticeship
becoming a skilled person by working under another skilled person
learning
informal learning
job instruction

learning through informal and natural engagement with other collages

being skilled in a job by learning the standard sequence of steps to do

training
lectures
programmed

it
getting important knowledge from classroom and official lectures
learning by responding to relevant questions and getting immediate

learning
computer based

feedback on the accuracy of answers

using computer and computer softwares- CD, DVD or other materials

training
Tele-training
from internet

to learn about specific subject

learning from an expert person via teleconference or video chatting
learning about specific matter from internet sites, video tutorials,

research &

blogs and social medias

learning about specific subject by doing research and assignments on

assignments
seminar and

it
learning about specific subject by attending seminars and workshops

workshops

on it

2.4 Devise a personal and professional development plan

based on identified needs

Personal and professional development plan helps one to create ones own goal and provide a
clear idea about how to achieve that goal within a desired time frame. Based on the SWOT

analysis, Ive already found out the key areas where I should put more efforts. So here is my
personal and professional development plan:
Objectives

learning

methods & resources

desired

review progress

style

used

timeframe

and expected

to be good at Honey
handling
stress

&

work Mumford

(activist)

observing achieve

by

result
weekly meeting

this
with
senior
others
by apprenticeship objective
members
learning
within next
by talking to
Januarysenior members
March
by get myself
admitted into a
relaxation

to be good at Honey

&

training program
avoiding

achieve

coping up with Mumford

unnecessary work this

flexible

that

work (pragmatist)

time

a April-June
calendar

of agenda
talking

the

calendar

daily,

informal

within next discussions with

busy
maintaining
proper

me objective

makes

checking

other colleagues
to

suggest

fixed work hour

to

manager to setup
a

fixed

work

schedule
taking online quiz achieve

enrolling

taking decisions Mumford

to assess current this

evidence based

quickly

decision making objective

management

to be good at Honey

&

(activist)

ability
performing
situation analysis

within next program

July-Sept.

into

to

check
performance

every time
not following gut
instincts, create a
10

backup plan
consult
with
experienced

to be good at Honey

&

colleagues
take

the achieve

Make someone

this

monitor to check

using analytical Mumford

organizations

tool

analytical training objective

my

within next
program
take consultancy Oct-Dec.
when analyzing

performance

(activist)

data
use
courses

analytical

weekly.

online
to

enhance
analytical ability

Task 3: Be able to implement and continually review own

personal and professional development plan
3.1 Discuss the process and activities required to implement
the development plan
The processes required are:
1. using online courses to enhance analytical ability
2. take organizations necessary training programs
3. avoiding unnecessary work loads
4. taking consultancy while analyzing data
5. conducting weekly meeting with supervisors and managers
6. following the leadership style of CEO
7. being coached by experienced colleague
8. studying technical and professional journals, books on relevant subject matter
9. getting information about competitors and marketplace
10. visiting other branches and get knowledge from others

M3 Present your curriculum vitae with professional format

Curriculum Vitae is a written document used to represent ones personal skills and qualities in
front of employer in order to get a job or make an interview. Actually no ideal or best way to

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prepare a CV is out there, but there are some items that a CV must contain that every
employer seeks.
Two professional formats of writing CV are:
1. Chronological: listing every detail of education and experience with most recent
information first.
2. Functional: highlighting skills and experience that are relevant to the job
The most important items of a CV that managers and employers actually seek are:

So any professional CV containing the above mentioned items will result in a good feedback
from the employer.

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3.2 Undertake and document development activities as

planned
Self improvement activities should include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

attending seminars, conferences etc. on relevant subject matter

not taking project that is excessively big and beyond the capability of me
participate in training programs
preparing presentations and assignments
conducting surveys and structured interviews
getting consultancy from experienced colleagues and senior staff members
getting myself admitted into an analytical skill enhance program
getting regular review check from coach

To support the development activities- there are many learning methods. They are:
1. formal learning and training- officially prepared training programs on different
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

subject matter
observation- by carefully observing the way that a skilled person follows
mentoring- by being coached by a experienced supervisor or colleague
supervision- by the regular consultancy from supervisor
tutorials- by online and hard copy instruction manuals
Informal networks- from social network sites, office blogs, and colleague work

groups etc.
7. team members- by getting input from team members
8. line managers- by getting information from line managers
9. other professionals- by following the organizations leader such as CEO or President

3.3 Reflect critically on own learning against original aims

and objectives set in the development plan
A learner can evaluate his or her learning critically after taking every training class. He or she
can recheck what he or she has actually learnt. This sort of review can be done solely or with
the help of instructor. There might be some areas where it was hard for learner to learn. Those
areas can be identified and a different learning plan can be developed that will assist learner
to learn easily. Taking review or mock tests is a good way to check whether a learner has
actually learned something or not. The score of the test will reflect if any further
improvement is necessary. The instructor should compare the developments of the learn with
the predetermined learning goals that were developed earlier. This comparison will help the
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learner to understand the performance gap and will make him realize where more focus is
necessary.

3.4 Update the development plan based on feedback and

evaluation
After evaluating and collecting appropriate feedback of self improvement, it is crucial to
modify the development plan and identify the issues where more emphasis is needed.
Modification should be done to the plan is such way so that every modification adds value to
learning. This special modified guideline will tell how the required goals can be met by a
desired but quick period. The modified guideline should also be specific, measureable,
attainable, and realistic and time-based. As new changes have been introduced in the plan, the
plan should be revised repeatedly to check on improvements and learning. Learning process
is somewhat slow and complicated but in every step, it gives a learner idea about his or her
potentials and improve them where necessary.

Task 4 Be able to demonstrate acquired interpersonal

and transferrable skills
4.1 Select solutions to work based problems

As an organization is big, each work based problem may be unique in nature. So there is no
standard way to solve those problems. But if the employees of the organization are being
introduced to a set of problems and then asked to respond, their will response will pave a way
to the solutions. For example, I may supply a quiz to the employee and ask them to fill up the
quiz questions. I might mention 5 questions (or more if needed) in the quiz. Each question is
associated with a real life work problem. I may also mention 4 or 5 options, where a learner
needs to select only one. It will be more like Choose the Best answer. The learning will
select the best choice according with his or her taste. The quiz will become more enjoyable if
I deliver a prize. The person scoring the highest point will be the prize taker. An example of
the question migh be- What will you do take if you have a get together party with your
fellow employee but your manager calls of an important meeting with the whole
department? After getting the whole result, an open discussion class can be taken where the

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learners can give logics behind selecting a specific choice. This workshop will enable learner
to experience and manage work based problems in an easy way.

4.2 communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate

manner at various levels in the negotiation practice of the
class.

Communication techniques have been dramatically improved by the introduction of new

technology and advancement in computer science. The traditional method of communication
is written communication, where a person leaves a paper for his or her intended receiver. This
particular paper is later stored in important paper indexes. The modern technology has
enabled us to communicate digitally by sending mails and faxes (Murphy-Latta, 2008).
Though there have been some improvements in digital storage, many companies still use
written method of communication throughout the workplace. The risk of storing digital files
that, they might be deleted accidentally. Second method of communication is oral
communication- communication by sharing voice with others. Oral communication can be
done by meeting the real person or talking via cell phone. With the advancement of mobile
and communication technology, many chatting softwares are out there that can call a person
digitally or make group conference call with more than two people (skype, viber etc.) Oral
communication is widely used in educational areas (schools, colleges or universities), defense
unit (army, police etc) and hospital field. As now many people use smart phones, text
messages and emails are a good way of communication. Traditional way of calling employees
via their cell phone number is still used, especially when important instructions are being
delivered. Calling on cell phone is however sometimes considered ineffective due to network
issues and the person not responding. Many companies have their own digital dashboard,
bulletin services or intranet where they can put their thoughts and chat with group members
in a more secured manner.

15

4.3 Evaluate and use effective time management strategies

Managing time effectively is still considered one of the very important factor for any
potential employee. Many factors influence a persons time management skill such as
personalities and character, amount of stress he or she can handle, how he or she is
attached to the work, how he or she can balance his or her personal and professional life
and frequency of using modern technologies that helps to keep someone updated (Golding
and Gray, 2006) Time management is very much related to prioritizing tasks. If one is able to
prioritize ones tasks according to its importance, he or she will ultimately not waste time.
Wasting time creates a loophole in productivity and develops a sense of carelessness towards
important things. When every employee of an organization starts wasting time in a regular
manner, it will create a negative impact on companys profitability. Some people uses a
checklist or personal digital calendar that helps them to remind about important tasks ahead
of time so that they dont miss any important task. Updating the personal calendar on a
regular basis can create a habit of doing things on time. Again, one should not take excess of
assignments or try to do all tasks altogether because it will create huge stress for him and
eventually he or she wont be able to perform those tasks correctly.

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Conclusion

Self managed learning is a method of self development by which one can determine his or her
skills and potentials and find out where more efforts should be given to make those skills
more effective. It is called a lifelong process because there is no end of learning; a person
learns from the childhood till he or she dies.
The importance of self managed learning is not only limited to an individual but is has great
importance to shape the professional capabilities of an individual. Self managed learning is
considered the best way of learning because it gives the learner the opportunity to learn
whatever he or she wants and with the help of any resource he or she intends.

17

References:
1. Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and
development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. p. 21
2. Bird, G. (1994). A Presentation to the EFMD Annual Conference: The Self-Managed
Learning Glass
3. Maslow, A. (1943) .A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, vol. 50,
no 4 pp 370-96
4. Cunningham, I (1994).The Wisdom of Strategic Learning: the self managed solution.
London: McGraw-Hill
5. Honey, P. & Mumford, A. (1982). Manual of Learning Styles. London: Peter Honey
Publications
6. Lawrence G Fine (2009).The SWOT Analysis. CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Platform; 1st edition
7. Murphy-Latta, T (2008). A Comparative Study of Professional Development Utilizing
the Missouri Commissioner's Award of Excellence and Indicators of Student
Achievement. ProQuest. p. 19. [ebook-accessed: 19th November,2014]
8. Golding, L. & Gray, I. (2006).Continuing professional development for clinical
psychologists: A practical handbook. The British Psychological Society. Oxford:
Blackwell Publishing

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9. Eric Hilden, 2010 Orange County Resume Survey.[online survey report-accessed 19th
November,2014]

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