Module: Practice Of Management Skills Batch Number: BBMD21136A Assignment Title: PMS Individual Assignment Lecturer: Pamela Teo

Date: 27/2/2012

Content
Cover page Questions Reference.. CV... (Curriculum Vitae) Appendix1 ...(Richard step strength finder) Appendix 2.. (Peter Urs benders guide to strengths and weaknesses of personality types) Appendix 3..(character certificate) Appendix 4... (JOHARI WINDOW) Appendix 5.... (VARK) Appendix 6.................(SMART) Appendix 7 (confidence boosting table) Appendix 8...(action plan)

Q1: What do you think your

a) Strengths and b) Weaknesses are? And why?

I have come to realize that I have a few strengths after doing some research and answering some questionnaires. I think that my main strength would be working well in groups. (Relator- See appendix 1). It is in my nature to be supportive, patient and diplomatic. I tend to get along well with people,specially people who may share similarities with me. (See appendix 2 The amiable). I have been through many group assignments, discussions, presentations etc and found that I get along well with people and am able to communicate my ideas effectively. (See Appendix 3) We recently had our space egg presentation for our PMS module. During the preparations, I worked it out and I gave my group members an outline of what I wanted to do and what part of the presentation I would like to present and there were no arguments and conflicting thoughts that I came across when I said so. It went very smoothly. In the end, I wouldnt say that I was very satisfied with the way we presented but I was satisfied by the way we were able to work together without any hindrances in order to come up with the presentation. There have been many group discussions where I have encountered cultural diversity. During these discussions I sat down, said what I thought, gave my classmates my honest opinion and received very friendly and accepting responses. During the discussion I was sitting with an Indonesian and two Chinese students. We spoke about things, one thing lead to another and we somewhat developed a friendly nature towards one another. These people, whom I normally wouldnt speak to, glance at or notice were now friendly acquaintances. Through the Johari Window Test, I have found out that more that some people think I am dependable, which I feel is important for me to be able to do well in groups. When I say I will do something I do it

and that makes people believe that they can rely on me making me an excellent team player. (See Appendix 4) Weakness Everyone has their weaknesses and so do I. I have come to realize that I have a few weaknesses. I feel that my main weakness is indecisiveness. I feel that many times I am unable to take decisions when I am required to. At times I loose hope, feel depressed and depend on another persons motivation to help me make my decisions. (See Appendices 2, 3) I am frequently quiet and often fail to express my thoughts and feelings. When have certain opinions I prefer to keep them to my self. I dont usually share my feelings and opinions openly unless I really want to and I feel that this is something that adds to my indecisive nature. I am also very calm (See Appendix 4) and I feel that my inability to express thoughts easily has caused me to be this way, which also I feel makes me indecisive. When I was working on one of the presentations with my group members this term, we came up with a few ideas and at the end of it I wasnt abl e to decide on a specific idea and ultimately had to rely on my team members to select one. I wasnt too happy with myself for not being able to be very helpful in deciding what topic should be chosen. I often think about what career path I would like to pursue. All that I think about is business. I am unable to decide what specifically I would like to pursue doing and I have been experiencing this for a long time. People often ask me and all I usually have is a vague answer. When sit to study I always ask my self Where do I start?. When I sit in the examination hall I always end up wasting time trying to decide which questions I am going to answer. Its something I feel I need to work on for a better future.

How do you learn best? Which resources are most beneficial to your learning and why? Part 1 PMS
(See Appendix 5) Through my personal experience and by doing a few questionnaires, I feel that I am an Auditory learner. I feel that I learn very well when I listen to people explain. For example, If there were a game I wanted to learn to play, I would learn to play it very well if someone told me how to play it. By writing down my learning log at the end of each lesson, I have found out that there have been a few occasions during PMS lectures where I have been able to acquire resources that have helped me benefit my learning and have helped me learn a lot about the way I learn best. On lecture 1 of PMS, the lecturer made us fill out the learning style questionnaire (Appendix 5), which helped me figure out that more than a kinesthetic learner, I am an Auditory learner. The lecturer also spoke about strengths and weaknesses and since I am an Auditory learner, (which I would consider as one of my strengths) through strength of mine I was guided towards more strengths that I came to know of which I previously wasnt aware of. (Appendix 1) I attained a greater awareness of my strong learning style and started to explore. Lesson 2 of our PMS was on Active Listening. When I combined my auditory learning style with what we were taught about in active listening, it made a huge difference to me. Learning became more fun than it was before. I used my strength to find more strengths. This heightened my auditory learning sense and I started to comprehend information more systematically and effectively. The

following lecture was about conflict management and because of my enhanced ability to grasp information due to the strengths I found in the previous lecture and the conflict management exercises we did in class, my conflict management style has definitely changed. One of the ways to handle a conflict is having to listen to what the other person wants and since I have found a strength there I have successfully been able to use that in conflict management to increase my skill in conflict management which I feel will definitely contribute to my business administrative skills in the long run. I have always learned well by listening and PMS has helped me become more aware of that. The learning style questionnaire has been fairly accurate and I previously never had a clear idea on how I learn best which I do now. I have been combining active listening with my auditory listening style and have started to listen much more attentively in class in a way that makes listening interesting and hence observed slight changes in my learning style during classes.

Part 2 External Opportunities

There have been certain external opportunities that I have come across that have helped and benefitted my learning experience. I found the booming economy of Singapore very attractive along with the cultural diversity, which I considered as a challenge to be successful amongst. When I first came to Singapore I encountered students from different neighboring countries of different ages in my class. Since, there have been very few that have continued with me and the rest have always been different. Every term there have been new modules, teachers and class mates along with a new variety of group discussions etc has definitely given me a chance to experience new learning styles and methods to learn from which I wasnt exposed to. I have had a lot of exposure that has benefited me. I have used these opportunities to enhance my skills. I have encountered conflicts within groups here that are far different from those that I have experienced back home (India,canada). I have learned to approach different cultures with new styles of reasoning so as to solve problems in order to try and attain a win-win situation. Not too long ago I attended a field trip with a group of students to the tiger beer brewery where we were toured around the factory and

shown how it works and how things are done around there which I found to be a very interesting experience due to the fact that it was with students from different countries. During the tour I learned things that other students had knowledge of about such breweries and shared what I knew and I thought it was a very educational for me. There have also been a couple of job talks that I attended during my stay here, one of them being the Far East Corporation. One of the employees, probably the manager came in to MDIS and spoke to us about the possibilities about securing a job with such a company. He has brought along two recently selected employees, one of them being from India and the other from China. They mustve been around their mid 20s and I learned that it is possible to secure a job position in a reputed company such as the Far East Corporation. I have learned the difficulties of being able to get a good job in this competitive era. Through the vast number of subjects that I have been through I have gained greater knowledge about concepts like Law, Human Resource Management etc that has helped me gain a better understanding on how to manage my skills relating to time management, conflict management which has, in a nutshell, helped me do things more efficiently. Since I am an Auditory learner (Appendix 5), I have been doing a lot of listening, taking down notes, observing and learning how things are done differently and learned ways to blend in. I have slightly changed the way I do things in order to get closer to being who I want to be and my external opportunities have gone a long way in helping me do that.

Taking the answer to question 1b (Personal Weakness), how will you work on one of your weaknesses? 1) Goal Setting
Indecisiveness has caused a lot delay in important decisions that I have had to make in the long run. I have been following up on the SMART framework, which has given me a lot to think about what goal I should set and how fast I can achieve it in order to boost my confidence and reduce my indecisive nature. I have set out a two-week time frame (9th February to 23rd February ) to practice performing certain things in order to give my self a confidence boost. I essentially started this two weeks (Appendix 7) before our final PMS presentation in order to confidently be able to present my final presentation and go on with preparations with lower rates of indecisiveness during my rehearsals. I have continually being maintaining a good posture as much as I can and watching a few motivational speeches online that have helped me speak confidently. I have been thinking positive by focusing on gratitude. I have been spending 10 minutes day thinking about all the things I am grateful for in order to mentally boost my self-confidence.

I have been thinking positive as much as I can. I go to class and sit in the front row in order to feel noticed and be questioned for better class participation. I have been speaking up in areas I have doubts to clear out all the doubts in my head. I spend 30 to 45 minutes a day exercising followed by a little meditation in order to calm my mind during which I think about absolutely nothing which has increased my level of focus that has helped my memory power. I have also been speaking to seniors that have done the course Ive done and asked them about their experiences in order to learn from their mistakes. I have been positively self-talking to my self. For example before my PMS presentation, which was on 23rd February 2012, I kept telling my self Be Confident, You Would be great!. This kind of self-talk has helped me get through the day and boosted my confidence and greatly reduced my lack of ability to make decisions. Before the presentation I envisioned my self on stage speaking with confidence, winning the crowd over. Every day I have been standing in front of the mirror and practicing my lines so see how I perform. My confidence has been increasing substantially. My previous presentation didnt go to well, which was a few weeks back. After my final presentation, even though the lecturer was exhausted from watching presentations over and over again she told me it was good. I worked hard and was happy to hear that. My goal was specifically to attain a higher level of confidence. I measured it and it was attainable. It was realistic and I selected a time frame of 2 weeks in order to do well in my final presentation. (SMART, See Appendix 6) I started these simple tasks on the 9th of February . I gave my presentation on the 23rd of February . I knew I had done well. My hard work paid off. This is going to be an ongoing effort so I may benefit in the long run. At the end of the day I tell my self that my life is in my hands and it is up to me to go and get what I want. I want confidence and I will work towards perfecting it.

Taking the answer to question 1b (Personal Weakness), how will you work on one of your weaknesses? 2) Action Planning
Refer to Appendix 8 I have created an action plan, which would proceed over a time span of 2 weeks in order to boost my confidence at the end of it. I have increased my self-awareness in order to figure out where I am and who I want to be by working on my weakness through my strengths and capabilities drawn up through a spreadsheet. (Appendix 8) Motivating my self is very important. Telling myself I can do it, repeatedly and having a more positive thinking towards life, and avoiding any sort of negativity helps me motivate myself to achieve my desired goals. Watching motivational speeches, exercising, reading articles on self-motivational techniques is essentially on my agenda. Taking Care of my self and keeping my well being in mind so that even after the two weeks I can safely predict that I will posses the enthusiasm of achieving my goal. I have been working on using the best styles and trends to do this via the Internet and self help books.

I have been contributing to the development of my mind by not being mentally lethargic. I have been reading to contribute to my knowledge and awareness in order to keep my brain sharp and focused. Simple activities like puzzles, reading up on current events, improving my vocabulary for better elocutionary skills has helped me boost my confidence. I have been taking proactive and reactive approaches to do this as I have mentioned. Since my learning style is auditory in nature I have been listening to advice, motivational speeches, listening to the ongoing current affairs. Many of my approaches have been proactive owing to the fact that I have set a 2-week time frame (23rd February to 8th March) in order to achieve my set objective (Confidence) and prepare for incoming challenges from the future. Reactive approaches that Ive taken include speaking up, dressing sharply, sitting in front, positive thinking etc. (From Appendix 7)

Appendix 1 Richard Step Strength Finder Your Top 5 Strengths Are:

Your Top 5 Strengths Are:

1.

Relator (95%): People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal. Tips to Improve this Strength:

o o o o

You organize your life around your close relationships and should keep them in planning exercises. Dont move around too much - you enjoy close, strong, genuine bonds and could be shaken up otherwise. Knowing people's goals helps you bond with them - seek to find out more about the people you meet. You are loyal, place a high value on trust, and will not betray people - be the person people can come to.

o o

Build genuine trusting relationships with critical people you want around. Generosity is a strength - be aware, get noticed, and keep it up.

2. 3.

Self-Assurance (95%): People strong in the Self-assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right. Tips to Improve this Strength:

o o o o o o

You don't need your hand-held; help others understand you need space to make meaningful decisions. Seek to take on a role where persistence is essential to success. Continually take on roles that demand an aura of certainty and stability. You have a strong self-concept that you are an agent of action - nurture it. You are most effective when you feel you are in control of your world - be aware and help others understand this. You need clear feedback to develop your instincts - review your failures and successes for lessons learned.

4.

Significance (90%): People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized. Tips to Improve this Strength:

o o o o o o o

You are not to be overmanaged - you need independence and should let others know this. You thrive on meaningful recognition of your contributions and should let supervisors know. You need the opportunity to stand out and be known - seek appropriate room to maneuver. You like to surround yourself with the best of the best and should continue to do as such. You are good at encouraging other top achievers - you enjoy making others feel successful. Make and keep benchmarks for developing your main strengths. When suffering self-esteem hits, set new goals based on your strengths and go for them!

5.

Context (85%): People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history. Tips to Improve this Strength:

o o o o o

Make a real effort to understand the background for a course of action before committing to it. You prefer to talk about new colleagues' backgrounds before you will feel comfortable - plan for it and be aware. You want others to be aware of the context of decisions - make it easy for them. Collect revealing anecdotes, highlight key discoveries, and build classes or teachings on it. Retell anecdotes in class, papers, websites, videos, etc. - share your findings.

6.

Empathy (85%): People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations. Tips to Improve this Strength:

o o o o o o o

You are sensitive to the emotions of others - seek positions that capitalize on this. Before giving commitment, give your feelings (and those of others) for a better understand by all. Warn people that you may cry at very emotional moments and that they should not be worried. Do not be embarrassed by the strength of your feelings - embrace and foster them! Actively seek to test your ability to make decisions instinctively rather than logically. Work with positive and optimistic people - pessimists and cynics will only bring you down. If others are experiencing difficulties, you may sense what's missing - help them out.

http://richardstep.com/richardstep-strengths-finder-rssf/

Appendix 2
Peter Urs Bender's Guide to Strengths and Weaknesses of Personality Types
Each personality type has different strengths & weaknesses. Here are some things to watch for in yourself, and in the people you work with.

Type
Analytical

Strengths
Thinking Thorough Disciplined

Potential Weaknesses
Excludes feelings from decisions Goes too far; perfectionist Too rigid or demanding of self/others Tends to conform to wishes of others No time boundaries; things do not get done Not assertive or directive Has trouble operating with others Does not take time to consider other perspectives Domineering; too focused on doing it "my way"

Amiable

Supportive Patient Diplomatic

Driver

Independent Decisive Determined

Expressive

Good communicator Enthusiastic Imaginitive

Talks too much Comes on too strong Dreamer; unrealistic

The Amiable
Devoted, consistent, dependable, and loyal, the Amiable is a hard worker And will persevere long after others have given up. He or she is a team player, cooperative and easy to get along with, trustful, sensitive and a good listener. Working in groups with cooperative individuals, the Amiable tries to avoid confrontation. He or she enjoys company, performs best in a stable environment, and often has a stabilizing effect on others. Weaknesses include indecision and an inability to take risks. Amiables are often too focused on others, conforming, quiet, and passive. They often wont speak up for themselves, are too compliant and nice, and often Painstakingly slow to make decisions. The Amiables pleasure is stability and cooperation. His or her pain is change and chaos. http://www.peterursbender.com/quiz/swtable.html

Appendix 3
Your Profile You Are an ISFP (Introvert, Sensor, Feeler, Perceiver) Gentle, sensitive, easygoing, calm and soft-spoken, ISFPs are typically people of few words. Private people who can take a long time to get to know, ISFPs may appear cool and detached at first, however, they are actually very sensitive and nurturing people who are run by their own set of personal values. Observant and curious, ISFPs see the best in people and have a strong desire to avoid unnecessary conflict. ISFPs are patient, flexible, and easy to get along with and have little need to dominate or control others. They are nonjudgmental and accepting of others' behavior in a rather matter-of-fact way. Because ISFPs live completely in the present moment, they do not prepare or plan more than is necessary. http://www.personalitytype.com

Appendix 4 Johari window

http://kevan.org/johari?view=harjas005

Appendix 5

The VARK Questionnaire Results

Your scores were: Visual: 8 Aural: 14 Read/Write: 10 Kinesthetic: 10 You have a multimodal (VARK) learning preference.

http://www.vark-learn.com

Appendix 6

S M A

pecific

easurable

ttainable

ealistic

T
*Who: *What: *Where: *When: *Which: *Why: Who is involved?

imely

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six W questions:

What do I want to accomplish? Identify a location. Establish a time frame. Identify requirements and constraints. Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, Get in shape. But a specific goal would say, Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.

Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

Attainable When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals. You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

Timely A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it theres no sense of urgency.

http://topachievement.com/smart.html

Appendix 7 Confidence Boosting Table 2-Week Time Frame

1. Dress Sharp 2. Walk Faster 3. Good Posture 4. Motivational Speech Listening 5. Gratitude 6. Positive Compliments 7. Sit in Front Row 8. Speak Up 9. Work Out 10. Focus On Contribution http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-waysto-instantly-build-self-confidence/

Appendix 8 Action Plan

Creating An Action Plan
Describe your current situation Identify your skills and work goals Set a long-term goal and maybe some short-term goals Work out the steps that will get you there.

https://nextstep.direct.gov.uk/planningyourcareer/actionplan/Page s/Default.aspx

Self Confidence Action Plan 2 Week Plan

1) Increase Awarness 2) Self -Motivation 3) Take Care 4) Mind Development 5) Assessment and Evaluation

(ALSO REFER TO APPENDIX 4,2 FOR LINKAGE) Set of talents and capabilities to fulfill action plan in order to achieve target Strengths Relator Focused Competition Independent Personal Abilities Good Speaker Good Memory Good Writer Quick Reader Physical Abilities Good Stamina Flexible Quick Reflexes Good Runner Interests Football Guitar Games Books

Goals to achieve based on the following action plan is specifically reduced indecisiveness and higher self confidence by1) Staying physically fit to maintain good health 2) Playing music every now and then to soothe the mind 3) Reading books once in a while when taking breaks 4) Relating to other people for advice and guidance in order to focus on boosting self-confidence http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/self-confidence-action-plan.html

REFERENCES
http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/self-confidence-action-plan.html https://nextstep.direct.gov.uk/planningyourcareer/actionplan/Page s/Default.aspx http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-ways-to-instantly-build-selfconfidence/

http://topachievement.com/smart.html

http://www.vark-learn.com http://kevan.org/johari?view=liveandletlive http://www.personalitytype.com http://www.peterursbender.com/quiz/swtable.html

http://richardstep.com/richardstep-strengths-finder-rssf/