DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR BUSINESS LEADERSHIP

PART 1
Development records & Continuing Professional Development Action Plan

“Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a method of continuing professional

development in which people take care of their own learning and information Growth, through
involvement in an ongoing reflection process as well as activity. Such a method is inspiring as
well as thrilling and is capable to inspire people to fulfil their dreams and drive reaching their
dreams” (Megginson and Whitaker, 2007). The life learning outcomes are more important than
everything because learning will never be finished. The Assignment will focus on personal and
professional development and the skills that need to be develop to ensure your career success. In
the first part of the assignment I will discuss continues professional development over the last 16
months. And that tenure was associated with banking industry career. I started my banking career
on August 2016 as a Cash officer and resigned December 2019.

1.1 Summary record of the key development activities (November 2018 to

February 2020).

What do I want to learn My success criteria Targeted date

Professional customer dealing in order Promoted as General banking officer and

to create and maintain good start dealing with customers regarding
relationship with them. So that sales business deals November 2018
targets of the bank can be achieved.
Better position to enhance my skills Joined other bank with better position
and abilities that leads to provide and pay structure
monetary benefits in a banking field December 2018
Target oriented towards achieving Meet the branch sales targets of 50
bank sales goals million by effectively dealing with the December 2018
clients
Work under full of pressure to achieve Working for the main branch with
2 million sales targets per month heavily rushed customers January 2018
Build a good relationship with customers
Team working skills for dealing Of course learn while working with the
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with customer service, problem- team on great tasks March 2019

solving and accomplishing a sales
tasks
Conflict management Learn how deal with conflict in new
working place specially with the manager June 2019
as well as team members
Add new technical skills I started learning about online store
development. And accomplished it by November 2019
completing course of Shopify.

Improve English learning skills I have completed Ielts with Securing 6

band Accumulated February 2020

SMART goals What resources or support will I Success criteria be? Target dates
need? for review and
completion
To Overcome It is required to practice conversation Ability to handle Throughout the
Language with friends, time to get training from multicultural people in a Study tenure
barrier English training institute, use a manner that ensures the
language app to get familiar with local cultural diversity.
ascent, communication skills to speak
with public openly and confidently.
 Learn to get  Time to understand and analyze To start a job in some December 2020
fit into culture people’s behavior Local business such as
 Time to engage in their local work in restaurant that
activities and rituals such as can helps to understand
Christmas event that passed their values, norms,
recently jargon, buzz-words lead
 Communication skills by getting in to enhance my
touch with the supporting institute communication skills
 Learn Human  Research by reading online  By completion of July 2020
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resource sources like articles, peer-reviewed MSC Human

Skills to journals, academic theories and Resource
management concepts Management
people in  Assignments by University
organization  Study All essentials
1.2 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Action plan in The Next 12
Months

1.3 Commentary on the Professional Development Process

Career development is a compulsory practice for one to achieve any substantial success
in their success. In the past about 12 months, I have continuously boarded on measures that
foster professional development. Communication is essential for the smooth running of any
organization. The absence of effective communication often causes chaos in the administration
of any organization. Therefore, both the management and the general staff must be well equipped
with communication skills (Goutam, 2013). Adapting an entirely new culture is always difficult
for foreigners (Anderson, 1994). In developing my professional skills, barriers to fit in with
Bradford’s culture is also faced by me as a challenge. I had a difficulty to understand,
communicate and fit with their values, beliefs and language caused by cultural differences. The
time for adjusting with that culture was quite sufficient but find difficulty to fit with Bradford’s
culture. I also joined a mentorship program which comprised of professionals in the same field. 5
classes of learning programs has been taken by me. In the program, we were exposed to other
professionals' experiences who have been successful in the same area. These professionals
offered not only professional guidance to us but also provided immense inspiration to us.
Moreover, unavailability to physically access the library had increased my problem to learn and
increase my human resource management’s skills due to pandemic of COVID 19.

I had faced also several challenges in form of English language barriers and time constraints.
Language barrier was also a challenge for me caused by different local ascent as I hadn’t familiar
with people’s expressions, gesture and jargon. When I came there, I felt difficulty to understand
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my tutor’s ascent that was a constraint in learning. The English learning and training program
was also provided to me to overcome this problem. This program was very effective to get
familiar with the cultural differences and different ascent problem. Furthermore, I have listened
carefully the local ascent to understand their vowel sound.

Time is always considered as a most valuable asset for everyone. In my professional

development plan, time management is really a challenge as I have to manage my studies with a
part-time job in a local restaurant simultaneously. So balancing work life with academic life was
also considered as a challenge for me at the start of my career growth. After that, I have managed
my working hours with studying hours by maintaining balance between them.

PART 2: REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT

MSc in Human Resource Management is meant to give students a more in-depth knowledge
concerning a business's control. In the course of the program, I had an opportunity to interact
with Knowledge and activities that goes a long way in ensuring that I become a holistic and
effective Human Resource manager as well as to management my own business in future. I also
had a chance to learn the theories that influence the management of contemporary business.

“As human resource management is concerned with planning, organizing and leading activities
of the business. In my MSc program, I have basically learned the development of my leadership
and management skills and capabilities in order to efficiently and effectively manage a business”
(Snell et al., 2010). It has enhanced my skills of critical thinking, problem solving, decision
making, communication, time management and project-management. My knowledge related to
all aspects of business as well as management also increase that helps me to direct my career in
the future as it provides all business insights including market trends and business reports. All
academic theories that I have learned provides me insights to apply the in a real-world business.
With respect to situational leadership, I have improved my competencies regarding authoritative
style by becoming more self-confident and ready to adapt for all circumstances. While affiliative
competencies also get developed by enhancing communication skills, empathetic and
relationship-oriented. This approach is supported by (Goleman et al., 2002).
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Moreover, I have improved my English in this module through English language training.
Through this MSc program, I become able to identify my own strengths, weaknesses and
potential that will surely assist me in developing my own career. This program has educate me to
learn human resource management skills such that how to hire and fire the employees, how to
make contingency plan, how to market the products and services? And so on leading to enhance
my employability.

“One of a famous method for educating students about business strategy, business ethics and
cultural differences is business simulation” (Faria, 1998, Keeffe et al., 1993). Another
opportunity that is really helpful for my course is Business simulation. It’s just making a great
changes in my thinking capability. I just started thinking as a HR manager while putting
strategies. Like I learnt pricing strategy how we can make a different in our business to put a
Discount in our running business item. Same another learning was the borrowing like what is the
suitable time for putting Extra funds to improve the production of business. There is much
learning through work in Business simulation. Studying the business simulations has provided
me experiential learning through conceptualizing, observing and experimenting. In this model, I
had an opportunity to run a virtual business in an interactive as well as realistic environment that
provided me an experience to improve my business capabilities via conducting market analysis,
financial analysis, making decisions and solving problems through applying various business
strategies. By putting academic concepts into practical risk-free environment, I have experienced
innovative problem-solving skills. I have designed a business according to the changing needs
and wants of my customers to capture a good market share. Pricing strategies also changed by
me to test at which price sales would be higher. Sales and marketing strategies has helped to
enhance sales with increasing production houses. Such business simulation process has enhanced
the level of competition with other participants that leads to increase my engagement in the
business. This has enabled me to practice and improving commercial acumen, strategic skills,
adaptability and flexibility, conflict resolution, teamwork, interpersonal skills as well as
problem-solving skills (Clarke and Clarke, 2009).

Based on these learnings and knowledge, I have planned to start my own wholesale business of
mobile spare parts in my home country i.e. Pakistan. As prices for spare parts in my area are
relatively high, that’s why my plan is to import it from chine where mobile spare parts are
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available at a cheap rates. By keeping a low prices of mobile spare parts at the start of my
business, I can increase my level of sales by capturing a larger customer base. This would go
online due to COVID 19 pandemic. This business idea is learned by studying business
simulation and MSc program as it has developed my entrepreneurial skills. Business simulation
can test this business idea and provide me a diverse understanding about the business world.

Although business simulation is a risk-free environment, it has also enabled me to learn from my
mistakes that plays a major role for my self-development and business career in future as well.
Time management is also learned as time provided to accomplish this activity was limited. It
means like obtaining one year’s experience in a short period of time.
 References

1. ANDERSON, L. E. 1994. A new look at an old construct: Cross-cultural adaptation.

International journal of intercultural relations, 18, 293-328.
2. CLARKE, T. & CLARKE, E. 2009. Learning outcomes from business simulation
exercises. Education+ Training.
3. FARIA, A. J. 1998. Business simulation games: Current usage levels—An update.
Simulation & Gaming, 29, 295-308.
4. GOLEMAN, D., BOYATZIS, R. E. & MCKEE, A. 2002. The new leaders:
Transforming the art of leadership into the science of results.
5. GOUTAM, A. 2013. Effective communication at workplace. Irc’s international journal
of multidisciplinary research in social & management sciences.
6. KEEFFE, M. J., DYSON, D. A. & EDWARDS, R. R. 1993. Strategic management
simulations: a current assessment. Simulation & Gaming, 24, 363-368.
7. MEGGINSON, D. & WHITAKER, V. 2007. Continuing professional development,
Kogan Page Publishers.
8. SNELL, S., BOHLANDER, G. W. & BOHLANDER, G. 2010. Principles of human
resource management, South-Western Cengage Learning.