Angie Soliman – Skills Development Plan MGT 612 W1 The Human Side of Project Leadership Professor Z. Aronson Soliman– Skill Development Plan This following documentation is a development plan that will improve my skill set in everyday personal tasks, in the work environment and even within the Master’s program I am pursing at Stevens’ Institute of Technology. Development planning and execution is at the heart of building individual, team and organizational capability and an integral part of delivering world class service in life. Two skills I will focus on for improvement both for short term and long term are: Managing Conflict Building Effective Teams I realized through this course and some work related aspects, I perceive these as limitations that will need to be enhanced. To better determine the outcome and develop a plan to assist these weaknesses, I will explain the preparation needed to improve Managing conflict is a difficult task. There are approaches that will need to be taken into consideration to resolve conflicts. First things first, trying to let emotions settle must be set right away so that reasons are better heard and understood. Next, I need to focus on how to repair the situation. Communication skills come in handy to focus on this task My personality has been able to impact and influence others in helping the personal effectiveness for a successful project. This exploits achievement for other issues I have learned to adapt with personalities that may be different or difficult For this reason, I am able to provide an atmosphere with open communication without any fear of retaliation. Creating this environment, allows team members to be highly motivated. This permits feedback for the team and customer to run a thriving project. The nonverbal skills such as eye contact, gestures, and even postures confidence and honesty Open communication provides resolution at a quicker pace. Understanding conflict is the most supreme action that needs to take effect when managing inconsistency. “These authors identity several key ‘Rules of Engagement’ for effective conflict management: Work with more, rather than less, information Focus on facts Develop multiple alternatives to enrich the level of debate Share commonly agreed upon goals Inject humor into the decision process Maintain a balanced power structure Resolve issues without forcing consensus.” (pg378) (Whetten and Cameron, 2007) These set rules will act as a guide for myself and others to avoid any unneeded dispute especially that may impact the environment. When these rules are followed, conflicts can be minimized. The environment I reflect will be a positive one, making it more efficient. This year has been a challenging year for me. I perceive building effective teams is something I need to work on, personal and work related aspects. As a career oriented individual, I am always looking forward to learn and grasp complex concepts that contribute to the success of a growing institution. I am skilled in developing and implementing standardized policies and procedures. I specialize in program development, communications strategies and quantitative assessment programs. I also offer the techniques and skills obtained to become a successful project manager. I specialize in programs to ensure development of a product reaches internal customers successfully. I dedicate time to inquire about different techniques so accomplishment is succeeded. With my selfmotivation and high energy, I am able to tackle and handle any task given to me. To take these aspects I entail into consideration , the four stages of team development I need to focus on to establish a productive new team, are forming, norming storming and performing. (Whetten and Cameron, 2007) Forming is knowing who to choose properly for my team, what is expected of me, how will I be an efficient leader and what exactly is supposed to happen When I think of these questions I will need to think of what direction I will pursue as the team leader Establishing trust and building relationships with members will help to a more efficient team. Within the norming stage I need to focus on how I can fit in and show my support to others while at the same time, get along with everyone else. Values and norm will need to be established from the start to including what knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques are needed to meet project requirements. During a project, at the storming stage, I must know how to maintain and stabilize the teams’ decisions. Since this stage is critical, we need to end up having a successful outcome Teammates’ traits, relations and responses will attribute to the interaction of the context that will be provided. The expectations, shared perceptions, and compatible knowledge will help emerge in this stage Personally focusing on these aspects will better assist me as a project manager or team leader. The last stage of developing an effective team is performing. I will need to focus on how I can help my team succeed. Keeping a high level of energy maintained in the team will reflect a good outcome. Learning how to achieve above and beyond with different personalities will over achieve my main goal when running a project. Full development of potential problemsolving and illustrating world class customer service will suffice as a great task. While working on these two skills, I have been working on a personal development plan that my company currently requires each employee to complete. We have a midyear review as well as an end of year review. After developing a plan of my skills encountered and knowledge learned through my work environment, I am able to portray the next steps on my career. My line manager then reviews and adds comments of my development. This helps me recognize skills I achieve in, as well as letting me know what I will need to work on for future plans. The Locus of Control Scale discussed in Developing Management Skills, describes the level of which an individual may perceive from their own behaviors. It can be an external outcomes outside my control or internal which stays within my control. According to the Locus of Control Scale, I am fully aware and in control of my life I am responsible for my own success. I engage in actives just to improve the situation I emphasize on striving for achievement and work hard to develop my skills and abilities to their fullest potential. For starters, pursing my Masters has been a major goal of mine, and here I am achieving this goal. References Soliman . U, Inc Paper Submitted MGT 612: The Human Side of Project Leadership, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ Stevens Institute of Technology. Course materials: MGT612. Retrieved from Stevens Institute of Technology, WebCT Web site: https://elearn.stevens.edu/webct/urw/lc511 6001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct Whetten, D. A., Cameron, K. S. (2007). Developing management skills, 7th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall