PIW_Q1

BUS 2303, Professionalism in the Workplace 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Explain factors that influence work performance development. 1.1 Explain specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound (SMART) goal setting and how it

can be used to strengthen goals. 1.2 Explain personal financial management and why it is important to professional success. 1.3 Identify one’s learning style and how it impacts communication and professionalism.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 1 Unit I Assessment

1.2 Unit Lesson Chapter 2 Unit I Assessment

1.3 Unit Lesson Chapter 1 Unit I Assessment

Required Unit Resources Chapter 1: Attitude, Goal Setting, and Life Management Chapter 2: Personal Financial Management

Unit Lesson The purpose of this course is to prepare you for the workplace, so we will address several concepts related to establishing and maintaining a professional character. Several of the concepts in this course can be applied to both personal and professional lives, and we encourage you to be thinking about how the concepts apply to both situations. Self-reflection techniques are a wonderful way to learn, and they have been successful for many students and professionals. As you progress through this course, be sure to enjoy it and have fun with the course material. This course focuses on you and how you can improve your current level of skills. Even if you already feel you present yourself professionally, this course will likely give you new insights and tips. Have fun with the course as you identify ways to become a better professional than you were yesterday. Attitude, Goal Setting, and Life Management Imagine that you are starting a new job. You have just graduated with your degree and are excited for this new opportunity. Your new supervisor mentioned that she values professionalism. But, what is professionalism, and what does it look like on a daily basis? The textbook defines professionalism as behaviors and actions within the workplace that have positive influences on the organization (Anderson & Bolt, 2016). There are numerous factors that contribute to one’s behaviors and attitude. The challenge is working together toward a comprehensive, energetic environment where individuals determine ways to manage an array of obstacles such as a variety of personalities and

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Professional Demeanor and Time Management

BUS 2303, Professionalism in the Workplace 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

different values, attitudes, and beliefs. Such obstacles are all influenced by the conflict or crisis at hand. An understanding of your personality can be beneficial in life management as well as in setting specific, attainable goals that can assist in reaching your fullest potential. Attitude As your first day progresses, you begin to look around your new professional environment and take note of the attitudes around you. During lunch, you meet Derrick, who has a positive attitude toward the organization. He shares several uplifting stories of helping customers and how that brings him joy. This is very exciting to you because you want to like this new job. How does attitude impact your professionalism? According to Anderson and Bolt (2016), attitude is an intense feeling you have about people, things, and situations. Both our personal values and past experiences can affect our attitude. The Business Dictionary defines attitude as a predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation (Attitude, n.d.). Attitude influences an individual's choice of action and responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli). The four major components of attitude are affective, cognitive, conative, and evaluative, as outlined in the image to the right (Attitude, n.d.). These components influence the way we feel about certain aspects of our lives. Think about something you feel strongly about; why do you feel this way? What has influenced your attitude? Attitude affects performance: Imagine now that you are a part of a task force at your place of employment, and your team is working to implement a new process change. Most of your team members are happy about the change and the opportunity to work as a team, but there are two individuals who do not share your enthusiasm. They are bitter about the extra work and complain constantly. This negativity begins to spread, and, soon, the entire team is uneasy, and the project suffers as a result. An individual’s performance significantly influences a group’s performance, and a group’s performance, in turn, affects an organization’s performance. Remember, your attitude affects not only your performance, but also those around you (Anderson & Bolt, 2016).

Four components of attitude (Adapted from Attitude, n.d.).

BUS 2303, Professionalism in the Workplace 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Importance and Influences of Personal Goal Setting Anderson and Bolt (2016) ask you to think of a goal as an achievement at the top of a ladder. Each step you take up the ladder brings you one step closer to your desired outcome. Setting goals helps your plans feel more meaningful and real (Anderson & Bolt, 2016). They motivate you to continue working to improve yourself and help to achieve your wants in life (Anderson & Bolt, 2016). To accomplish your goals, however, you need to know how to set them. You cannot simply say "I want" and expect it to happen. Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. In between, there are some very well-defined steps that transcend the specifics of each goal. Knowing these steps will allow you to formulate goals that you can accomplish which are listed below (Mindtools.com, n.d.). 1. Set Goals that Motivate You

When it comes to setting goals, identify goals that motivate and inspire you to achieve your end result. It can take some reflection in order to find your true motivation. For example, what is truly motivating you to return to school and complete your degree? Are you wanting a promotion or a new career, or are you trying to set a positive example for your children? The value of setting goals is all about motivation. Keep in mind that if there is no value in your goal, then, more than likely, you will not achieve that goal. 2. Set SMART Goals When identifying your goals, use the SMART acronym:

 Specific

 Measurable

 Attainable

 Relevant

 Time Bound (Mindtools.com, n.d.). Following the SMART model will help you to create goals that are achievable and focused. A goal such as, “I want to be healthier” could be difficult to achieve because it lacks specifics, and “healthy” could be challenging to measure. However, revising the goal to, “I want to run a 5K race in October within 30 minutes,” will give you a stronger focus. Additionally, you will be more likely to follow through. 3. Set Goals in Writing When you write your goals down, they became tangible and real to you. You can always go back and review your goals and your progress. Many individuals tend to forget things unless they are written down. When writing your goals, it is a good idea to use action words (Mindtools.com, n.d.). For example, will is an action word that tells you that you will finish this class. Hope in not an action word as hope is not a course of action. 4. Make an Action Plan After you have your goals written down, you need to put these goals into action. In many cases, goals fail due to the lack of planning. So, this is where you want to write out your plan with individualized steps. This will allow you to cross them off when completed. With an action plan, you can judge your progress toward your ultimate goal. For example, if your goal is to save $500 by the end of the year, you may want to create short- term installment goals. 5. Stick With It Now that you have your action plan, you have to stick with it. This, of course, can be easier said than done because many of us do not have much spare time. Some find it helpful to create reminders on their calendars

SMART goals (Destina156, n.d.)

Ladder of Goals (Adapted from Anderson & Bolt, 2016)

BUS 2303, Professionalism in the Workplace 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

or phones. There are even apps that will text you tips. If you experience a setback, this can help you regain your motivation. Personal Financial Management Personal financial management occurs when we, as individuals, manage our income against our various expenses such as the mortgage, car loans, or daycare costs (Anderson & Bolt, 2016). An individual’s finances can affect every aspect of life. Managing your finances is a means of control, and losing control of your finances leads to debt as well as battling with those who attempt to collect the debt. Using key skills to effectively manage your finances is one way you can work toward a financially secure future. For example, if you were deployed with the military, and your finances were not in order, you will return home with debt, and that causes problems with focusing on the job at hand. Individuals without a personal financial plan usually have little control over spending and a lot of stress caused by financial crisis. Every individual needs to earn money in order to pay basic expenses, but the exact way a person spends can say something about his or her character (Anderson & Bolt, 2016). For example, it could be difficult to trust someone who spends his or her paycheck on frivolous items and fails to pay bills on time. Personality and Styles Students learn in multiple ways. Along the same thought process, professionals work by using different styles. The concept of learning styles (or working styles) is important to understand and appreciate. Neil Fleming’s VARK model was designed to assist in a deeper understanding of what is labeled as individual learning preferences (Cherry, 2019). The VARK model identifies four preferences: visual learning, auditory learning, read/write learning, and kinesthetic learning.

With these learning and working styles in mind, we can begin to recognize how they impact a professional’s personality. For instance, have you ever explained something to someone, and later, he or she asks for you to send an email about it? Or, perhaps he or she seems much more interested in the available literature. The odds are that your colleague prefers to absorb information by reading it. At first, it might seem like your colleague is not interested in speaking with you; however, it is more likely that your colleague’s working-style (learning-style) preference is to read about it. This is just one example of how preferences and personalities can have an impact on working relationships and how we interpret what actually occurs. Due to such differing personalities and styles, it is important to keep an open mind while communicating with others in a workplace. Their styles might not match yours, and that is completely acceptable. In fact, it is probably advantageous to work with colleagues who possess different styles. You might be able to think about something that your colleague has not, and vice versa.

The four types of learning preferences (Adapted from Cherry, 2019)

BUS 2303, Professionalism in the Workplace 5

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Conclusion Professionalism in the workplace is something that is overlooked in many ways. In this unit, we discussed attitude, goal setting, life management, and the importance and influences of personal goal setting, personal financial management, and personality and styles. Understanding these topics and applying them in the workplace will help you become a productive team player. When you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, ask yourself what part of your plan you are going to accomplish today. With a strong attitude you will be able to accomplish what you set out to do.

References Anderson, L. E., & Bolt, S. B. (2016). Professionalism: Skills for workplace success (4th ed.). Boston, MA:

Pearson. Attitude. (n.d.). In Business Dictionary.com. Retrieved from

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/attitude.html Cherry, K. (2019, July 23). Overview of VARK learning styles: Which learning style do you have? Retrieved

from https://www.verywellmind.com/vark-learning-styles-2795156 Destina156. (n.d.). ID 66010310 [Graphic]. Retrieved from https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-smart-

goals-blackboard-written-chalk-vertical-image66010310 Mindtools. (n.d.). Golden rules to goal setting: Five rules to set yourself up for success. Retrieved from

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm

Suggested Unit Resources

In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The below video provides tips for personal demeanor as well as behaviors to avoid. Cambridge Educational (Producer). (2012). Profession image: Professional demeanor (Segment 3 of 7)

[Video file]. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=47513&loid=149248

The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. The below video discusses realistic goal setting and career planning. San Mateo County Community College District (Producer). (2004). Objectives and goal setting (Segment 4 of

9) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=34514&loid=22441

The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database.

BUS 2303, Professionalism in the Workplace 6

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. Activity 1: Consider completing the Mindtools steps to formulating goals for your personal or professional life. Post your goals and plans someplace visible to remind yourself of your objectives.

1. Set Goals that Motivate You 2. Set SMART Goals 3. Set Goals in Writing 4. Make an Action Plan 5. Stick With It

Activity 2: Create a personal budget for yourself or your family. Identify your earnings, and list your expenses. Consider reviewing your credit card/debit card statements and categorizing your spending. Do you notice any areas where you could cut back? Do you feel financially secure, or are you feeling stress?