managerial skills
Ethansky
revision_powerpoint.pptxIntroduction
The case study of the day at the beach in which the author was given four prescriptions by his doctor involving going to the beach where he was truly happy and relaxed in his childhood and eventually writing his problems on the sand for them to be swept away by the water. When the problems he wrote on the sand were swept away by the sea signified that they were gone.
This taught me to come up with creative ways to deal with stress. Similarly, I now write down all my problems on a piece of paper and burn it. That way my problems go up in flames.
The case of the missing time has taught me to plan my tasks better and to do the most important things first and to ensure I follow the schedule I have planned without disruptions.
The small wins strategy to solve problems in the short run comes in tasks that I have control over and it makes me feel better. For example going for a run or folding the laundry.
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What four behaviors (favorable or unfavorable) have you learned about your self that this course exposes?
Time management
I had a habit of staying busy at all times because it felt as though I achieved more.
A constant need to do something all the time leads to mindless “productivity” .
It is no longer about squeezing several activities in a schedule;
It is about working faster and relieving stress. Example: The golden rule here is to complete the most important work first. By distinguishing between important and urgent work, I am now able to work smart rather than hard. I spend more time on important work. First I engage in physical exercise to begin my day because staying healthy is a priority, then I attend all the lectures for the day and ensure I do assignments that are due because that is urgent.
Performance
I never bothered to evaluate a poor performance.
I was not motivated. Why: my career goals were not clear at that time. I was torn between completing my course so as to get a well-paying job and becoming an entrepreneur. Then learned about decision making, an executive is expected to make the decision that yields the most utility. That is when I decided I will give my studies the very best and perform well that way I can get a well-paying job if I like or I can turn to entrepreneurship.
In the past, I was not in the habit to evaluate a poor performance. I figured it was behind me and focused on another thing ahead. Part of the reason was that I did not want to focus so much on the past performance as it is one of the three danger signals to ability degeneration.
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individual class project
Conflict management
I had a behavior of handling conflict by avoiding and compromising.
The topic on managing conflict has exposed my behavior of handling conflict by avoiding to be ineffective.
I do not like to fight so I let the situation be sorted by time.
I basically seek partial satisfaction it is not effective and offers suboptimal resolutions.
A positive view of power
Power is a necessary precondition of influence. Why: because for a person to have the influence they will require resources and connection. And these are accessible to people with power. For example to be able to influence change in people’s quality of life one should be able to have the power to influence taxation rates for instance and to be able to do this one needs to be a member of the Congress.
All influential people have power.
Many people think that power does not yield anything but arrogance and pride.
I have always considered power to have a positive influence if used in the right way. How,,,
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individual class project
I have always considered power to have a positive influence if used in the right way. How ,,,
When power is used to improve situations, then it is used in the right way. For example, a manager using power to delegate duties and motivates employees so that they work efficiently. Or a politician who strive to improve people’s standards of living.
Why did you choose these behaviors?
I chose time management because it has been a challenge.
When I started out as an international student, I felt like I did not have time to settle down, make new friends and study all at the same time.
Time management was difficult in the beginning due to change from my previous routine.
Creating a new routine and incorporating new people and experiences in them is not as easy as it may sound.
It requires skills and strict principles to be able to follow
I chose performance diagnosis because I did not evaluate any poor performance in the past.
And I was not motivated enough. Like what ?? Like being torn between studying to get a well-paying job and becoming an entrepreneur.
In the course of my studies, I encounter different courses some more difficult than others.
I used to think that all it takes to perform well in an examination was to study hard and long.
Diagnosis of a poor performance involves answering a few questions to find out why.
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I chose Conflict management …....
1 . When I have a misunderstanding with family or friends, I simply avoid talking
2. I have learned how to solve problems with an outcome where everybody is satisfied.
3. I have used the method of compromising to get out of conflict, but both the conflicting party and I seek partial satisfaction.
4. it is not effective and offers resolutions that do not really make the problem go away.
I chose A positive view of power …...
1. I believe with power; I am in a better position to become influential.
2. As long as power is used to make a situation better, then it is used properly.
3 . It has taught me how to display an issue to my superiors like my professors.
4 . Power can be misused if it is used for selfish or greedy reasons, for example, to acquire wealth from the public.
How have you or will you change because of these behaviors?
Time management
The rule is to do important and urgent things first.
Now I try to be more thoughtful in planning my day by asking myself if a task or tasks can be performed in a more efficient way or if it can be eliminated altogether.
I focus on the outcome and not the method used to achieve it.
The other technique that has improved my time management skill is saying “no” and not feeling guilty about it.
Performance
I evaluate poor performance by asking myself questions such as how hard was the task? What were my capabilities?
I use the formula performance = ability x motivation >>> How example. As a student I do not require any training per se, however I do need resources in terms of access to a library in which I can find the books I need for my studies, access to information on the internet and silence for concentration.
I use the new view of motivation. >>> like what ?? The example in my studies.
Motivation – performance – outcome – satisfaction >>>> How. With motivation, I put an effort in performing a task. A great performance results into favorable outcomes which in return give me the feeling of satisfaction.
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Conflict management
I choose to use collaborating as the most appropriate conflict management strategy.
When collaborating is used as a management strategy both parties address their concerns.
It does not involve putting the blame on anyone.
Conflicts addressed through this strategy are most likely to be resolved.
Although collaboration yields the best outcome, it has proven the most difficult to implement.
A positive view of power
I intend to continue viewing power positively.
Personal power can be enhanced by improving on expertise, effort, personal attraction and legitimacy.
Expertise refers to work-related knowledge acquire from education; self-directed learning and work experience.
Personal attraction refers to the attributes that make someone likable and have agreeable behavior.
Effort is the sign of commitment and dedication that an individual puts into their work.
Legitimacy is taking actions congruent with the prevailing value systems.
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How will you know if you are practicing these behaviors?
I will know if I am practicing the behaviors by keeping a record of each day’s activities and encounters.
I will evaluate the actions I took part in and how I reacted to them.
I will remind myself of the changes I have chosen to make every morning.
I will know if I am practicing these behaviors by asking some of my close friends to observe my activities.
I will know I can manage time well when I have completed all the important and urgent events I had planned.
When I can follow the new view of motivation.
And achieve satisfaction.
When I can finally resolve a problem using the collaborating problem-solving strategy.
By continuing to view power positively.
Bearing in mind that all influential people have power
But not all powerful people have influence.
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Conclusion
Developing management skills course has exposed more favorable behavior in me than unfavorable. I intend to build on all the favorable behavior using the knowledge I have gained from this course and to change the unfavorable to good behavior. This course has not only taught me to be a good manager but also a good person in the present and future. A topic such as conflict management has helped me become better at resolving conflicts with the most effective results. I have learnt ways to manage stress from the case study of the day at the beach in which the author was given four prescriptions by his doctor involving going to the beach where he was truly happy and relaxed in his childhood and eventually writing his problems on the sand for them to be swept away by the water. When the problems he wrote on the sand were swept away by the sea signified that they were gone.
Similarly, I now write down all my problems on a piece of paper and burn it. That way m problems go up in flames.
