Development Plan for Personal and Professional Skills for Contemporary Organizations

The personal and professional development plan is the ability to improve a required set of skills and knowledge essential for a required job position at a given workplace and the maintenance of good relations with people in social life. Personal development refers to qualities such as social competencies, relationship with people and behaviours. Personal development plan refers to the activities that improve self-knowledge and identity, enhance the quality of life, develop talent and potential, create employment opportunities and realize dreams and aspirations (Cottrell 2015; 3). Personal development refers to the methods and techniques applied in institutional contexts that support individual development at the levels of the organization.

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Professional development, on the other hand, involves activities aimed at achieving certain goals and objectives, and they include communication, planning, proper management and knowledge in the interested field (Janssen 2013; 260). I address the personal and professional development plan and the approaches adopted for self-learning that I will use in the course of my internship in the General Management Scheme at William Jackson Food Group. I will identify my current skills and competencies compared against the professional standard of the organization by William Jackson Food Group and further develop a plan for improvement. I will also discuss in depth the activities required to implement the action plan and analyze the learning against the original aims and objectives. I will be reviewing competences such as communication, time management, decision making, planning and organizational skills and leadership qualities.

Organizational Context

William Jackson Food Group Limited is a British food manufacturer that produces and sells food products (Hubs 2019). It provides roast potatoes, stuffing and dumplings, seasonal vegetables, nostalgic desserts and Yorkshire puddings among others (Hubs 2019). The company manufactures and sells food products and food services to supermarkets, food service businesses and food manufacturers in the United Kingdom and to the International markets. It also sells and delivers groceries to homes in the United Kingdom. The company has different operations that include businesses such as Aunt Bessie's that deals with frozen food, Jackson's Bakery that produces bread and cakes, Abel & Cole that deals with organic food, snacks produced by the Food Doctor and Jacksons that deals with bakery (Hubs 2019). Due to its work ethic and a good environment, William Jackson Food Group offers the best graduate jobs as they understand that development of talented people is critical for sustainment of its success in the ever changing industry. Graduates make up a valued part of its Group, and that is why it offers a variety of functions across the different businesses.

The Role Advertised

William Jackson Food Group offers a General Management Scheme job opportunity for graduates who are interested in the food industry (Hubs 2019). The company is offering a challenging two-year scheme that involves a busy mix of work placements, project assignments and development through training (Hubs 2019). Graduates are expected to work with a structured program across four businesses in the group. During the two years, graduates will find themselves working anywhere from operation roles to a sales and marketing which offers a vast experience for the students both for personal and professional growth (Hubs 2019). The company also offers a two-year training plan which is intended to build management skills through personal development training (Hubs 2019).

Skills Required

William Jackson Food Group is looking for graduates who have the following skills

Organizational and planning skills

Communicational skills

Analytical and problem solving skills

Decision making skills

Flexible to work in any environment

In addition to the above skills, graduates are also expected to have the following qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in business management

Good written and spoken English

Goal oriented and

Hard working

Personal Development Plan to Achieve the Skills

In order to achieve the skills advertised by William Jackson Food Group, I will practice self-managed learning that is aimed to achieve the required position within an organization by learning the appropriate requirements (Zimmerman 2013; 10). This is enhanced through personal and professional development plan that seeks to achieve these set objectives (Zimmerman 2013; 10). As a graduate seeking the position of General Scheme Management, I have identified various self-learning activities that will help improve my knowledge and expertise. These activities include observation and reading (Zimmerman 2013; 13). I will read various books and journals on the required skills and also get a copy of the company's culture that has rules and regulations of the company's work environment.

I will practice life-long learning skills through self-evaluation which will enable me to understand my values against the standards of William Jackson Food Group (Paadi 2014; 10). I will also intensively use online sources and knowledge gathered from my studies to utilize my potential to achieve the set objectives. I will learn about new trends and policies that will help me perform the required skills. Self-managed learning will help me improve skills such as communication, leadership qualities and responsibilities among others. Self-managed learning will also help me get higher positions at work through skills learned such as decision making, management, leadership roles and planning of operations just to mention a few (Paadi 2014; 10).

Evaluation of Skills and Competencies

As a graduate looking for an opportunity at William Jackson Food Group, I have to evaluate my current set of skills and competencies in order to meet the required qualifications for my future position (Blomeke et al 2013; 2). It is essential to identify the areas that I need to make an improvement and develop a good plan in order to improve. Through a self-evaluation, I have analyzed my current skills against the required professional standards of General Management Scheme at the company (Blomeke et al 2013; 2). These competencies include time management, proper and timely decision making, planning of operations, a good command of diverse languages used at the workplace, leadership qualities, relationship building and being a great influencer (Zhang et al 2013; 748). Changes brought about by globalization, and technological advancements are also areas that I need to constantly improve on with time in order to meet the organization's objectives (Zhang et al 2013; 748).

Analysis of Skills and Strengths

Personal analysis

Positive

Strengths Negative

Weaknesses

Communication skills

Planning skills

Great motivation for work

Identification of resources Time management

Proper decision making

A proper understanding of professional standards

Lack of a good command of diverse languages

Opportunities

Financial support for professional development

Mentoring seminars

Support from fellow graduates

Exposure to seniour leadership teams

Increase in level of confidence Threats

Technological changes

Competition from fellow graduates

Different perceptions and understanding

Through the traditional SWOT analysis, I have identified my areas of strength that will help me achieve the desired goals for the General Management Scheme. These competencies include communication skills, both verbal and written that will help me address my fellow workers (Bakanauskiene and Martinkiene 2015; 30). My planning skills will also help me organize the activities of the organization. My other areas of strength include great motivation and identification of resources that will help me improve on the areas that I am lacking (Bakanauskiene and Martinkiene 2015; 30). Through self-evaluation, there are various areas that I need to improve on, and these include time management, a good command of diverse languages, proper decision making and a proper understanding of the professional standards. Through the SWOT analysis, I have identified various opportunities that I can work on. I have seen an opportunity of getting the benefits of the two-year scheme, and I need to fight for it to achieve that desired goal. Another opportunity that presents itself is to increase my level of confidence, exposure to senior leadership teams, full financial support for professional development, mentoring seminars with senior managers and support from fellow graduates (Hubs 2019).

However, there are certain threats that I will eventually encounter in my journey of the two-year scheme, and these are changes in the policies and processes at the organization (Addams and Allfred 2013; 44). William Jackson Group has a culture of changing its policies annually in order to improve on its customers' needs and achieve the set objectives. Some of these changes may be unprecedented and may pose a threat to my goals. The difference in perception may also pose another threat because ambitions and visions may differ. Changes in technological advancement may also pose another threat because it takes time to adjust to the new technology that has to be up to speed in order to compete favorably in the global markets. The competition level for this position from fellow graduates may also be a threat that I need to improve on by working on my skills in order to acquire this position.

Setting Smart Goals

Skills I want to improve Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time frame

Time management Scheduling of tasks Perform the tasks within the time frame Use positive feedback to improve on time management Management of time 2 months

Planning Organize events Organize at least two major events Participate in future planning Able to plan more events 2 months

Communication skills Improve verbal and non-verbal communication Communicate in diverse languages Create a good working environment Ability to speak in diverse languages 1 month

Decision making Fast decision making skills Make a decision on important matters Become a problem solver Fast and prompt decision making 2 months

Leadership Lead a team towards certain objectives Lead a small group of graduates Participate in leadership roles Implementation of leadership qualities 2 months

Through the SWOT analysis and self-evaluation, I have identified areas that I am lacking and need to improve in order to achieve my set objectives. In order to overcome the gap between my current skills and the standards of William Jackson Food Group, I will engage in different activities that will help me improve. For instance, I will do a lot of research through online reading, seminars and conferences. Online reading will give me ideas and incentives on how to improve and prepare for the scheme. I will also learn about the different strategies and competencies required to meet the qualifications. In order to improve on my competencies such as decision making, time management, knowledge of international standards and planning, I will engage the current top executives of the organization (Bok et al 2013; 123).

Development Activities to Meet Current and Future Needs

In any organizational setting, there is always room for improvement and development of skills and knowledge required to meet and sustain current needs and improve on future needs (Bok et al 2013; 123). Identification of these opportunities and plan to execute these needs is essential to help me through the two-year scheme. These opportunities are time management, pl...