Develop Self: CE3 - Develop and Maintain Professional Competence

As the title suggests, this unit is about seeking opportunities to develop skills and knowledge required of work role.

Most leaders succeeded in developing the skills. However, they failed to improve them. They usually think that what they know is already enough, or they believe that their long-term experience in the industry makes them an expert.

In this new Internet age, things change every day. Maybe what you learnt in the 1950s might have been useful in the 1980s, but it's not relevant now! A shift in mindset is needed to remain competitive among your peers. I will list down the different ways to enhance the learning value of leadership practitioners.

1) Creating opportunities to get feedback

Get feedback from your colleagues, managers, or even family members and friends. But your colleagues, family members, and friends may give you feedback that makes you feel good. So I'd suggest asking your superiors. Ask if they are satisfied with your performance so far and seek advice on how to improve yourself.

2) Taking a 10 percent stretch

It is recommended that one takes a 10 percent more in taking risks and going beyond their comfort zone. As I mentioned in the third paragraph, things change every day. Most employees are often worried when change happens in their organisation. Contrary to popular belief, change is always good. It gives you the chance to start over, so go the extra mile and make yourself proud that you can adapt to any situations.

3) Learning from others

Many would try to learn from the people whom they think are more knowledgeable and insightful. Hey, I'm not saying that you shouldn't learn from them. But you must not ignore the rest (like your juniors). I have learnt a lot from people from different walks of life. I seek opinions and feedback from the old crows and the young cardinals, and find ways to fuse both in order to bridge the gap between the two.

4) Keeping a journal

Journals can help leaders to keep track of leadership skills. I've personally never kept a journal for this purpose. However, I used to update my personal blog for self-gratification. When I re-read the blog after a few years of not updating them, I realised what I was doing wrong in my life. There are many cringe-worthy posts in my blog, but I don't regret it one bit. Because it shows how much I've changed over the years. So yeah, keeping a journal for your leadership thingy might work.

5) Having developmental plans / opportunities to develop skills and knowledge

One way is to ask for more responsibilities at work. I remember a few years ago, during my year-end appraisal. I was asked how has it been going, and whether I'm happy there. I told them I was bored and asked for more responsibilities. Their reaction: priceless.

You can also take up courses to improve yourself. I took my Diploma in Mass Communications in 2008, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Management a couple years after. Trust me, it's worth it.

Many doubt their capabilities when it comes to upgrading themselves. Trust me when I say that YOU can actually do it. I did it, and it felt so damn good!

Okay, that's all for this module.

P/S: Excuse the grammar, spelling, and sentence structure in this and previous posts. They were written when I was half-sleeping. :-P

Develop Self: CE2 - Lead Team Decision Making

For the second unit of this module, we learn how to lead a team in decision making.

Before leading a team, leaders should plan and organise, to ensure that they have their objectives and priorities straight. Collation of data and necessary information need to be obtained first to assist in the decision-making process. This is actually a no-brainer and basic. However, people keep forgetting or ignoring their basics and the necessary steps in order to achieve their objectives, thinking that the process is banal in nature and they could easily execute the project without any planning.

Allow me to share how I make decision recently at work.

There is a need to change the company's website provider and email marketing system. The company have been engaging the current provider's services for years, and they may be hesitant in engaging a different provider. Apart from that, hits to the website is low, and we need Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing campaign to generate more leads.

So I list down the issues that we have with the current website and why we need to engage a new provider. (Note: I have to say I was being biased, because the list I created only focus on the negativity of the current website and pros of getting a new designer)

Then I created a mock-design on how the new site will look like, because it will help the GM and managers visualise how it will look like. At the same time, I collected data on the number of visits to the website, including the length of visits and pageviews.

That's it!

Nah, just kidding. One must know that making decision or proposal is no walk in the park. Other than the above, I need to present my ideas for the future contents of the website & its frequency, estimate the time of completion, costings, campaigns for relaunch of the website, and many more!

So you must do your research thoroughly and come up with ideas that will either blow their minds, or simply make the existing process at work easier.

This is just the cream of the crop, and this unit covers more than what I've written here. But if you can at least do the above, then it's all fine and dandy.

At first, it may seem like a tough job, and you don't think that you are up for it. But hey, you never know until you try, right?

Trust me, if you think and work like a leader, you will do just great.

Develop Self: CE1 - Communicate Effectively

In a nutshell, this module teaches us how to communicate effectively, lead team decision-making, and develop & maintain professional competence.

For the first day in class, we were asked to introduce ourselves, tell the class what we do (I'm an online writer in an MNC), and share who is the leader that we admire.

I mentioned Friedrich Nietzsche (above), who was a German philologist, philosopher, cultural critic, and poet. Many may not know him, but one of his quotes proved to be popular among us, which is “that which does not kill us makes us stronger” (I didn’t know this quote was by him, until today). However, the quote that made me idolizes this man was, “Morality is just a fiction used by the herd of inferior human beings to hold back the few superior men”.

There are many quotes by him which are rather, unconventional, but he is way ahead of his time and humanity can benefit from his belief.

I digress..

The first unit of this module is Communicate Effectively, which we were taught on how to adapt communication style, communicate ideas, and address barriers in communication.

I will just address the approaches to communications in this post with examples (if you want to know more, sign-up for this course with SENSE Mendaki!). There are three models of communication that we need to be aware of, namely Action Model, Reaction Model, and Transaction Model.

Action Model

Action Model is a one-way communication model, where the sender only communicates their messages without getting feedback from the receiver.

I write newsletter and create flyers for my clients, and these two are an example of the Action Model. Even though the receiver should understand the content of the newsletter and flyer by themselves, it is my responsibility to make sure that the content is accurate.

Reaction Model

Reaction Model is a two-way process, where the sender and receiver both exchange messages. For example, when I’m in a meeting with my bosses, we will discuss about the performance of the company and exchange ideas on how to improve further. There may be some internal noise affecting the discussion, which includes daydreaming, being tired (I’m guilty of this), and one’s emotional state. A productive discussion cannot be achieved if one is not paying attention. I used to have a colleague who was not paying attention during meetings. The result was catastrophic (I'm exaggerating, but this might be the case if we were handling a huge account).

Transaction Model

This is a model that both sender and receiver are sending and receiving at the same time. No one took a specific role, which makes him or her both the sender and receiver. This is common between two arguing individuals, where both will refused to listen and try to make their points. I can imagine the victims of Mobile Air @ Sim Lim Square having this model of communication to get their refunds.

Intro: WSQ Advanced Certificate in Team Leadership

So once again, I need to start a blog for educational purposes.

I'm currently in an Advanced Certificate course in Team Leadership, and this blog is a 'reflection' of what I've learnt for the whole course. So if you want to be a good leader, then you’re invited to read this condensed version of the course.

If you enjoyed this blog (seriously?), then maybe you’d be interested in my other blog, which covers one of the modules I’ve completed for my Bachelor (it’s three years old, so the content might be too dated).

Later.