BSBWOR501 - Manage personal work priorities and professional development

Formative Assessment

Session Training Activities

Activity 1

1. A positive role model plays an important factor in shaping one’s behaviour in the
workplace and inspires others to follow them. Employees look up to role models who
portray high standards of work ethic and performance that align with the organisational
values and goals. Below listed are the characteristics of a positive role model in the
workplace:
a. Handle work priorities – There is a clear difference in assigning priorities and
actioning the tasks. A good leader always deals tasks with higher priorities first
regardless of the difficulty factor involved in accomplishing it.
b. Courageous – Good managers or leaders are bound to take risks to face new
challenges and owe up to the results of their actions.
c. Full of Energy – Excellent leaders display an unending energy where they tackle
each day and task with renewed interest and enthusiasm.
d. Goal orientation – Effective leaders are goal orientated and can take tough decisions.
Defined goals assist successful leaders to build a community that supports achieving
their goals. They associate with people that support the culture of leadership success
by choosing their company smartly.
e. Staying level headed – Great leaders have a knack of staying calm and level headed
at chaotic scenarios. They understand the scenario, possess the ability to grab
important facts and provide solution for a problem. These leaders believe in
responding instead of reacting to tackle problems as they approach life in a realistic
manner.
f. Desire to help others grow and succeed – This characteristic is an altruistic way of
fostering the culture of team the person is leading. It is an important aspect of leader
to hold the desire to help others in their team to grow and succeed in order to
openly exchange ideas and create synergy.

Activity 2

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 1. There is a greater degree of sense achievement in how managers perform their
responsibilities than the non-managerial workers. Generally, managers are given a
broader perspective about a project and it’s the managers duty to manage and align
their personal goals in order to achieve the company’s goal.
a) It is essential for an efficient manager to understand the organisational goal first to
align personal goal accordingly.
b) The activity of setting personal work goals and assigning several levels to it would
help in shaping the other aspects of decision making.
c) Personal work goals need to be built in a way that these support the organisational
goals and doesn’t conflict with role description
d) Key performance indicators (KPI) are realised and set to express the organisational
goal.
e) Understanding own performances can assist us in establishing our personal work
goal.
f) Performance reviews would provide an opportunity to realign personal goals in line
with the manager and the organisation.
g) Work with my team to make certain that their personal goal correlate with the
organisation goals.
h) Frame a plan to achieve the goal as without proper planning it’s difficult to realise
goals.

2. The member of the team in this case has lost the track of project timelines and unable to
align themselves with organisational goals. As a manager its my responsibility to
address this situation or else the employee would become a liability to the company and
wouldn’t contribute to any development. The strategies that need to be followed are as
follows:
a) Make the team member aware about the new product launch and train them
adequately to handle the project launch.
b) Provide an understanding of the direction for this quarter and goals of the
organisation and assigning KPIs to measure the organisational goals through the
members personal work goals.
c) Undertake performance reviews to ensure the member is in line project delivery for
the next quarter.
d) Would ensure that the member’s personal goals are aligned with his job description
for the next quarter.

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 e) Advice the member to focus on important updates or changes in relation to the
organisational performance.
f) Remind them that goals keep changing as time goes on so an individual need to
readjust their goals to grow and to reflect the knowledge.

Activity 3

1. Ten activities that can be considered as time stealers are mentioned below:
a) Phone interruptions
b) Meetings
c) Procrastination
d) Tasks that needed to be delegated
e) Unclear communication
f) Crisis Management
g) Rework
h) Insufficient technical knowledge
i) Lack of planning
j) Unclear goals and objectives
k) Lack of authority

2. A measurable value that represents the effectiveness of an organisation to achieve

organisational goals and objectives is called as Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
These are used at multiple levels in a company to assess the success in achieving targets.
Organisations firstly need to establish and identify their objectives. These objectives are
then broken down into smaller and simpler goals which are measurable. These
measurable personal work goals are then aligned to organisational goals to create a
positive impact on the organisation. KPI is essential to manage behaviour and drive
focus in employees.

3. As a Tele Sales Marketer at Compare and Connect, the ten KPIs that are used to measure
personal performance are mentioned below:
a) Sale conversion rates
b) Customer satisfaction
c) Customer referral rates
d) Employee satisfaction
e) Average call handle time

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 f) Inquiry to sale target
g) Employee turnover rates
h) Employee weekly performance
i) Call compliance rates
j) Punctuality

4. A plan that is made to tackle an unexpected event is called as a contingency plan.

Generally, such plans are used to manage risks which can lead to a devastating event.
Contingency is a scenario where unanticipated event take place, and such unpredictable
events need to be analysed. The generic aim is to lessen the effect of unexpected events
without impacting personal performance.
a) The organisation should aim to implement and maintain an effective risk
management strategy which is able to identify the risk factors by assessing the level
of probability. If the occurrence of the contingency is identified by framing a
controlling risk management strategy, then it would assist the organisation or
individual to tackle upcoming risk.
b) A contingency plan is not required if there is already a plan B or secondary plan
leads to success and tackles the unexpected event. An alternate plan helps in
managing contingency adequately without disrupting personal performance.
c) Effective time management serves as an important technique in which individual
tasks are prioritised and each task form is completed in order of priority. Personal
performance can be handled in place of unexpected events.

Thus, by following the above techniques an organisation can face and resolve
unexpected challenges without disturbing the personal performance.

Activity 4

1. Six questions to ask while prioritising demands and meet goals or objectives are given
below:
a) What is the most important thing for me to be doing right now?
b) What deadlines have I got?
c) What happens if I don’t do this?
d) Is this important?
e) Is this urgent?

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 f) Do I have to do this?

2. Below are the five reasons an individual might procrastinate over work tasks:
a) Lack of confidence
b) Lack of motivation
c) Lack of skill
d) Fear of failure
e) Poor organisational skill
f) perfectionism

Below mentioned are the three techniques to avoid procrastination:

a) Select the smallest and simplest task to start.

b) Remember about the unpleasant effects of not completing the task.
c) Build a reward system and reward yourself by accomplishing a certain task form.
d) Ask a friend/colleague to check up on your progress.

Activity 5

1. Technological applications when used appropriately can add value to various functions
which saves time and increases efficiency and effectiveness. In recent times,
computerised technologies are used to effectively and efficiently manage priorities and
commitments. Modern day businesses are mobile by nature thus a web-based data
storage system enable anyone to access information, keep track of to-do lists and set
reminders for priority work deadlines. Internet connections have ensured that an
individual can contact the office from anywhere. Portable hard drives have assisted in
sharing data with ease in places where there is no internet. Video conferencing calls
have lessened the need for people to travel to meet in person.

2. Ten strategies to assist and ensure technology is used to effectively plan, execute and
monitor tasks.
a) Train employees to utilise their skills appropriately.
b) Supply necessary support and support systems.
c) Consumable resources need to be made available whenever required.
d) Provide clear and correctly understood operating instructions.
e) Identify the drawbacks of different technologies.

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 f) Create a safety control system and monitor them.
g) Select the apt technology for the right task.
h) Review old technologies and upgrade new technologies as per requirement
i) Safeguard sensitive data from unidentified access.
j) Model regular and appropriate preventive measures.

3. The several pros and cons of using technologies in order to manage work priorities and
commitments are as follows:
Pros:
a) Availability of wide range of information anytime and anywhere.
b) The need for physical storage is lower when compared to paper based systems.
c) There is a great flexibility in workplace locations.
d) It collects massive amounts of data to provide deeper insights and benefits.
e) Everyone has the access to same information at the same instance.
f) The speed of transferring, storing or obtaining information one part of the world to
other helps save time.

Cons:

a) Lack of personal planning due to the over reliance on technologies.

b) Technology failure can cause a temporary shutdown for various businesses.
c) System upgrades may cause individual to learn new methods to perform the same
job.
d) It has created a lack of privacy.
e) It leads to health and environmental hazards.

Activity 6

1. Today due to the recession, and layoffs many employees are working harder and longer.
Employees are more afraid of losing jobs, so they intent to prove that they are vital part
of the team and available to work around the clock. Achieving a healthy work-life
balance is not easy and it involves managing one’s personal and professional life in
sustainable ways that helps one to retain their mind, body healthy and energy flow to be
happy and content in life.
Work-life balance means giving due attention to all of the things that enrich us by
creating a harmony in our daily interests, job and career, family and relationships,

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 health and fitness, intellectual stimulation, spirituality, hobbies and passions,
community service, rest and recreation.

2. The three strategies that help us maintain work-life balance are as follows:
a) Schedule your work and time – Making a timeline of events is very important. Many
computer applications are available these days. One can use excel to include the
meetings, work-schedules, along with family commitments like birthdays,
anniversary parties and holidays. This way one can know their unavailability for
those days at work.
b) Prioritising the work - There might 10 items to finish in a day. It is important to
prioritize to-do list in to four categories –
i. Urgent and important.
ii. Urgent but not important.
iii. Important but not urgent.
iv. Neither urgent nor important.
c) Making Physical exercise a must-do activity rather than should-do – Sometimes we
compromise gym or yoga class to finish the client work. A healthy body means fresh
and productive mind. So, we shouldn’t ignore the work-out instead give same
preference as client work or money. Being healthy not only helps us to focus on our
work but it also makes less prone to diseases.

3. An individual can experience different forms of stress at workplace. The body

experiences stress when team member is unable to cope with the pressures. Stress is
displayed in generally three forms i.e. is emotional, psychological and physical.
The impacts of stress at workplace can include bad work performance, substance abuse
and increase in absent days.
a) In order to reduce the stress response at workplace a manager needs to schedule
daily meetings with team members to make sure they are able to handle work
pressures and have a support system if there is a requirement.
b) Organisations can offer in house counselling services for employees and encourage
them to use the services. It is essential for a manager to provide employees the
liberty of work environment and flexibility of time enabling them to take some time
out from the daily pressures that has been building up due to stress.
c) Advising the team members about the negative effects of high intakes of caffeine at
work and intoxication at workplace. Reducing the caffeine can help activate nervous
behaviour. It will help in a good night’s sleep which indirectly means more energy at

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 workplace and thus reducing stress. Substance abuse at work reduces the ability to
make decisions and effects the productivity of the organisation.
d) Managers can also plan team bonding activities like team outing which assists team
members to open-up, build a support system and release their stress by interacting
with their work associates.

Activity 7

1. To assess an individual’s personal knowledge and skills against competency standards

for position, we firstly to observe our current skills and knowledge we must be able to
achieve that role. The selection criteria for the role needs to be reviewed to determine
the skills and knowledge required for the role. It is essential take interest in assessing
your own performance.
Several ways to measure performance are:
a) Studying people’s reaction towards the manager – take the time to build
interpersonal relations and to emphasize on your position as role model, notice
behaviour of individuals reacting towards them in a positive manner. Observing the
body language would allow managers to understand an individual’s reaction
towards themselves.
b) Expose managers to other members of the management- It is quintessential for
managers exchange knowledge and skills with fellow members of the management.
Taking attention to other members skills and knowledge, manager can implement
the same traits in their own personal skills and knowledge.
c) Team members asking for opinions- a manager should be smart to handle and
resolve the challenges faced by the team members. Inspiring and empowering
people with bold decisions would help managers to build trust and create a role
model. Staying open to feedbacks helps manager identify scope for improvements.

2. In order to draft a personal career plan, I need to assess the skills, knowledge and
ability required to obtain the desired role by following below steps:
a) Review the selection criteria
b) Understand the job responsibility
c) Study the job details
d) Addressing the National Standards for the role
Upon identifying the core competency standards, I would analyse my own skills,
knowledge and ability I use in my job role. I would study the competency standard

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 for both the roles in order to compare them and identify the difference between the
two standards. This activity will lead me to recognize the personal development
necessary to achieve the career plan.
The next step is to create small and short-term goals that would allow me advance in
my personal career. Asking myself a simple question like, the position I want to
handle in next 3 years would help us create smaller goals that leads to personal
development and advancement in personal career. Each goal needs to be prioritised
based on importance and a time frame should be allocated. I need to be ready to
upgrade myself with new skills and knowledge and discuss challenges with my
mentors wherever necessary to assist me during the training.
The career plan once completed needs to be reviewed and updated on a regular
basis to constantly stay aligned with changing organisational goals.

Activity 8

1. One of the core duties of any manager is to provide feedback that provisions their
employees learning and development. It is essential to provide this feedback on an
ongoing basis – not just at the end of the year during the employee's annual
performance review comes around. Constructive or negative feedback is especially vital
when there are issues that needs to be addressed immediately. There is a scope of
improvement for the sub-ordinates to improve on mistakes or flaws, without stirring up
negative feelings. Providing staffers with constructive feedback can help them to
enhance their overall performance and productivity. It can also create an effective
channel for communication and help employees to increase their skills and knowledge,
improving job satisfaction and plummeting turnover. The way feedback is well-thought-
out and conveyed can have an influence on its effectiveness. Providing feedback,
through formal reviews and everyday interaction, can provide a prospect to converse
your expectations to the team. This reduces the possible miscommunication, poor
performance, low productivity or errors that otherwise would have occurred. Asking
employees to provide you with feedback is a way to assess your managerial skills and
gauge employee morale. Performance evaluations provides an opportunity to give
feedback associated to pre-defined goals and objectives.
2. The various forms of feedback that is essential for identifying and developing ways to
improve competence are listed below:
a) Be problem focused and specific– explaining the employees what they need to focus
on and why is important. Explain them how it is affecting the business.

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 b) Talk about the situation, not the individual– It is necessary to give constructive
feedback and explain the situation not their personal attributes.
c) Praising– Weaving positives along with negatives assures employee that you haven’t
lost faith in them.
d) Be direct but informal– Find a quiet room to have one-to-one meeting rather than
sending phone messages or emails that can lead to misinterpretation.
e) Be sincere- Body-language and tone should match the context of feedback otherwise
it causes confusion. Avoid showing negative emotions like anger, sarcasm, or
disappointments.
f) Listen– When constructive feedbacks are given, give employee a fair chance to
answer. It conveys that you are prepared to listen to their interpretations & concerns
over that matter.
g) Make it timely– Provide positive feedback when the employee’s achievement is still
fresh in everyone's memory. Same thing applies to constructive feedback as well. Tell
them why you felt genuinely bad, it is advisable to talk once you are “cooled off”. This
guarantees that feedback is objective and not coloured by emotion. Try to focus on their
behaviour not on the personality.

Activity 9

1. Learning style or ability is a personality trait of an individual. There are different

learning style preferences identified just like personality preferences such as audio,
visual or tactile medium of learning. Learning style preference plays a vital role in
shaping professional development plans. Understanding of learning style preference of
yourself and your team members you can build a learning pathway for everyone with
new competencies.
There is no good preferential learning style. It varies from individual to individual and it
basically signifies the style an individual find comfortable. People do learn under any
circumstances, but the most effective learning scenario involves the preferred style.
Preferences basically marks the difference and having differences is an important factor
in social or organisational environments. An organisation with multiple personalities
signifies that the organisation has different working, problem solving and learning styles
which comes under organisational learning and enhances business collaboration.
It’s essential for managers to identify the different learning styles that facilitate
individuals to develop and not restrict them to a certain way of learning as some people
may learn things better when they read them but for others they might do the same

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 activity more successfully when they visualise them. Thus, understanding personal
learning is helpful to identify, evaluate and select development opportunities.

2. People learn in various ways but learning styles are broadly divided into three sections
a) Auditory- a learning style that involves capturing information through listening
words, sounds and noises.
The main quality of an auditory learner is that they are great at explaining and
possess a good memory to remember information.
These types of learners prefer to respond verbally than writing and prefers group
discussion.
b) Visual- a learning style or preference that involves capturing information by
observing or seeing things like pictures, diagrams, etc.
The key quality of visual learning style that they are generally great at spelling and
use mind maps to remember things that they have seen.
They usually remember things in form of pictures, charts and notes over verbal
instructions.
They are usually good with the use of computer.
c) Kinaesthetic- a learning style that involves touch, hold, feel or hands on experience.
The key quality of kinaesthetic learning is their interest in scientific subjects with lab
equipment’s such as science and maths. They are called as “tactile learners”.
They are usually active in nature and engages themselves in skill-based trainings
and develop productive techniques.

Activity 10

1. Networking plays crucial role in everybody’s career growth. Networking is nothing but
building long-term relationships and to build a good reputation. It involves meeting and
getting to know new persons who are potentially assist and help in return.
Everybody’s network comprises of social networking and group members you have
joined, in fact it includes everyone from friends and family to work colleagues and
business connections.

2. Benefits of networking are given below:

a) Strengthens business networking – Networking is not about taking, but sharing
things, forming trust and helping each other to achieve their goal.

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 b) Attaining new ideas and different perspectives – Networking is an excellent source of
new ideas and perspectives.
c) Career and personal growth - Being visible is essential in career building.
d) New job opportunities – Expanding networking can open new career or business
opportunities. Gaining the information from experienced peers. Discussing the
challenges, opportunities and support.
e) Improving interpersonal skills and business techniques – networking helps to
exchange business techniques, best practices and stay abreast of the latest industry
developments.
f) Getting career advice and support
g) Build confidence
h) Finding the job or career advancement
i) Developing and nurturing long last personal and professional relationships.

Activity 11

1. One can develop the competitive advantage by gaining the clear vision on variety, needs
and access. They can maintain it carefully by protecting the trade secrets such as
customer lists, manufacturing techniques, marketing strategies, etc. One shouldn’t
reveal the start-up idea, algorithm for its working, or cost and pricing information, or
survey methods about what not to do.
2. Below are the trainings that will improve the employee development skills and gives
sharp competitive edge to increase the profit margins.
a) Identifying the core skill requirements – conducting TNA (training needs analysis) to
analyse the new skills requirement.

b) Developing the appropriate training to meet the identified core skills – effective
training techniques including eLearning, blended solution or face-to-face-learning.

c) Evaluating the success of training – evaluating the investment involved in training and
the outcome from is critical.

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References:

1. https://unilytics.com/5-steps-to-actionable-key-performance-indicators/
2. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56583ff6e4b0702d37f01a18/t/5756516eab48de
b87f2d95cb/1465274

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