MSc Management Personal Effectiveness
MSc Management Personal Effectiveness
Introduction
The difficulties and the complexities in the dynamic business scenario are increasing daily (Sharma et. al. 2020). Therefore, a leader needs to possess certain competencies and capabilities to stay ahead in the competitive business environment. Personal effectiveness is thus the capability of a person to attain goals and maximise potential by leveraging knowledge and competencies. The core aspects of personal effectiveness are setting goals, problem-solving, self-awareness, and time management. Personal effectiveness is essential for many reasons, such as increasing productivity in the workplace, improving relationships, and ensuring constant improvement. This is about using available resources to achieve work and life goals (CMI, 2023). Overall, personal effectiveness acts as a foundation for a successful and better personal and professional life. This helps people deal with challenges, maintain work-life balance and achieve aspirations.
This report is divided into three tasks; the first is analyzing the positive and negative traits and skills of successful global business leaders Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People framework has been chosen to analyse the traits using evidence and examples. Moreover, the second task highlights the application and results of Honey and Mumford’s learning style, and the result is attached in the appendix. This also signifies the strengths and limitations of my learning style, along with evaluating the strengths and drawbacks with personal qualities.
Lastly, the third task includes the methods of improving the skill associated with the limitation of learning style, and a comparison between methods has been done further considering personal effectiveness at the workplace.
Task 1 – Case Study Review
Analysis of skills and behaviours of business leaders
Leaders and managers with certain behavioural traits and abilities can survive efficiently and be considered effective and influential.
One such global business leader recognized for his competencies is Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and owner of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has always proved that the technical competencies supported by soft skills and the right leadership are the recipe for success. Mark Zuckerberg is one of the very influential people in the present time because he modernizes how he operates the business and communicates with people (LinkedIn, 2020). Firstly, one of the biggest skills that Mark Zuckerberg possesses is critical thinking skill. This is the process of categorizing complex data and information into different components to interpret, analyze and evaluate recent arguments to resolve any issue. Mark Zuckerberg has efficiently optimized their skill in the business as he not only accepts the ideas but digs deeper into them and thinks more critically so that maximum value can be gained from a particular idea that can benefit the stakeholders (LinkedIn, 2020).
This trait of Zuckerberg can be aligned following the seven habits of highly effective people, and the habit is being proactive. Mark Zuckerberg is capable enough of taking responsibility for the decisions and actions (Abdelhaey, 2019). For example, Zuckerberg has demonstrated a proactive approach towards innovation in problem-solving, as he is highly recognized for making bold decisions and taking risks. In addition to this, another behavioural trait that has been identified for Mark Zuckerberg is communication. This is the necessary skill set for the success of the business. Mark Zuckerberg states involved and engaged but without micromanaging. The employees state that Zuckerberg is committed towards regular and effective communication.
Apart from this, it can also be stated that as per the seven habits, Mark Zuckerberg efficiently demonstrates the habit of synergising. This leader’s approach towards acquisition, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, clearly exhibits the desire to synergize the strength of various platforms. Zuckerberg understood the growing significance of WhatsApp, and to acquire the market share, Zuckerberg decided to acquire the same. The leader has seen both opportunity and susceptibility in WhatsApp and acquired the same (Medium, 2020).
Contrary to positive skills and traits, it is also to be stated that there are some bad traits that have been outlined in the leadership behaviour of Mark Zuckerberg. It has been found that Mark Zuckerberg is considered dishonourable for ignoring traditional wisdom. It is also believed by some people that the CEO is the money and fame chaser. Therefore, he favours the profitability and growth of the company rather than the consumers of the business. This is the only reason that the company’s CEO always remains controversial about the privacy and health of the consumers (Techgig, 2022).
Apart from Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, another successful global business leader is the CEO of Tesla. Musk is highly known for his innovation skills and has strong experience in leading teams more successfully. Tesla’s CEO is highly recognized and known for the innovation skill. This competency of Elon Musk can be seen in the constant innovations that are done by Tesla. The company is currently considered the most technologically innovative brand dealing with climate change. The company has accelerated the pace of software, hardware, and even application development (Ahmad and Khan, 2019). This skill set can be aligned with Covey’s habit, that is, sharpening the saw. This principle emphasizes constant improvement, and this habit of Elon Musk helped the organization in continuous renewal and self-improvement. Musk is known for his focus on learning, adapting to situations, improvements and innovation.
Furthermore, the leadership skills of Musk are also in the light as Musk is considered a great team leader with a visionary purpose and empowers every team member. Musk believes in empowering the team members by leading by example. He dedicates very long hours to the work and constantly embraces the challenges he sets for the team, exhibiting that Musk is equally invested in the mission (LinkedIn, 2023). Musk has always been vocal about the employees’ mental health and work-life balance and understands that supporting the team members enhances their productivity.
However, apart from positive traits, certain negative aspects have also been identified of Elon Musk, and one such is the bad influence on the mental health of the team members. The leader has to remain attentive towards the well-being of the employees, and Musk has failed to do so. Also, the cited leader has used certain oppressive actions that affected the leaders’ morale and created a challenging workplace for them (Forbes, 2022).
In this context, the win-win habit can be stated. As per this, cooperation is needed at the workplace to ensure the maximum efforts from the employees for the company’s benefit. Thus, the leaders are needed to work beneficially for the company and the employees.
Task 2 – Evaluation of Learning Style
Identification of own learning style
Learning style involves different theories that emphasize the variations in a person’s learning process. Learning style can also be defined as a manner most suitable for a particular person to learn something. Mainly there are four learning styles: write/read, visual, auditory or kinesthetic (El-Sabagh, 2021). A person or a student needs to identify a learning style to adopt the most appropriate learning process. After considering and conducting the Honey and Mumford learning questionnaire test, I learned about my suitable learning style: pragmatist and theorist (Refer to appendix). I consider myself a theorist, a suitable style because I enjoy understanding things and situations and how situations fit into a specific picture. Also, I am quite logical and take sequential steps to resolve problems. However, I also found that I take time to learn unstructured activities.
Contrary to this, I also feel that I am a pragmatist learner as I remain curious about how things work in reality. I am also realistic and practical, trying to see things from that perspective. Also, I always look for opportunities to implement my learning into practice.
Main learning style and its strengths and limitations
Hence, from the analysis, I have found that my appropriate learning style is theorist learning because I like to adopt observations and always think about different issues logically and sequentially. The major strength associated with this learning style is always being objective and having a disciplined strategy (Triono et. al. 2020). However, the drawback of this style is that it involves restricted thinking, and for people with such a learning style, there is a low tolerance for uncertainty. The limitations are overemphasis on detail and facing complexities in vagueness. Thus, this style has the disadvantage of being not easygoing or less tolerant about intuitive matters.
However, as I also consider pragmatism as a suitable learning style, it can be stated that the strength associated with the style is that I always search for ideas and opportunities so that I can experiment with various applications. However, the drawback related to this learning style is that it is not people-oriented but task-focused. Hence, people are not highly interested in the basic principles or theory.
Association of personal qualities and learning style
It can be stated that a theorist’s learning style has the crucial strength of adopting a disciplined strategy and structured learning. This is closely related to my personal qualities as I think logically, and discipline is important to success in every field. This helps me develop an inclusive understanding and utilise information more positively. In addition to this, the limitation associated with the theorist learning style is that it implies less focus on practical implications. Still, I feel that I focus on practical implementation to discover new dimensions.
Also, my personal quality is aligned with the strength of the pragmatist learning style Because the strength is that this learning style is application-oriented. I am also keen to take a hands-on approach, and I feel curious about the practical implementation of things. I quickly implement theories and principles in real-life situations so that I can become more responsive and adaptable towards things. Another strength of the learning style is being a problem-solver. I also possess the quality to come up with different solutions to a variety of problems to find solutions. I analyze the problem and try to find the root cause and, after that, come up with a logical approach to resolve the issue and find effective solutions.
Task 3 – Comparison of Strategies for Improving Skills
Two methods of developing skills linked to the limitation of learning style
From the above learning style analysis, it has been found that I need to develop the skill of “tolerating uncertainty”. This is a key limitation in the learning style, as identified earlier, and the two methods to develop this skill are learning about coping strategies and mindset shifts.
A mindset shift is one of the effective methods in developing the selected skill, as this includes transforming the way I react to particular situations. Fixed as well as growth mindset are aligned with goals, efforts, and behaviour (Yu and McLellan, 2020). Therefore, some strategies can be adopted by me to develop my tolerance for uncertainties. Firstly, I am required to adopt a growth-oriented mindset. I should consider uncertain situations as an opportunity rather than considering them as challenges. This will help me remain motivated and focused towards my goals. Hence, I will focus on adopting uncertainties as this will help me in finding new experiences and will result in personal development. Also, I will emphasize developing resilience in my mindset because this will help me accept changes, deal with failure and face uncertainties with more growth and a strong mindset. I will seek more learning opportunities so that I can learn about innovation and creativity.
Apart from this, another method is to identify and learn some coping strategies to develop tolerance for uncertain situations (Vyatkin et. al. 2019). For this, firstly, I will have to remain acceptable and mindful because practising mindfulness will help me observe different thoughts and feelings without any judgment. Also, I should focus on what I can control and what impact it can create on my work as well as myself.
Comparison between methods with a focus on personal effectiveness in the workplace
A comparison can be made between the two methods, which are shifting mindset and coping strategies. On the one hand, shifting mindset involves strategies related to acceptance, mindfulness and adopting changes. Mindful acceptance needs widening attentional scope (Dixon et. al. 2020). On the contrary, coping strategies include tactics including stress management techniques and developing resilience. Considering the comparison, the suitable method for me to improve my personal effectiveness and develop the skill is to adopt the shifting mindset method. This is because cultivating a growth-focused mindset will help me in believing my ability to grow and learn from different challenges. With this perspective, I will not fear uncertain situations, but I will consider uncertainty as a prospect for my life and for my learning and personal development. This will help me in dealing with changes and problems in the most effective and efficient manner. In addition to this, practising mindfulness will also help me understand emotions without any judgment and will contribute to my personal effectiveness. This method will also help me in my workplace as with this; I will be able to deal with challenges and manage practical and emotional aspects of uncertainty.
A mindset shift will boost my personal effectiveness at the workplace by adopting numerous strategies, such as focusing on solutions rather than emphasizing problems and cultivating resilience, and this is a helpful strategy for handling setbacks. I will stay invested and curious in constant learning because this is helpful in remaining acceptable and open towards new ideas. In other words, it can be stated that implementing this method in my workplace will help me adapt to situations and continuously improvise.
Conclusion
Based on conducting the three tasks, it can be articulated that Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk possess numerous capabilities and strengths. However, they also possess certain negative traits that affect the mindset of the employees and create an adverse image of the company. For a leader, it is important to consider the benefits of the organization and the employee’s perspectives and inputs. Moreover, the second task revealed the results of the learning style questionnaire, and I found my learning style as a theorist and pragmatist. After analyzing the strengths and limitations of the learning style, the third task disclosed the methods to be used to develop the skill of tolerating uncertainty. The methods are coping strategies and shifting mindset. Thus, the justified method in accordance with personal effectiveness is the shift in mindset to develop this skill.
I possess some of the qualities and skills to be personally effective, but I am also required to work on certain areas. For example, it can be stated that I have good written communication skills, and I always listen to people carefully. However, I have yet to develop my capabilities in dealing with uncertainties, remaining calm in challenging and stressful situations and being creative while resolving problems. I aspire to become an influential and successful leader in future, and therefore, I am highly attentive to work on my effectiveness. For this reason, I will take certain actions and strategies, such as cultivating a growth-oriented mindset, managing time carefully, and remaining attentive towards opportunities.
References
Ahmad, S. and Khan, M., (2019). Tesla: Disruptor or Sustaining Innovator. Journal of Case Research, 10(1).
CMI, (2023). PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS. [Online]. Accessed through: < https://www.managers.org.uk/education-and-learning/professional-standards/personal-effectiveness/> Accessed on: 18th November, 2023.
Dixon, M.L., Girn, M. and Christoff, K., (2020). Brain network organization during mindful acceptance of emotions. BioRxiv, pp.2020-03.
El-Sabagh, H.A., (2021). Adaptive e-learning environment based on learning styles and its impact on development students’ engagement. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), pp.1-24.
Forbes, (2022). Elon Musk’s Leadership Style Bad For Business And Mental Health, Experts Warn. [Online]. Accessed through: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2022/11/21/elon-musks-leadership-style-bad-for-business-and-mental-health-experts-warn/?sh=12e9f3e857f2 Accessed on: 18th November, 2023.
LinkedIn, (2020). 5 Skills Zuckerberg used to get where he is today. [Online]. Accessed through: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-skills-zuckerberg-used-get-where-he-today-elmarie-pretorius/ Accessed on: 18th November, 2023.
LinkedIn, (2023). The Greatest Leadership Lessons from Elon Musk. [Online]. Accessed through: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/greatest-leadership-lessons-from-elon-musk-abner-y-valenzuela/ Accessed on: 18th November, 2023.
Medium, (2020). Why Facebook acquired WhatsApp? [Online]. Accessed through: https://medium.com/@varnigam/why-facebook-acquired-whatsapp-91769b3f02b4#:~:text=WhatsApp%20was%20growing%20steadily%20in,hands%20of%20other%20tech%20rivals Accessed on: 18th November, 2023.
Medium, (2022). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. [Online]. Accessed through: < https://medium.com/@andreamantovani/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-63d86cd9cab7> Accessed on: 18th November, 2023.
Sharma, P., Leung, T.Y., Kingshott, R.P., Davcik, N.S. and Cardinali, S., (2020). Managing uncertainty during a global pandemic: An international business perspective. Journal of business research, 116, pp.188-192.
Techgig, (2022). Mark Zuckerberg’s bad leadership is dooming Meta, says Harvard expert. [Online]. Accessed through: https://content.techgig.com/technology/mark-zuckerbergs-bad-leadership-is-dooming-meta-says-harvard-expert/articleshow/94347753.cms Accessed on: 18th November, 2023.
Triono, M.A.A., Harahap, S.C. and Sihombing, H., (2020). Identification Finance Students Learning Style through Honey and Mumford Theory in Disruptive Era.
Vyatkin, A.V., Fomina, L.V. and Shmeleva, Z.N., (2019, August). Empathy, emotional intelligence and decision-making among managers of agro-industrial complex. The role of tolerance for uncertainty in decision-making. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 315, No. 2, p. 022081). IOP Publishing.
Yu, J. and McLellan, R., (2020). Same mindset, different goals and motivational frameworks: Profiles of mindset-based meaning systems. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 62, p.101901.
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