PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Table of Contents
Definition of Personal Effectiveness. 3
Sunder Pichai’s key skills and behaviours. 3
Sunder Pichai’s positive qualities and effects. 4
Sunder Pichai’s negative qualities and effects. 4
Results of your self-assessment test and key weaknesses identified. 7
Effect these weaknesses have on employability prospects. 8
Plan to improve on these weaknesses. 8
Impact of planned improvements on your professional development 12
a) Introduction
Definition of Personal Effectiveness
Personal Effectiveness is one of the desirable skills employers want in their employees and it is common in individuals who are motivated and set out a goal and work towards achieving it. Personal effectiveness is useful for achieving personal and professional goals. It requires individuals to employ energy and skills which enables them to achieve these goals. Personal Effectiveness helps in producing positive results and it helps individuals to reduce clutter and become more organised. It includes keeping files, documents and important emails organized for future purposes. Personal effectively helps individuals to plan and prioritise activities according to importance which would help to keep focus and insure less number of activities is forgotten. It is important to set up deadlines for tasks which would help in effectively using resources to finish tasks as early as possible. Personal effectiveness is a key skill for advancing careers for professionals and it is also important for lining more fulfilling personal lives. Irrespective of job roles, personal effectiveness helps individuals to become more productive and help in making progress in professional lives.In this study the impact of personal effectiveness of Google CEO Sunder Pichai has been discussed and in which ways these attributes can be implemented to enable personal development would be discussed.
b) Case Study Review
Sunder Pichai’s key skills and behaviours
Google’s CEO Sunder Pichai is well known for having the idea of Google chrome and other than that Sandra Pichai has been working for Google for 15 years and proved leadership skills to lead Google. Currently SunderPichai is not only the CEO of Google but also CEO of Google’s parent company Alphabet as well. This is considered as a momentous feat as SunderPichai began this journey from humble beginning. Sunder Pichai started this journey as Vice president of product management and was humble and honest in the first interview (britannica.com, 2021). There he was asked about Gmail and since it was 2004 and Gmail was not that widely used, Sunder Pichai confessed about the lack of experiences of using Gmail in the interview. Later Sunder Pichai was able to get the job by impressing the interviewer with answers regarding Gmail. In 2006 Sunder Pichai understood is not best strategy to use toolbar for searching in the internet therefore Chrome was discovered at that time Bing from Microsoft and internet explorer was commonly used for web browsing. This idea was ignored for being expensive but Sunder Pichai collected data and represented this proposal again to stakeholders and project was permitted to continue.
SunderPichai’s positive qualities and effects
Sunder Pichai had the ability to see the potential of Google Chrome and this vision made possible of launching of Chrome books and Chrome cast which helped to connect smart devices to TV’s. As Android smart phones were becoming more popular in market, Chrome becomes most used pre-installed browser for most users of smart phones. Sunder Pichai also wanted these android phones to be available in market to support inclusiveness and also gave importance to Artificial Intelligence (Zhang et al. 2018). Sunder Pichai remained loyal to Google; it was reported that Twitter offered high level product job and it was also thought that Sunder Pichai would take a high level job in Microsoft. But Sunder Pichai decided to work and stay at Google and later Google offered the position of CEO in Google. Therefore loyalty was seen on both sides when Sunder Pichai did not leave current job position and was later rewarded by Google. Not only that Sunder Pichai who was known to be the highest paid executives, in 2018 refused to take payment of restricted stock offered by Google. This generous act was followed by another generous initiative when Sunder Pichai refused to receive salary for two years on moral high ground. Sunder Pichai is well aware of office politics and is able to handle office politics in Google. According to former product project manager at GoogleSunder Pichai was able to not make enemies at workplace which proved to be an advantage. Google is a large organisation and it has office politics like other organisations and despite that Sunder Pichai was able to lead teams towards success by navigating politics at the same time causing minimum damage to other teams (britannica.com, 2021). Another quality which was attributed to Sunder Pichai is team building. Teams were mentored, hired and retained in organisation under Sunder Pichai direct supervision. Sunder Pichai is also popular among Google team members not only for performance but sharing views and opinions assertively has been one of the key qualities of Google’s CEO. Sunder Pichai has not been silent when asked about different topics and expressed opinions about subjects from politics and question other organisations such as Apple about privacy.
Sunder Pichai’s negative qualities and effects
After releasing that smart phones would be used by billions in India, Android One was proposed which was a lightweight version of the same Android system which is compatible with economic versions of smart phones. According to Sunder Pichai it was the market opportunity which made this project interesting though it has limited success. Sunder Pichai is always looking for ways to effectively serve customers in foreign markets such as China as Dragonfly project created controversies and Sunder Pichai received backlash for this project (economictimes.com, 2021). Dragonfly project was a censored search engine which has been terminated by Google. Sunder Pichai as CEO of both Alphabet and Google, revealed that organisation is interested in producing more Android one device but admitted that it would require a strategy change to make Android one successful. As it faces competition from Xiao and One plus as its previous attempt to partner with MicroVAX has not been successful.
Theoretical frameworks
Covey’s 7 Habits
Figure 1: Covey’s 7 habits
(Source: Influenced by Rodriguez et al.2021)
Covey’s 7 habits were proposed by Stephen Covey and are well known to improve the quality of lifestyle among its followers. Implementing this theory is critical for its success. It describes that to create habits three major elements need to be considered knowledge, skills and motivation. As opinionated by Rodriguez et al. (2021), personal effectiveness would be applied by following this model where it is stated that individuals indeed to be proactive and take responsibility of their lives instead of blaming others. Individuals select their own behaviour and do not blame their genetics, situation or conditioning. Reactive individuals would be affected by physical environment. They find positive factors to motivate themselves which affects their performance and behaviour positively, instead of being negatively affected by factors beyond their controls. Habit 2 is explained as keeping the end goals in mind. Individuals need to remember what is most significant to them and take each step to make their goals a reality for themselves. According to Steven Covey physical creation of activities are preceded by mental ones (Covey and Covey, 2020). It all starts with the idea of changing something. Sunder Pichai was able to understand importance of technology and it demand and built Google chromes which proved to be beneficial for millions of user and Google. Individuals need to make sure that imagination and creative efforts lead to situations in life which are aligned with personal values and principles. Habit 3 making priorities which include following rules and maintaining discipline. According to Covey individuals need to be able to say no which enables them to prioritise their activities. Personal effectiveness helps individuals to keep their attention to opportunities rather than problems. According to Szerdahelyi and Komlosi, (2020) habit 4 points out the significance of finding mutually beneficial situations for everyone when collaborating with others. It is especially helpful formatting partnership and it is important to pay attention to others when following personal goals. Habit 5: individuals need to try to understand others first by practising active listening as it would help to express idea more clearly to others. Empathic listening involves listing to others with the goal to understand them on emotional and rational levels. Habit 6 states the importance of team work which keeps the groups unified and lead to development by connecting with others through interaction. Habit 7 suggests most important features of personal effectiveness are to have self-confidence which lead to emotional and intellectual development.
The CMI Code of Conduct
CMI code of conduct is followed by managers and other professionals and it refers to competence, professional behaviour, acting with honesty and integrity and applying management best practices. According to Shava and Mazenda (2021) professionals who are trained in CMI code of conduct are at more advantage to deal with situations and better able to handle changes in professional lives. These programmes are created in collaboration with employers to increase productivity and CMI qualifications also increases individuals employability and helps in building leaders who are aware of their social responsibility. Personal effectiveness is increased by optimal use of resources which helps in reaching professional and personal goals and managing personal activities constitutes a major part of personal effectiveness (Managers.org.uk, 2021). CMI enables individuals to set up standards and helps them to evaluate their competency. CMI helps in increasing skills and varies depending on experience and behaviour. There are different stages of training available for professionals according to their requirements. It starts at stage 1 for aspiring managers who are about to start their careers in management and leadership positions such as Team leaders and Generalists. As opinionated by Fitriani, (2021) Stage 2 managers who are already working in leadership roles and they are responsible for predetermined outcome of their team’s performance. These job roles are Supervisors and project Officers. Stage 3 is reserved for middle managers who are responsible to supervise staff and their activities and they enjoy autonomy to deliver results and it is a part of organisational strategy (Hubert, 2021). These job roles are Operational managers, departmental manager, Regional manager and Chartered managers. Stage 4 is for senior managers and these leaders are responsible for driving business activities and dedicated to provide long term success for businesses. These roles are Directors, senior managers and Professional managers. Stage 5 is created for executives who are responsible for setting strategic direction for business while keeping in mind organisational objectives and these roles are managing directors and CEOs.
c) Reflective Statement
Results of your self-assessment test and key weaknesses identified
Personal assessment tools are helpful to analyse personal skills and behaviours and it is helpful for individuals for identifying and overcoming weakness. This test helps individuals to analyse and assess personal choices and these results are helpful for selecting job roles and career opportunities. According to Vanhooft et al. (2021) Personality test consists of five assessment criteria’s such as Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Neuroticism and Agreeableness.Openness is the ability of individuals to think in complex and abstract ways. It has been found that individuals with high openness are intellectuals who are creative and adventure loving. They are expected to discover new ideas and always want to have new experiences. In my opinion individuals with low openness are expected to be more pragmatic and traditional and are found to avoid non-traditional ways. Conscientiousness refers to an individual’s ability to practice self-discipline and this is their way to achieve goals. These individuals are seen to be organised and they keep their eye on long term goals to achieve their desired success. Low scores are expected to be more expensive and tend to get distracted easily. As opined by Jingwen, (2019) Extraversion is refers to individuals ability to be social and outgoing. This helps them to connect with others and form bonds of friendship, these individuals are admired by others for their approach. Less than average score in Extraversion suggest as weakness of personality and it shows introverted nature. Another trait which determines personality isAgreeableness refers to putting others needs ahead of individuals personal needs. These traits promote cooperation rather than competition among individuals. Neuroticism is also another key trait which affects individual’s ability to feel negative emotions such as fear, sadness, guilt, anxiety and shame. Some individuals are expected to go through these negative feelings compared to others. These test shows high scores in Openness, and average score on Conscientiousness and Agreeableness. At the same time lower scores on Extraversion and Neuroticism.
Effect these weaknesses have on employability prospects
This personality score reveals more than average score in Openness and it refers to individuals who are interested in art and cultural related topics. High scores also dictate that I can have some issues being practical and focus on learning other cultures and activities. Conscientiousness refers to individuals needing to balance long term goals with their short term goals. According to Longing et al. (2021) less than average score in Conscientiousness is a weakness and test reveals that I can be easily distracted and lose focus on the present. At the same time I can face issues to select and prioritize important activities and have problems at completing tasks diligently, it also refers to inattentiveness at work. In my opinion low scores on Extraversion suggest it can be a weakness for personal and professional development and lack of communication skills. Since achieving victories and goals are thrilling for extroverted individuals, lacking such an important personality trait can lead to feelings of not being motivated to achieve victories and not being able to work in a team (Breil et al. 2019). Introversion refers to uninterested in social achievements and loneliness is also common. I can come across as monotonous with low energy levels for finishing tasks .Agreeableness scores show that more than average and it is a strong point of personality trait and individuals who are lacking in agreeability tend to be more hostile and antagonistic in nature. As opinionated by Yao and Li, 2021 agreeableness also reveals emphatic nature and hearing others’ concerns and not having high scores can be interpreted as a lack of empathetic behaviour. It also shows that the likelihood of conflict is far more in this case and can lead to disagreement with others. A Lower than average score in Neuroticism reveals that I can handle potentially dangerous situations without triggering an alarm system and move on from negative feelings easily compared to others who have high scores on Neuroticism.
Plan to improve on these weaknesses
| Weaknesses | Plan to improve weaknesses | Measuring the improvement | Timeframe |
| The main weakness that I have is low extroversion. While performing any task I am not very energetic and exciting which often gets monotonous for me in carrying out any job. Additionally, I also suffer from being socially active with the outside world which creates isolation and loneliness for me. | In order to improve my extroversion I need to undergo training and critical thinking along with creativity so that I can develop new insights to my work and break the monotonous working pattern. I also need to find proper developmental approaches through which I can develop my skills and ensure a better way of socialising with my team members in order to avoid working alone. | This improvement can be measured by focusing on the efficiency in effectively carrying out my duties and not being monotonous. I need to take feedback from my co-workers about my performance and the different aspects I focus on in the job. As influenced by Riyanti et al. (2017), I also need to analyse my personality development through different online assessments in order to understand how active I am in socialising with my co-workers. | 3 months |
| My low team working spirit has created a barrier for me In working in proper collaboration with others. As an individual my productivity is not much as compared to a team. I am very much inefficient in performing my best as a team and often had to suffer from isolation and dominance of the leaders. I often face internal conflicts with other team members as I do not get readily convinced with the strategies they adopt as a team. | This weakness of mine can be developed by enduring small group projects with 3 to 4 members and start working with my friends. I also need to get proper training of increasing my acceptance level and collaborative spirit so that I can effectively perform in a team. My collaboration can be enhanced by working with my friends or acquaintance so that we can get into informal relations and Exchange of information gets easier. As inspired by Abrahams et al. (2019), I also need to build up my sharing capability of thoughts through different group discussions and group debate in order to work for a team goal rather than individual. | Improvement in my team’s working spirit can be measured by taking feedback from the team leaders and supervisors under whom I would be working. They can give me feedback on the areas I need to improve as a team member so that it does not affect my performance. The measurement can also be done by focusing on the ultimate result of the teamwork and not on the energy and effort I personally put in. I also need to keep a constant check on my improvement process by focusing on the issues I initially encountered and maintaining a progress report of my performance. | 5 months |
| Low communication is also a weakness for which I had to suffer in communicating with my co-workers, team leader and my supervisors. While working in a team I often face issues in sharing my opinion with my members and my seniors where I lacked communication. Communication also hindered me in delivering proper information and seeking help from others. In times of difficulties, I could not focus on my performance as I could not communicate the issue and seek help. This was bringing my performance down which has also been highlighted in the personality development result. My low communication spirit has been a main problem in raising queries and getting proper information from different sources. | My communication skills can be enhanced by building up good listening skills so that I can listen to what the other people say and then give my feedback and communicate with them. For communication I need to be specific about the points that I need to discuss and have Listening skills. I also need to take notes in case of retaining the information. Communication skills can improve by understanding the listener. I must not get confused about the source of information. My main work would be to emphasise on the points highlighted by my seniors so that I can work accordingly and have a good control over my body language. Communication can get interrupted with anxiety, stress and inattentiveness which needs to be worked. | Taking feedback from my co-workers and seniors can be a step in measuring my improvement. My improvement can also be measured by cross checking the notes that I have taken with my professor or seniors so that I can increase my capability of retaining. Improvement in communication skill can be measured by emphasising on the queries that I raise and the validity of the questions that I focus on and the techniques are used for returning it. Based on the opinion of Yilmaz et al. (2017), I have endured that I need to maintain a cordial relation with the other members and seek their feedback in order to check my progress. Minimisation of communication barriers is also a step of measuring my communication skill development where I can check my active listening skills. | 8 months |
| According to the personality development test, I have low conscience which indicates that I lack in putting concentration on any specific task and is less goal oriented. Low conscientiousness also creates problems in my performance and highlights my lack of diligence in the work. | This can be improved by enduring more hard work to a specific task and not getting deviated from it. I must keep my goal fixed using the goal setting theory and need to communicate well with my co-workers. I also need to work on my diligence by taking training on performing specific tasks and projects at a time with proper time management skills | Having good control over my mind and giving full concentration to the work that I endure can be measured by checking the quality of outcome of the task that I perform. Taking feedback from my supervisors is also essential in order to understand my efficiency. Along with taking feedback I also need to keep growing in terms of accomplishing higher goals in order to check the development in my conscientiousness. | 12 months |
Table 1: Action plan for improving my weaknesses
(Source: Created by author)
Impact of planned improvements on your professional development
These planned improvements have the capability of putting a positive impact on my professional development in terms of getting a better job in future. Developing my communication skills can help me to improve my team working spirit and collaboration with other members where there would be a proper exchange of information. This is very much important for my professional development as for the long run communication is an important aspect when working in the workplace. Communication and team working goes hand-in-hand where my hard work and diligence get highlighted with high-quality output of my performance. I need to stabilise my mind and have proper goal oriented tasks so that I do not get deviated which would prevent me from losing control over my actions. In an organisation I need to handle different crucial projects and as these skills developmental factors would help me to improve my professional skills and get better career opportunities.
d) Conclusion
Personal effectiveness helps in developing a positive self-perception as it has capability to affect professional and personal lives. It helps in keeping and achieving goals which in turn help individuals to become more productive in their respective careers. Sunder Pichai is well known for personality and expertise as Google CEO all over the world. On an intellectual level Sunder Pichai is known to have excellent numerical skills, coding and design skills. On more than one occasion Google CEO has publicly expressed opinions and has public speaking skills required to match is expertise. On top of that Sunder Pichai also possesses vast experience in managing different projects. As a strategic thinker Sunder Pichai is able to implement these strategic ideas by applying technological expertise to achieve success. Sunder Pichai has extensive knowledge for negotiating with equally high profile business partners. Strong diplomatic skills haveled to popularity and emotional intelligence madeSunder Pichai a business leader who is well respected among peers. Sunder Pichai reputation has also been positivity affected by humble and assertive nature and which turned Sunder Pichai to a visionary leader. Personality test show low scores on extraversion and Conscientiousness which indicates weakness and these are barriers for personal effectiveness and create hurdles for achievement professional development and personal growth. Studying personality traits of Google CEO Sunder Pichai shows that lacing in some personality traits would lead to hurdles in personal and professional lives and using personal effectively would be helpful to overcome these weaknesses and lead to more productivity.
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