BPP Business School Coursework Cover Sheet

Module Name Personal Effectiveness

Programme Name MSc Management
Student Reference BP0294045
Number (SRN)
Assessment Title “Personal Effectiveness Report

Declaration of Original Work:

I hereby declare that I have read and understood BPP’s regulations on plagiarism and that
this is my original work, researched, undertaken, completed and submitted in accordance
with the requirements of BPP School of Business and Technology.

The word count, excluding contents table, bibliography and appendices, is 2497 words.
Student Reference Number: BP0294045 25/03/2024

Date:

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regarding assessments and awards for programmes.

Please note that by submitting this assessment you are declaring that you are fit to sit
this assessment.

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purposes and may request that work be published for a wider audience.
Contents
Personal Reflection..............................................................................................................1

Introduction..........................................................................................................................2

Task 1...................................................................................................................................2

Description.......................................................................................................................2

Feelings............................................................................................................................3

Evaluation........................................................................................................................3

Analysis...........................................................................................................................3

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................4

Action Plan......................................................................................................................4

Task 2...................................................................................................................................4

Strengths of Mukesh Ambani:.........................................................................................5

Visionary Leadership:..................................................................................................5

Innovation and Adaptability:.......................................................................................5

Weaknesses of Mukesh Ambani:.....................................................................................5

Overreliance on Debt...................................................................................................5

Centralized Decision-Making......................................................................................5

Comparison of Skills...........................................................................................................5

Task 3...................................................................................................................................7

Time Management...........................................................................................................7

Decision-Making under Pressure.....................................................................................7

Conclusion...........................................................................................................................8

Reference.............................................................................................................................9
Introduction
In the realm of professional development and personal growth, Self-reflection is
important for people to understand themselves better and make good choices in their
careers and personal lives. By engaging in this introspective process, individuals gain
valuable insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. In this
reflective essay, I will embark on an exploration of my experiences as a social worker in
a palliative care center, delving into the emotional complexities, identifying personal
strengths, acknowledging weaknesses, and devising strategies for enhancement. I will
conduct an analysis of the leadership attributes of Mukesh Ambani, a distinguished figure
in the business domain, utilizing the Covey framework (Panda, 2022). I will delve into
techniques for augmenting personal effectiveness, particularly focusing on time
management and decision-making under pressure. Through this inward journey, my
objective is to cultivate a profound understanding of my professional competencies, chart
a trajectory for growth, and aspire towards excellence in my pursuits. By critically
examining my experiences and drawing parallels with renowned leaders like Mukesh
Ambani, I aim to glean valuable insights that will inform my approach to leadership and
professional development. Through this reflective essay, I endeavor to foster a culture of
continuous improvement, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth, and
ultimately, striving towards achieving my full potential in both my personal and
professional endeavors.

Task 1
Description
As a social worker in a palliative care centre, I always tried to understand how people felt
and what they needed. My first step was to listen carefully and talking kindly to them.
This helped me understand the more details of each patient’s situation and how their
families worked. I collected information more information’s from them, that included
medical histories, assessments of their living situations, and an examination of the
support networks that were available. Working with doctors and using community
resources, we made detailed plans to help each patient in the best way possible (Flaherty
and Bartels, 2019). This group effort made sure that everyone with a serious illness had
all the help they needed to feel better during their hard time.
Feelings
I got lot of satisfaction when working as a social worker because I watched how my work
made things better for patients and their families. Being able to help improve their quality
of life made me really happy. But even during these times of happiness, I also felt
emotionally drained, especially when I thought about the pain and loss the people, I was
caring for were going through. Even with these problems, the chance to help and comfort
people during such hard times was still very important to me.

Evaluation
Getting things in order is one of my strengths. I stay productive and meet deadlines by
breaking jobs down into smaller steps and making good use of my time. I also like
reflective practice because it helps me learn from both my wins and failures, which helps
me keep getting better. Understanding and honouring cultural differences helped me meet
the specific needs of each person and their family, which made the palliative care centre a
more welcoming and helpful place for everyone (McLaughlan et al., 2022).

But I've recognized that one of my faults is becoming agitated when new difficulties
arise. I can handle new situations, but staying cool is challenging. I may need to work on
resilience and problem-solving in these instances. In unexpected situations, I realize it
may be challenging to keep cool and find solutions. I can adapt, but I need to build on my
resilience and problem-solving skills to handle new situations with confidence and
understanding..

Analysis
My strengths in organizational skills and reflective practice are very useful for my chosen
career path, which could lead to jobs in project management or advising. For projects to
be completed on time and within budget, these two areas require careful planning, good
organization, and the ability to manage time well (George et al., 2019). Also, being able
to do reflective practice lets you keep improving and coming up with new ideas by using
past experiences to make processes and tactics better. I can do well in jobs that need
strategic thinking, good decision-making, and the ability to adapt to changing project
environments if I use these skills.
Still, my inability to handle unexpected problems could be a problem in jobs that require
me to make quick decisions and solve problems while under a lot of pressure.
Unexpected problems often come up in both project management and consulting, and
they need to be solved quickly and by using critical thought. Because these kinds of
problems are so common, being able to get around them quickly and calmly is essential
for success (Gati and Kulcsár, 2021). To be effective in these fast-paced environments, I
need to improve my ability to deal with and overcome unexpected challenges. This will
also help me do well in jobs that require resilience and good problem-solving skills.

Conclusion
Using Gibbs' model to think about my strengths and weaknesses helps me see where I do
well and where I need to improve in my chosen job. Using my organizational skills and
dedication to reflective practice will help me do a better job in coaching or project
management roles. But working on my weakness in dealing with unexpected problems
will be very important for surviving in these fast-paced and often unpredictable jobs
(Adeani et al., 2020).

Action Plan
I will look for chances to become more resilient and get better at fixing problems to
improve my ability to deal with problems that come up out of the blue. To do this, I
might need to practice mindfulness techniques to stay calm under pressure, do scenario-
based exercises to practice handling tough situations, and look for mentoring or advice
from people who are already successful in my field (Shet, 2024). I will also keep putting
a high priority on reflective practice, constantly seeking feedback and learning from both
successes and failures to improve my skills and abilities.

Task 2
Mukesh Ambani is a huge name in business around the world. He is an Indian business
magnate and the head and biggest shareholder of Reliance Industries Limited. Born on
April 19, 1957, Ambani finished from the University of Mumbai with a Bachelor of
Chemical Engineering. He then went on to get an MBA from Stanford University,
showing how smart he is. With businesses in petrochemicals, refining,
telecommunications, and retail, among others, Reliance Industries has grown into one of
the biggest companies in India under his direction. People know Ambani for being
creative and smart when it comes to strategy (linkedin, 2024.). His new ideas, especially
the launch of Jio, have changed industries and made him a world-class business leader.
Let's use the Covey framework to look at his skills and weaknesses.

Strengths of Mukesh Ambani:

Visionary Leadership:
Mukesh Ambani is known for being a visionary leader. His strategic choices have helped
Reliance Industries grow and expand into new areas like retail, digital services, and
telecommunications (Rathore and Verma, 2023).

Innovation and Adaptability:

Ambani has shown a strong ability to innovate and adapt to changing market dynamics.
For instance, with the launch of Jio, Reliance's telecom arm, he revolutionized the Indian
telecommunications industry by offering affordable data and voice services, showcasing
his innovative mindset and willingness to embrace new technologies (Quora 2019).

Weaknesses of Mukesh Ambani:

Overreliance on Debt
Some people don't like how Ambani and Reliance Industries have a lot of debt, especially
since they put a lot of money into Jio and other projects (Pengonda 2019). This
dependence on debt can be bad for the company's finances, especially when the economy
is bad or the market is unstable

Centralized Decision-Making
Another weakness of Ambani's leadership style is that Reliance Industries seems to make
decisions in an organized way (Panda, 2022). The company's progress has been helped by
his strong leadership, but a lack of decentralization could make lower levels of the
organization less efficient and less open to new ideas.

Comparison of Skills
When I think about how my skills compare to Mukesh Ambani's visionary leadership and
creation, I see both areas where I'm good and areas where I need to improve. I, too, like
Ambani, have shown that I can think strategically and make decisions that lead to growth
and change. However, my experience may not be as broad as Ambani's because I haven't
been in charge of such big projects or businesses. I might be able to come up with new
ideas and adapt to new situations, but Ambani's history of game-changing innovations,
like the start of Jio, makes him stand out. It's possible that I can think of new ideas, but I
may not have had the chance to show them off on the same level as Ambani. I might be
able to adjust to new situations, but Ambani's readiness to use new technologies and
shake up old industries shows a higher level of flexibility and risk-taking. Even though I
have some of Ambani's visionary leadership and innovative ideas, I still need to grow and
develop more in order to reach his level of impact and influence in causing
transformative change in markets and industries. To get even better at these skills and
have similar results, you will need to keep learning, gaining experience, and facing new
challenges (Rizvi, 2023).

Comparing my skills to Mukesh Ambani's challenges with overreliance on debt and

centralized decision-making, I recognize areas where I excel and areas for improvement.
While I may not have experience managing the financial intricacies of a large corporation
like Reliance Industries, I possess a cautious approach to financial management and a
preference for prudent risk assessment. Unlike Ambani's approach, which may have led
to overreliance on debt, I prioritize financial stability and seek to mitigate risks associated
with excessive borrowing. Regarding centralized decision-making, I strive to foster a
collaborative and inclusive environment where input from diverse perspectives is valued.
While I may not have experience leading a large organization, I prioritize
decentralization and empower team members to contribute ideas and make decisions
autonomously within their areas of expertise. However, there may be opportunities for
me to further develop my leadership skills and empower others to drive innovation and
efficiency within the organization (Naqshbandi et al., 2019). While I possess strengths in
financial prudence and a collaborative leadership approach, there may be areas where I
can learn from Ambani's experiences and strategies. By continuing to cultivate my skills
in financial management and leadership, I aim to effectively navigate challenges related
to debt management and decision-making in my professional endeavors.
Task 3
To become more successful, it's important to recognize and work on my weaknesses or
growth areas. Let us look at ways to fix two problems that have been identified:

Time Management
Several strategies will improve my time management. First, I set clear goals by outlining
the most critical tasks and due dates and ensuring they get enough attention and are
completed on time. I can focus and be more productive with time blocking since I can set
out certain times for each job on my list. Skipping unnecessary meetings and spending
less time on social media helps me focus and get things done. I keep focused and
productive by taking small breaks between jobs to refresh and renew. Combining these
tactics helps me manage my time, complete tasks, and achieve my goals (Sainz et al.,
2019).

Setting aside particular amounts of time each day for tasks or activities is an important
part of time-blocking. This method helps me make a structured schedule where each job
has its own time slot. By breaking up my work into doable chunks, I can focus on one
thing at a time, which helps me focus and get more done. One of the best things about
time blocking is that it helps me stay focused. By giving each job its own set amount of
time, I can cut down on interruptions and distractions, letting me focus on the task at
hand (Bartlett et al., 2021). This focused method keeps you from putting things off and
makes sure that tasks are done quickly. Time blocking helps people be more disciplined
and responsible. I'm more likely to stick to my schedule and fight the urge to put things
off or go off track when I give each job a specific time slot. Because I hold myself
responsible for finishing things by the due dates, this makes me feel more accountable.

Decision-Making under Pressure

I can utilize several methods to improve my decision-making under pressure. I employ
mindfulness practices like deep breathing and meditation to be calm and focused during
difficult situations. Asking coworkers or teachers for input helps me make wise decisions
by providing new facts and ideas (Korporaal et al., 2020). Thinking about the options and
outcomes ensures that all key elements are examined before making a decision. Thinking
on decisions I've made under pressure helps me identify areas for improvement and learn
from triumphs and failures, improving my decision-making skills over time. I can handle
stressful situations and make excellent decisions by using these approaches.

Mindfulness practice stands out as a strong way to improve decision-making under

pressure. Mindfulness exercises can help me become more resilient and clear-headed,
which are important for making good choices when I'm stressed. Mindfulness helps me
become more self-aware, which helps me recognize and deal with my feelings well when
things get tough (Miletić and van Maanen, 2019). It helps you see things from a fair point
of view, stops you from making snap decisions, and promotes a calm and logical way of
thinking. In the end, mindfulness gives me the mental clarity and calmness I need to deal
with tough situations and confidently make well-informed choices.

Conclusion
This journey of reflection has taught me a lot about both personal and professional
improvement. I have learned about my strengths, weaknesses, and areas for change by
comparing my work as a social worker in a palliative care centre to Mukesh Ambani's
leadership style. After studying how to handle time and make decisions when you're
under a lot of stress, it's now possible to put these growth areas into action. By getting
better at organization, doing self-reflection, and building resilience, I hope to make it
easier for myself to deal with problems and make a meaningful contribution in my chosen
job path. Similarly, learning about Ambani's strengths and flaws has helped me in my
own professional journey. For example, I've learned that he relies too much on debt and
makes decisions from one place, which are both weaknesses. Time blocking, practicing
awareness, and asking for feedback are all techniques that can help you make better
decisions when you're under a lot of stress. In the end, these techniques will lead to
personal and professional success. I am dedicated to achieving excellence and reaching
my full potential in all areas of my life, including my career and personal life. I believe in
always getting better and learning from my mistakes.
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