Personal Development

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leader, assist him/her to build up a brighter future for the company; In addition a good career needs support of the leader or employees which helps me to thrive in work in order to be the best I could be. From my opinion, being encouraged to take up external training for ongoing development is the biggest support at all times as well as it could bring the value to the company. Just as an old saying goes: it is never too late to learn. We shouldn’t feel satisfied in the little knowledge that we had. However, certain work values also very important to the growth of my career, such as stated goals, communication, friendship, and opportunity of promotion, flexibility etc. These elements not only help to build up the employee’s quality but also increase the loyalty of the employee to the company. According to Holland, the assumption is that ‘congruence of person and job environment leads to job satisfaction, stability of career path, and achievement. Conversely, in-congruence leads to dissatisfaction, instability of career path, and low performance (Holland, 1996; p.397)

There are three needed psychological factors suggested in leadership development: self-insight, self-regulation, and self-identity.( Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., 2011) Self-insight is require us to own the capability to observe and understand the internal cognitive and emotional structures which means understand self into a deeper level that direct our actions. Therefore, we can change our behavior and improve the outcomes base on the vision that we get and understand from a particular situation. When I look in some depth of myself, I have set up different goals and desired outcomes that I want to achieve in different periods in the life span. But how could we define success in our life, with career, material, family or education? Success is a typical feeling with fulfillment, satisfaction and happiness like standing on the peak of a mountain. However, there is no fixed answer and it means diverse for everyone in a different life stage. As for me, I believe success is reaching my both dreams at work and life. On the other hand the determinations of self-success is changing as the years go on if the personal goal is shifting. Schein (1980) proposes that as a person’s career and life unfolds, there is a gradual clarification of self-image around needs and motives; and talents and values. He conceptualizes this as a process of finding a ‘career anchor’, where the anchor is that set of needs, values, and talents which the person is least willing to give up if forced to make a choice.

Currently, I am located in Asia Pacific and working for a US base privately equity fund which helping listed company funding. My occupation is marketing and sales manager which focus on the Asian market. I am leading a team which required to accomplish marketing and sales objectives by planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating advertising; developing field sales action plans, also determines annual and gross-profit plans by forecasting and developing annual sales quotas for regions etc. As a leader as well as part of the team, I care about my team members as a family and tried to direct them to a success career path along the growth of the company, yet this influence is mutual, my team is always being my greatest support at work and for the company. I am a charismatic leader and being a good leader determines my success in my long-life career development and that is also one of the reasons I joined MBS-the top business school to educate myself the best I could be as a leader. In the following two year, finishing my education in MBS and keep building up my leadership development will be my baggiest motivation on my career path. "Leadership is a journey, not a destination." What this means is that every leader, regardless of his or her position or successes, needs to continually work on leadership development. (Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. 2011)

No matter how, the world is changing and life is consistently moving as well as the self’s expectation. “Changing is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.”(Ghandi) In the next 5 years or longer, I will determine to have a perfect life as my future success. It is difficult to define “Perfect Life” because of the answers are varies from person to person. As far as I am concerned, the work/life balance might be the best definition of perfect life. For the reason that work is one path of a simple life, but it is not the only path which also including the personal life (family, friend, personal well-being etc.) I wish to move up my career to a higher level, meanwhile I need to make sure my family is being well take care of, such as marriage, child, parent etc. However, it is not an easy task to maintain the balance between work-life and the fact that both sides need lots attention to keep them running smoothly. How am I able to combine work and home in order to keep pursuing my individual achievement and not lose myself, my love one etc. This is the dilemma which we couldn’t avoid from life, but I believe it could be solve with proper communication with the family and company and get enough support and flexibility from both side. On top of this, time management and risk evaluation also leads me to the success.

All in all then, to find a career that is good fit just like finding a pair of comfortable shoes, because we need to use them to walk along the path of life. Otherwise, it will bring us the pain by every step that we moved. Find out “Who am I” and develop the natural abilities and potential that we had and create the best fit for a career as well as for life. “I’ve learned that making a ’living’ is not the same thing as ’making a life’.” (Maya Angelou) We all have only one chance for life and we need to make it the best.

References：

• Myers,D.G.,SocialPsychology(5thed.),McGraw-Hill,1996

• Maslow, A.H. (1987). Motivation and Personality. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Row.

• Maslow, A.H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper.

• Holland, J. L. (1996) Exploring careers with a typology: what we have learned and some new directions. American Psychologist, 51 (4), 397–406

• Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D (2011) Leadership Is a Journey: Steps to Your Personal Leader Development. Available at

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201101/leadership-is-journey-steps-your-personal-leader-development