Improving ones own performance Essay Example for Free

Improving ones own performance Essay Every fortnight on a Friday morning my line manager and I have a meeting to discuss my progress. This meeting is also for her feed back so she can see if there is anything I am struggling with, anything I need help with or I am not happy about. To the right is a picture of the scheduled meetings. This is on our Microsoft outlook account. The reason for this is so that if there are areas I am slipping with, for example my time keeping, we can discuss these issues comfortably and resolve them before they become an occurring issue. The need for these meetings is very important. They help monitor my progress by reflecting to my manager what I’ve been working on and how fast/slow I’ve been completing them. By doing these meetings it improves my performance by clearly showing my improvements giving me job satisfaction. I can also gain benefits from theses meetings too as I am improving my performance I may be more likely to be put forwards for a promotion because when my manager sees my hard work, she will inform the managing director and update him upon my progress. She gives me feedback on how I’ve been working and encourages me to do the same as without this I wouldn’t know what to improve or keep the same. Its adds value to my work as I am continuously improving, it also strengthens our relationship as I know what to do next time. During these meeting I have been asked to keep a record of achievement. I have also been asked to evaluate my own performance with a SWOT analysis every six months, so we can compare if there are any changes or areas of improvement. At times she suggest ways of possibly improving my work this helps me greatly as I may not have thought of the idea myself or even have tried it as I am not used to the method. It sometimes saves me a lot of time; this benefits my team and I as I can take on new tasks as I have spare time. Throughout my work I am constantly improving as I am learning new things all the time. As discussed by my manager and me, I have picked up a lot of important information just being in the office. When I am continuously learning it is helping me as when I learn something new I can apply it to situations, where needed. When I am enhancing my skills this helps me too as I know and understand more making my more aware. With my knowledge that has grown I will, in the future, apply it to other companies/organisations. This will benefit my career as I will know crucial information needed, not only to help me with an interview but help me secure another job. In my later life I would like to either study more business administration at university or possibly stay in the world of work and work my way up to become a manager in an office environment. At the end of my contract with Medilink I hope they would keep me on as I could grow my skills to adapt to learning about the other opportunities such as finance or even international work. Throughout my working life I use a PDP to show my achievement that aren’t actually a credited for. This adds great value to me as when I am going for an interview I can show this to my possible new employer. When Sarah and I have our fortnightly meeting I ask for feedback and on the occasion I write this down in my note book as I can reflect on it at a later date. This is because I won’t forget what she has said. I accept it with open arms as this will help me and is not said in a spiteful manor to upset me. It is constructive criticism, this is being assertive. If she wasn’t being assertive then it wouldn’t be good within our working environment. The benefit to this is that she can put her point across without sounding nasty and putting her point across in a respectful manor. I myself also have to be assertive too, for example if I get given a task and I have too much on I simply have say no as I would miss my deadline from taking over someone else job. I will offer an alternative if I can help as we work as a team and if I can save time for someone else I will. Plus when someone one is helping me and I do not agree with a certain way I voice my opinion and suggest to improve their performance, like when Tina was helping me with finding contacts on our database I suggested to sure the search bar rather than looking under the subheadings and finding them by trial and error. When having this meeting sometimes my manager, Sarah and I discus targets for when work needs to be completed. The reason for this is so that I get used to deadlines and can work to realistic target as my input is as important in these discussions as hers. It benefits me as I know I can structure myself to meet these target and they are within my reach. For example: I was given a task to go through the international managers, charlottes, mailing list in correspond to the members list, and our data base to update all three and ensure they are all up to date. We decided because there was 217 contacts on charlottes list that I would be given 22 working days to complete as this allows me to complete 10 a day so I could pick it up and put down the task in hand here and there amongst other tasks. With these discussions about targets we also discus the quality of my work. I set high standards as there are always room for improvements and if I am constantly aiming for the highest possible standard then overtime I should up the bar of my skills. This resulting in be being more knowledgeable. During day to day work there are setbacks that I may come across to overcome these and move forwards I first must accept these otherwise I can’t overcome them. When dealing with them there is one major benefit, it makes me a stronger worker as I know how to tackle them if they occur in the future. Everyday at work there are new challenges and the reason why I adapt the taking them on is because it will be a learning curve and will benefit my future. By adapting to change I grow my personality and move with the time, I am constantly growing my knowledge base and understanding what I need to take in. Treating others with respect honesty and consideration add to the business environment it ensure that the atmosphere we working in is enjoyable. When it is comfortable it promotes more effective working. When helping and supporting others at work, it saves them time as they don’t need to look for the answers and it add to the relationship within the working environment. To do this it is useful and very helpful. To show my targets in order of priority for my own work; is attached a sheet, listed in a random order but there is a coloured key to follow on the back. As you can see I have highlighted them corresponding to the coloured priority. In one of our meetings with Sarah I renegotiated the dead line of the previously mentioned task, the mailing list for Charlotte, in conjunction with the members list and our database. The reason for this was because we had a lot on for the awards event and I slipped behind due to bad time management therefore not being able to complete my task. On a weekly basis I like to achieve the highest possible outcome I can, to do this I set myself high standards. Such as: exceeding my targets. When helping Paul with his signs I completed them up to a brilliant aesthetic look and before my deadline. I laminated each one and got them all ready before he needed them. I was so committed that I stayed behind on one of the days to finish them off before my deadline. This demonstrated my passion for my work. I use my own needs to complete a task and it is my own right to use my own time during work to finish what I have been given. Like last week for example, I used my time during work to start a task I have been given by one of our members of the PR team, Martin. I treat all of my colleagues with respect, as I speak to them all with the right tone. Like in our weekly team briefing, I talk with politeness and do not use harsh tones.

Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart :: Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart "The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." As the British colonized the areas of Nigeria inhabited by the Ibo, they brought with them their new religion of Christianity, which sought to overrun the traditional animist way of life that had endured in the area for centuries. The new religion was treated with skepticism early on, but the lure of the wealth that British traders brought into the city, along with the support of the British government and judicial system eventually displaced Ibo society completely. Although many historians make the assertion that the tribes’ conversion to Christianity by English missionaries was responsible, even noble, the truth is that the fragmentation of Ibo culture was not for the love of God, but for the love of money and power. For the colonialists, Christianity was used as an effective wedge between the Ibo and their land. They knew that without infiltration from the inside, the people of Umofia and surrounding villages would continue to rebel against British authority in the area. By introducing Christianity into the villages, and creating conflict amongst the natives, they were able to gain a foothold into the psyches of the tribespeople. Converted Christians, having been ostracized by the rest of their communities, were forced to rely on the British for support. The presence of natives loyal to the Queen gave the British blanket jurisdiction over the entire village, and the Royal administrative and judicial system could now enforce British law over the Ibo. Although the argument can me made that these effects were merely byproducts of a noble effort on the part of the Europeans to bring the Christian faith to Africa, more evidence suggests that the real motivation was money, not religion. The colonists had much to gain from a colonized Africa, including abundant natural resources and workers to tend farms and chop trees for the Queen. As the proverb goes, â€Å"Before the White Man came, we had the land and they had the Bible. Now we have the Bible and they have the land.

Content And Process Theories Of Motivation Essay

Motivation is a big influencer of productivity. Many supervisors know that what motivates employees to reach their peak performance is not easy. This is because employees respond in many ways to their jobs and their organization’s practices. Thus, a behavior that is motivated is one which is voluntarily chosen by each employee. The content approach to motivation is one that is of the assumption that individuals are motivated by the desire to fulfill inner needs. Content theories are something that is on the needs that motivate people. On the other hand, process approach to motivation is on how and why people choose particular behavior in order to meet their personal goals. Process theories are on the outside influences or behaviors that people choose to meet their needs. These external or outside influences are usually available to supervisors. An example of the content approach to motivation is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which has five level of needs. People go up these levels as their needs are answered. As the lower needs are satisfied, then the higher needs are activated. The most powerful employee need is that one which has not be yet satisfied. Abraham Maslow presented his needs theory in 1942 and then was published in 1954 in Motivation and Personality. This can be advantageous because the employees’ needs are answered as the person is satisfied. But it has its weakness too because it is rigid and does not cover the other small details that need to be taken into consideration when discussing motivations of people. Another content need is the Alderfer’s ERG which identified three categories of needs and its advantage is that there is the addition of the frustration-regression hypothesis that when people are not able to meet their higher level of needs, then, the next lower level needs come out. Meanwhile, another one of the content theory is McClelland’s Learned Needs which divides motivation into the needs for power, affiliation and achievement. This is the theory that is more on people pursuing their goals. People like to control their situations so they take risks and get feedback on their progress. This is mainly what this content theory means. There is also the motivation for power and for affiliation all under McClelland’s Learned Needs. Content needs has advantages especially if the person is motivated internally. But if he is not motivated at all, then these content theories are of not much benefit. (McClelland). Examples of the process theory Vroom’s Expectancy Model which suggests that people must choose among the alternative behaviors because they will be expecting that these behaviors will also lead to one or more desired outcomes and that the other behaviors will also bring undesirable outcomes.   Expectancy states that effort will also lead to first-order outcomes. Equity is the thinking of fairness which is involved in rewards given. Another process theory is the Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction (ARCS) Model of Motivational Design or Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivation was conceived in the early 1980s by John Keller. This was derived from his theory of motivation, performance and instructional influence developed in the late 1970s. This is a macro theory that explains a network of relationships of personal and environmental characteristics with focus on the effort, performance and consequences. This is where the idea of reinforcement comes in. It confirms or denies expectations. Several views suggest that internal motivational drives control the lives of peak performers. When one sees a change that lasts, one can be almost be certain that it took roots within the individuals it affects, at the level of their own talents and motives. (Keller). By contrast, many of the quick fixes treat motivation as if it were a fuel one injects into one’s system to make one run, and propose solutions that are external to the individual. Peak performers usually claim that external motivators produce the shortest-lived results. In effect, this theory is based upon the coordinated ideas of many researches that involve human motivation.   It will sustain learner’s motivation to learn. In short, this theory aims at identifying major categories of variables of individual behavior and of instructional design related to individual effort and performance (Wongwiwatthananukit, Supakit)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ARCS theory integrates several motivational concepts such as the expectancy-value theory, attribution theory, self-efficacy theory, social learning theory, and environmental theories. An effective way of getting attention, the first building block of the ARCS theory is through the collaborative projects and different methods of presentation. Relevance, the next building block of Keller’s model is achieved by letting students take ownership of the learning experience, making them have more responsibility and commitment to the learning experience. By allowing them to choose a relevant task, they are able to better match their motives and values (Fernandez, Jerry). The third building block is confidence and students’ learning is enhanced because of his achievements. Confidence is ego building and can thus enhance the way they perceive and learn things. The final building block is satisfaction and learners must have the possibilities to apply new skills (Driscoll, 1993, p. 318 as qtd in Fernandez). These process theories are useful because there are many environmental factors that can influence a person in many ways since they are coming from outside the person. The only problem with this is when the person does not give attention to his external environment or when the external circumstances are not good for the individuals concerned. Indeed, motivation is why individuals behave the way they do. Two important dimensions of the â€Å"whys† of behavior are activation and direction. First, when people are motivated, they do something. Their behavior is activated or energized. Second, when people are motivated, their behavior also is directed. Motivation focuses on how adolescents direct their behavior, or put another way, the specific behaviors adolescents select in certain situations but not others. Thus, this is what defines motivation—it is why individuals behave, think, and feel the way they do, with special consideration of the activation and direction of their behavior (McClelland, David). WORKS CITED Keller’s ARC’s Model of Motivation. Retrieved May 6, 2008 at: http://www.ittheory.com/keller1.htm Fernandez, J. Attribution Theory and Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivation. Accessed Retrieved May 6, 2008 at:http://chd.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/strategies/cognitivism/keller_ARCS.htm Pitt, Douglas C. Leadership and Motivation: The Effective Application of Expectancy Theory. Journal of Managerial Issues. Retrieved May 6, 2008 at: http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development-leadership/801576-1.html Wongwiwatthananukit, Supakit, Applying the ARCS model of motivational design to pharmaceutical education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Retrieved May 6, 2008 at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3833/is_200007/ai_n8910222/pg_8

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