Developing Personal Potential Chartered Management Institute Open Learning Programme OTHER BOOKS WITHIN THIS SERIES Using Information for Decision-Making 0750664274 Creating a Customer Focus 0750664266 Maximizing Resources 075066424X Improving Competitive Advantage 0750664258 The Performance Manager 0750664215 Successful Project Management 0750664193 Developing High Performance Teams 0750664207 Communication in Organizations 0750664282 Positive Recruitment and Retention 0750664223 DEVELOPING PERSONAL POTENTIAL Second edition Revised by: Corinne Leech Series Editor: Kate Williams AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • OXFORD • NEW YORK • PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP 200 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA 01803 First published 1997 Second edition 2004 Copyright © Chartered Management Institute, 1977. All rights reserved Copyright © Elsevier Limited, 2004. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the writ- ten permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1T 4LP. Applications for the copyright holder’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publishers Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science and Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (⫹44) (0) 1865 843830; fax: (⫹44) (0) 1865 853333; e-mail: Contents Series overview vii Section 1 Personal development 1 Introduction 1 What is personal development? 1 Developing greater self-awareness 3 Setting personal goals 8 Acquiring new skills and knowledge 10 Learning summary 13 Reference 14 Section 2 The confident manager 15 Introduction 15 What’s your style? 15 Assertive behaviour in action 23 Core statements 26 Saying ‘no!’ 28 Your rights 31 Assertive body language 32 Learning summary 33 Section 3 The stress manager 35 Introduction 35 Pressure or stress? 35 What causes stress? 37 How do you manage your stress? 43 Fight or flight? 45 Developing the habit of using stress management techniques 46 Learning summary 51 References 51 Section 4 The time manager 52 Introduction 52 Do you have enough time? 52 Planning your time 54 Managing your diary 58 Planning on a daily basis 59 Which are your top three time wasters? 61 vi Contents Paperwork 65 Learning summary 68 Reference 68 Section 5 The relationship manager 69 Introduction 69 Empathy 70 Being open 73 Trust 75 Respecting diversity 76 Reflecting on your relationship skills 78 Learning summary 79 Reference 79 Section 6 The conflict manager 80 Introduction 80 What causes conflict at work? 81 Symptoms and tactics 87 Trouble-shooting 88 Learning summary 101 Information toolbox 103 Series overview The Chartered Management Institute Flexible Learning Programme is a series of workbooks prepared by the Chartered Management Institute and Elsevier for managers seeking to develop themselves. Comprising ten open learning workbooks, the programme covers the best of modern management theory and practice. Each workbook provides a range of frameworks and techniques to improve your effectiveness as a manager, thus helping you acquire the knowledge and skill to make you fully compe- tent in your role. Each workbook is written by an experienced management writer and covers an important management topic or theme. The activities both reinforce learn- ing and help to relate the generic ideas to your individual work context. While coverage of each topic is fully comprehensive, additional reading sug- gestions and reference sources are given for those who wish to study to a greater depth. Designed to be practical, stimulating and challenging, the aim of the work- books is to improve performance at work by benefiting you and your organ- ization. This practical focus is at the heart of the competence-based approach that has been adopted by the programme. Introduction When people talk about ‘the role of the manager’ the focus is usually exter- nal and looks outwards from the person who is doing the managing. So there is much talk of managing resources, people, tasks and processes. But efficient and effective management really begins ‘at home’. In much the same way as we expect doctors to manage their own health – ‘physician, heal thyself ’ – most organizations expect their managers to be good at managing themselves. The thinking goes that if someone is a good self-manager, then he or she is more likely to be able to manage other people. Managing yourself is very much about the skills of managing: ■ your development, making sure you are continually learning and building on your experiences ■ your self-confidence viii Series overview ■ stress – which is also inevitable and arises out of the process of just getting on with your job and living your life ■ time – which is a finite resource and which can be used effectively, but which can’t be stretched (there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in each week, no matter how powerful or important you are) ■ relationships – it’s essential to have good working relationships with the people you work with ■ conflict which arises at work, both between yourself and other people and between the members of your team. In this workbook we are going to focus on these important self-management skills which will enable you to work more confidently, more efficiently and effectively. Objectives By the end of this Workbook you should be able to: ■ identify any areas of personal or professional development you would like to work on ■ apply techniques to ensure a positive, assertive approach ■ understand the nature of stress and apply techniques for stress management ■ effectively manage your time ■ identify the foundations for good working relationships ■ use a range of skills to deal with difficult people and manage different types of conflict situations. Section 1 Personal development Introduction Personal development is an ongoing process which for many people, continues throughout life. ‘Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 2 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.’ Moshe Arens (b. 1925) We all develop and change as we grow older. It’s an inevitable process and a result of life experiences. You have a choice; you can take charge of that development and influence it or you can sit back and let life take its own course. By selecting the option to take charge, you will be able to achieve your full potential and move towards the future you want for yourself. The first section of this workbook is designed to help you think about what personal development means for you and how you can identify those areas where you would like to make changes or improvements. What is personal development? Personal development means different things to different people. Here is what a group of European managers said in response to the question, ‘How would you define personal development?’ ‘It’s about developing self-awareness. Personal development is the process of coming to understand yourself – knowing how you tick and what you do best.’ ‘I think personal development is about stretching yourself – not just in relation to the job, but in relation to every aspect of life. Relationships, money, health – everything.’ ‘It’s about getting to be as good as you can be at what you want to do – so personal development relates to job skills, people skills, communication skills, I think.’ ‘Personal development for me, has always been about me expanding my horizons through travel and reading and meeting people. It’s about being open to new ideas,