Knowing your strengths and weaknesses

Overview

All managers need to understand the nature of the job they are in. In working through this Element, you will identify the activities you carry out in your role of manager. This will provide a basis for considering your strengths and weaknesses. Any weaknesses identified should be used as improvement opportunities and careful thought will need to be given to identifying how these could be addressed through the opportunities available for training and development.

Over the next 20 minutes you will focus on your own job and start to develop a picture of what your job is all about. You will then use this to identify areas you regard as strengths and potential weaknesses. By knowing your strengths and weaknesses you will be able to determine areas for improving your personal effectiveness.

The manager with regard to the job

Below is a list of the types of activities that managers undertake with regard to the job. Read through the list and for each activity try to think of a specific example related to your experience as a manager.

The manager with regard to the job (cont'd)

A manager:

	makes forecasts
	analyses
	thinks creatively and logically
	calculates and weighs risks
	makes decisions
	determines goals
	sets priorities
	prepares plans
	schedules activities
	establishes control systems
	sets and agrees budgets
	monitors progress
	exercises control
	determines information needs
	establishes and uses management information systems
	manages his or her time
	copes with stress
	adjusts to change
	develops his or her skills and knowledge.

The manager with regard to the team

Having looked at the manager with regard to the job you can now consider activities that a manager may carry out with regard to the team. Read through the list and for each activity try to think of a specific example related to your experience as a manager.

The manager with regard to the team (cont'd)

A manager:

	builds and maintains the team
	selects staff
	sets performance standards
	designs jobs
	improves the quality of working life
	identifies team needs
	provides opportunities for training and development
	monitors and appraises performance
	resolves conflicting objectives
	adopts appropriate management styles
	communicates effectively
	negotiates, persuades and influences
	makes presentations
	conducts and participates in meetings
	writes reports and correspondence
	interviews
	counsels and advises
	appraises staff
	develops team members.

The manager with regard to the organisation

Now turn your attention to activities that a manager may carryout with regard to the organisation. Again read through the list and for each activity try to think of a specific example related to your experience as a manager.

A manager:

	identifies organisational opportunities
	sets organisational goals
	identifies organisational problems
	creates conditions for change
	implements, manages and copes with change
	designs new organisation and team structures
	establishes reporting lines
	develops internal communication systems
	takes account of environmental factors affecting the organisation (economic, technological, social, political).

Were there any activities in the list that you didn't understand? Were there any that you recognised you do at present? Were there some that you felt you don't do?

Evaluating yourself

Having gone through the three lists of activities and having thought about how they relate to what you do in your present job, you may be wondering how this helps. Well, you should now be able to recognise activities that you perform. You can now focus evaluation on how well you feel you perform these activities.

Identify the activities you feel you are sufficiently competent in, these are your strengths. Then consider the activities where you feel some improvement is required. These are your weaknesses.

What does this tell you about your personal effectiveness? Do you have more strengths than weaknesses? Does this highlight training or development opportunities? How urgent are the improvements? Are these impacting on your personal effectiveness?

Summary

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps you reflect on your personal effectiveness and highlights any training or development needs.

To know your strengths and weaknesses as a manager you need to evaluate your performance against a set of management activities.

The three areas of management activities you should consider are those related to your job, your team and the organisation you work for.



		After completing this module you should be able to:

		evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as a manager

		reflect on your effectiveness as a manager

		identify training needs that will improve your performance.