BSBWOR501 Ebook-1

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BSBWOR501 Manage personal work priorities and professional development
BSBWOR501
MANAGE PERSONAL
WORK PRIORITIES
AND PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
1|Page v1.0 April 2015

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Introduction .................................................................................................. 4
1. Establish work goals ................................................................................... 5
1.1 Serve as a positive role model in the workplace through personal work
planning and organisation............................................................................ 5
1.1.1 Role modelling tips ....................................................................... 6
1.1.2 Organisation skills ........................................................................ 7
1.2 Ensure personal work goals, plans and activities reflect the organisation's
plans, and own responsibilities and accountabilities ........................................ 9
1.2.1 Goal setting ................................................................................. 9
1.2.2 Goal setting theory ..................................................................... 10
1.2.3 Five principles of goal setting ....................................................... 11
1.2.4 SMART goals examples ............................................................. 13
1.2.5 Starting to set personal work goals ............................................... 14
1.2.6 Align personal work goals to organisational goals ........................... 18
1.2.7 Key performance indicators (KPIs) ............................................... 18
1.2.8 Achieving goals .......................................................................... 22
1.3 Measure and maintain personal performance in varying work conditions,
work contexts and contingencies ................................................................ 24
2 Set and meet own work priorities ............................................................... 28
2.1 Take initiative to prioritise and facilitate competing demands to achieve
personal, team and organisational goals and objectives................................. 28
2.1.1 Time management ..................................................................... 28
2.1.2 Prioritisation .............................................................................. 33
2.1.3 Prioritisation tools ...................................................................... 34
2.1.4 Delegation ................................................................................. 39
2.2 Use technology efficiently and effectively to manage work priorities and
commitments ........................................................................................... 41
2.3 Maintain appropriate work-life balance, and ensure stress is effectively
managed and health is attended to ............................................................. 43
2.3.1 Work-life balance ....................................................................... 43
2.3.2 Identify sources of stress ............................................................ 45
3 Develop and maintain professional competence................................... 52
3.1 Assess personal knowledge and skills against competency standards to
determine development needs and plans ..................................................... 52
3.1.1 Personal work goal and action plan ............................................... 56

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3.2 Seek feedback from employees, clients and colleagues and use this
feedback to identify and develop ways to improve competence ...................... 57
3.2.1 Feedback................................................................................... 57
3.3 Identify, evaluate, select and use development opportunities suitable to
personal learning style/s to develop competence .......................................... 60
3.3.1 Learning styles ........................................................................... 63
3.4 Undertake participation in networks to enhance personal knowledge, skills
and work relationships .............................................................................. 69
3.4.1 How to network.......................................................................... 70
3.4.2 Where can I network? ................................................................. 71
3.5. New skills to achieve and maintain a competitive edge ......................... 72
Appendix - VAK learning styles self-assessment questionnaire ........................... 74
Appendix - Time management quiz Scoring Instructions ................................... 78
Appendix - Body language............................................................................. 81

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Introduction
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to
manage own performance and professional development. Particular emphasis is on
setting and meeting priorities, analysing information and using a range of
strategies to develop further competence.
This unit applies to managers and focuses on the need for managers to be
organised, systematic and skilled, in order to effectively manage the work of
others. As such it is an important unit for most managers, particularly as managers
serve as role models and have a significant influence on the work culture and
patterns of behaviour.
What does this mean?
In simple terms, it means that as a manager of others, you are a role model, and
your behaviours will be observed and copied by team members. To manage others
effectively you need to be able to organise yourself and them and focus their work
on tasks that are meaningful for the business. Achieving business goals requires all
employees to align their personal work goals with those of the business. That
includes developing skills and knowledge to fill any gaps that may exist, or to
continually look to improve your performance in your job.
This unit is designed to give you some fundamental skills in self-organisation and
personal development. This involves:
Setting goals and aligning them to business goals
Managing your time and prioritising work activities
Seeking feedback and identifying development opportunities
Maintaining your professional competence

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1. Establish work goals

Managers are constantly required to be prepared and willing to examine their skills
and goals to make sure they are on the right track with their professional
development. As a manager you need to ask yourself if you have the skills and
attitudes to do the job required of you.
If you dont have the skills in particular to perform tasks and duties assigned to
you, how you do improve your performance and skills? Do you need training?
If you do then what can you do to prepare for the next job? What do you need to
do for your career or your organisation?
Determining your development needs
What skills, What skills,

knowledge, knowledge and Identify the Determine
and behaviour behaviours do gaps in your how to meet
do you need to you already development. those needs.
do your job? have?
1.1 Serve as a positive role model in the

workplace through personal work planning
and organisation
As a manager of others, you are a role model. Humans are social animals and we
take many of our behavioural cues from people in positions of authority. Acting as
a role model is something a manager does whether they realise it or not. Here are
some simple ways of being a good role model:
Look listen and learn!
Good leaders listen more than they speak. If you listen to both verbal and
nonverbal language, you will be aware of how you staff are reacting to you and
how you can best help them. They will respond to you if they feel that you are
trying to understand them. See more information regarding body language in the
appendix to this eBook.
Lead by example!
Good leaders guide by example. If you constantly present yourself, as you want
others to present themselves, everything you do will create the standard, and you
can expect this behaviour to be emulated. This is how you train your staff on how
to handle the customers, or clients. If you are rude, they will be rude. Maybe not in
front of you, but it will happen! Your actions have already approved this behaviour!
Follow the rules!
When you implement a rule, do you follow it?
Example You are a restaurant manager and you ask that everyone clear tables
with a tray. Are you doing this? Or do you break the rule because it is

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more convenient for you not to use a tray? If you say it is important,
make it important.
Perhaps you establish a policy that every customer must be greeted when entering
the store. As a great role model, you would not only present cheerful greetings to
all customers but you would have a few different greetings, to demonstrate the
ways it is possible to greet your valuable customers.
People do not usually quit their jobs because they are unhappy with an
organisation, but because they are unable to have an impact on the
business.
Satisfaction comes from performing exceptionally well and making a difference.
This is encouraged through the effective management of people. Managers need to
know the power of their words, displays of emotion, attitudes and, importantly,
their behaviour.
Organisations generally do not fail because of bad strategies, but because
of bad managers.
Good managers walk the talk. They are aware of the importance of their role.
Most people do not understand the power of their words. Just as a beautiful ballad
can touch your heart, words said rashly in anger can be as deeply felt. Being in a
position of authority adds weight to these words. They can cause stress or
depression in employees which will impact performance.
1.1.1 Role modelling tips

Bite your Managers must remain cool and patient, no matter what comes
tongue along. Managers who are short-tempered and stern are unlikely
to be approachable. Employees must be able to rely on their
manager to help them in times of difficulty, if not, help may not
be sought. If you as a manager cannot manage your own
emotions, how can you manage others?
Words matter As a people manager you must understand the importance of
your words. Words can boost morale or demoralise. You remain
effective as long as anger and smiles are well-managed. Be very
careful in passing comments especially ones which highlight
areas of improvement - such comments can be taken as
negative feedback. This must be managed constructively.
Do not judge Most of us judge people. Even a first impression is enough to
evaluate make us think we can comment on someone. This may work in
day-to-day life but are not advisable for a manager. People
managers must manage each individual separately. Keep
background, behaviour, attitude and aptitude in mind.
Keep track Dont wait until the last minute to highlight subordinates
shortcomings. Good people managers keep a log of events
designed to improve employees performance, not to punish or

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ridicule. Encouragement is usually more effective than

punishment or humiliation.
Give Feedback must be constructive not just good or bad.
constructive Constructive feedback coupled with documentary proof clearly
feedback lets your team know what is expected, what errors have been
made and tips for improvement in a given time frame. It should
be structured and provide opportunities for improvement.
Poor feedback is emotional and unstructured and does not
contain opportunities for improvement; the how-to-improve part
is always missing.
Neutralising Successful managers keep people on board with organisations
illusions visions and goals and how they match the needs of the
individual. Individuals need to understand the direction the
organisation is moving in so both sets of needs are being met.
Winning Understand that people are loyal to people (managers) not
hearts and necessarily organisations. If your subordinates respect you they
minds will work for you and this benefits the whole organisation. Good
managers have Emotional Intelligence. Understand your people
and develop relationships with them so that they look to you
when they are in need.
Train a If you cannot be replaced, you cannot be promoted, always pass
replacement on your skills.
Instil Make miracles happen. Satisfied employees accomplish miracles.
confidence! The failure of employees in performing their jobs well is in fact
the failure of a manager. As a manager you need to manage
potential in your staff in order to get the best from them.
1.1.2 Organisation skills

While many people feel stressed because they don't have enough time, it's often
due to lack of time management or poor organisational skills. Here are a few points
to consider with management and organisational skills:
Allow people to be efficient in their choices. Eg: a mailman may organise his
route to travel to the most distant delivery first and works his way back to his
home post office so that his last delivery leaves him close to work
Let your staff keep track of completed projects, projects in process and
projects they need to start so that they can manage time and resources
Create structure and eliminate chaos
Strong skills help you stay organised so that you can manage your time, keep
your workspace clutter-free, prioritise projects and stay on top of your
schedule
Good skills ensure you are on time for meetings, dont miss deadlines and
know how to maximise productivity - in this way you work smarter, not harder
Good skills help you focus on what needs to be done and in what order

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Include the ability to make lists, prioritise and set goals. It is easier to
understand how to structure your time if you prioritise your to-do list, listing it
in a particular order whether it is based on urgency, deadlines or just the
alphabet. The goal is to do work efficiently, clustering tasks so that you can
get them done quickly
Organisational skills help you maintain your peace of mind while accomplishing all
of the tasks in front of you.
Time management
A vital component of organisation. The ability to identify tasks that will take longer
than others and to make the time to accomplish them is important to success
academically, personally and in the workplace. Students often overload by failing to
manage the time necessary to complete assignments and research papers. One
purpose for homework is to help students and maturing teenagers master
organising their time effectively in order to meet deadlines.
Everyone experiences running out of time or coming up against a deadline feeling
unprepared. In order to avoid feeling overwhelmed, consider the little things you
can do to organise your life and time. Keep in mind the phrase everything has its
place and everything in its place. Put pens where they go so when you need one,
all you have to do is reach for it and it is there. Avoid procrastination. When you
put off tasks, you cannot predict what will occur that may delay you further.
Use these tips to get organised!

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Clear a space on your desk
To improve your task management you need a peaceful, clean space where
you can organise your tasks, file your papers and decide on your next plan of
action
Find a space in your home where you can sit at a clean desk and spend time
planning out your schedule
Automate tasks
Set up automatic bill pay with your bank for bills that occur in the same
amount every month (mortgage bills, phone bills etc.)
Get a simple calendar program for your computer and set up reminders for any
upcoming appointments
Set up to-do lists with reminders so you always know what the highest priority
task is
Create a structured schedule
If you are overloaded with tasks and never know what to do next create a
structured task schedule
Pick a day of the week when you will do certain tasks and always do them on
the allocated day and time
Create a work schedule for the hardest tasks during a time of day when you
are least tired
Delegate and ask for help where possible
If you can pay for a personal organiser to help with some of your tasks, make
that a priority
If other people in your life can help with some of the things on your plate,
make sure you reach out and ask for help
Don't be afraid to let go of a little control to regain order in your life
Eliminate the clutter
It is easier to think in a clean space with no clutter

Throw out junk mail as it comes in, or refuse it in the first place
Put away things as soon as you are finished
De-clutter a small area at a time
Work on de-cluttering 10 minutes at a time
Improve organisation skills by using task management - create a clear
schedule you can stick to
1.2 Ensure personal work goals, plans and

activities reflect the organisation's plans, and
own responsibilities and accountabilities
1.2.1 Goal setting
Goal setting is a powerful motivator! The value of goal setting is so well recognised,
entire management systems, have goal setting basics incorporated within them.

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In fact, goal setting theory is generally accepted as among the most valid and
useful motivation theories in industrial and organisational psychology, human
resource management, and organisational behaviour.
Many of us have learned to set SMART goals. It seems natural to assume that by
setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound,
we will be well on our way to accomplishing them.
S M A R T
Time-
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant
Bound
OR OR OR OR OR
Action-
Significant Meaningful Rewarding Trackable
Oriented
Dr Edwin Locke pioneered research on goal setting and motivation in the late
1960s. In his 1968 article Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives, he
stated that employees were motivated by clear goals and appropriate feedback.
Locke went on to say that working toward a goal provided a major source of
motivation to actually reach the goal which, in turn, improved performance.
This holds true decades later. This shows the impact his theory has had on
professional and personal performance.
1.2.2 Goal setting theory

Locke's research shows the relationship between how difficult and specific a goal
was and people's performance of a task. He found that specific and difficult goals
led to better task performance than vague or easy goals.
Telling someone to try hard or do your best is less effective than work on getting
more than 80% correct or concentrate on beating your best time. Hard goals are
more motivating than easy goals, because it's much more of an accomplishment to
achieve something that you have to work for.
A few years after Locke published his article, another researcher, Dr Gary Latham,
studied the effect of goal setting in the workplace. His results supported exactly
what Locke had found, and the inseparable link between goal setting and workplace
performance was formed.
In 1990, Locke and Latham published their seminal work, A Theory of Goal Setting
and Task Performance. In this book, they reinforced the need to set specific and
difficult goals, and they outlined other characteristics of successful goal setting.
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1.2.3 Five principles of goal setting

To take the concept of SMART goals further consider the following principles of goal
setting. To motivate, goals must have:
Task
Clarity Challenge Commitment Feedback
complexity
Clarity
Clear goals are measurable and unambiguous. When a goal is clear and specific,
with a definite time set for completion, there is less misunderstanding about what
behaviours will be rewarded. You know what's expected, and you can use specific
results as a source of motivation. When a goal is vague or expressed as a general
instruction, like take initiative it has limited motivational value.
To improve your or your team's performance, set clear goals that use specific and
measurable standards. Reduce job turnover by 15% or respond to employee
suggestions within 48 hours are examples of clear goals.
When you use the SMART acronym to help you set goals, you ensure the clarity of
the goal by making it Specific, Measurable and Time-bound.
Challenge
One of the most important characteristics of goals is the level of challenge. People
are often motivated by achievement, and they'll judge a goal based on the
significance of the anticipated accomplishment. When you know that what you do
will be well received, there's a natural motivation to do a good job.
Rewards typically increase for more difficult goals. If you believe you'll be well
compensated or otherwise rewarded for achieving a challenging goal your
motivation and enthusiasm will be boosted and drive you to get it done.
Setting relevant, SMART goals links them closely to rewards given for achieving
challenging goals. Relevant goals will further the aims of your organisation, and
these are the kinds of goals that most employers will be happy to reward.
When setting goals, make each goal a challenge. If an assignment is easy and not
viewed as very important and if you or your employee doesn't expect the
accomplishment to be significant then the effort may not be impressive.
Note: It's important to strike an appropriate balance between a challenging goal
and a realistic goal. Setting a goal that you'll fail to achieve is possibly more de-
motivating than setting a goal that's too easy. The need for success and
achievement is strong; therefore people are best motivated by challenging, but
realistic, goals. Make sure your goals are Achievable or Attainable, thats SMART!
Commitment
Goals must be understood and agreed upon if they are to be effective. Employees
are more likely to buy into a goal if they feel they were part of creating that goal.
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The notion of participative management rests on this idea of involving employees in

setting goals and making decisions.
Agreed goals lead to commitment.
This doesn't mean that every goal has to be negotiated with and approved by
employees. It does mean that goals should be consistent and in line with previous
expectations and organisational concerns. As long as the employee believes that
the goal is consistent with the goals of the company, and believes the person
assigning the goal is credible, then the commitment should be there.
Goal commitment and difficulty often work together. The harder the goal, the more
commitment is required. If you have an easy goal, you may need less motivation to
get it done. When you're working on a difficult assignment, you will likely encounter
challenges that require a deeper source of inspiration and incentive.
As you use goal setting in your workplace, make an appropriate effort to include
people in their own goal setting. Encourage employees to develop their own goals,
and keep them informed about what's happening elsewhere in the organisation.
This way, they can be sure that their goals are consistent with the overall
vision and purpose that the company seeks.
Feedback
In addition to selecting the right type of goal, an effective goal program must also
include feedback. Feedback provides opportunities to clarify expectations, adjust
goal difficulty, and gain recognition. It's important to provide benchmark
opportunities or targets, so individuals can determine for themselves how they're
doing.
These regular progress reports, which measure specific success along the way, are
particularly important where it's going to take a long time to reach a goal. In these
cases, break down the goals into smaller chunks, and link feedback to these
intermediate milestones.
SMART goals are Measurable, and this ensures that clear feedback can be provided.
Taking the time to formally sit down and discuss goal performance is a necessary
factor in long-term performance improvement.
Task complexity
The last factor in goal setting theory introduces two more requirements for success.
For goals or assignments that are highly complex, take special care to ensure that
the work doesn't become too overwhelming.
People who work in complicated and demanding roles probably have a high level of
motivation already. However, they can often push themselves too hard if measures
aren't built into the goal expectations to account for the complexity of the task. It's
therefore important to do the following:
Give the person sufficient time to meet the goal or improve performance
Provide enough time for the person to practice or learn what is expected and
required for success
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The whole point of goal setting is to facilitate success. Make sure conditions
surrounding the goals don't frustrate or inhibit people from accomplishing their
objectives. This reinforces the Attainable part of SMART.
By understanding goal setting theory, you effectively apply the principles to goals
that you or your team members set. Locke and Latham's research confirms the
usefulness of SMART goal setting, and their theory continues to influence the way
we measure performance today.
Use clear, challenging goals, and commit yourself to achieving them. Provide
feedback on goal performance. Take into consideration the complexity of the task.
If you follow these simple rules, your goal setting process will be much more
successful, and your overall performance will improve.
1.2.4 SMART goals examples
S M A R T
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-Bound
To establish Have coffee

myself as an with my
Make cold expert, I will team once a Secure
calls to at Resolve all write a 150- month to contracts
least 50 accounting page book on make sure from two
social media there is new clients
potential issues within by writing one
24 hours nothing by the end
clients each chapter per stopping
week month (3-5 of each
them from
pages per week
week) achieving
sales goals
When creating your smart goals remember to make sure they actually are SMART.
Look at the first goal:
It is very specific 50 i.e. clients a week
Measureable, at the end of the week did you call 50 clients? Why not?
At the end of the week if you werent able to call 50 then perhaps your goal
is not attainable, so perhaps 40 is a better goal for the following week.
Alternatively you may be able to call more!
Is it relevant? Is it important to be able to call 50 people, or would you be
better to convert 10 sales?
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This goal is certainly time bound. You have a week to do this in. If you said
you wanted to call 50 people but no time frame this would not be as SMART!
Looking at the Attainable goal, if your goal simply said you wanted to write a
book, it would not be a SMART goal, this new version of the goal is well structured
to be specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and time bound.
Have a look at the rest of the goals to see if they are also SMART. The goal to have
coffee with your team once a month is quite SMART but it could be SMART-er!
Perhaps this goal could be to set a day like the first Monday or you could aim to
find out at least one particular roadblock each month from your team. Your goals
need to be relevant to your situation and your teams needs. Remember you can
change them if they arent working.
1.2.5 Starting to set personal work goals

When you set goals remember to include all people who will be impacted by your
goals. For example, if you are setting goals for work consider what goals the
organisation has. You need to align your goals to those of the organisation. The
same could be said of your family and friends. You may set a goal to complete a
course. If you are the only income earner in your family this may not be an easy
goal to achieve. Thats not to say it cant be achieved just that you may need to
consider a range of smaller steps first.
Set your goals on a number of levels:
First create the big picture of what you want to achieve (or within a particular
time frame), and identify large-scale goals you want to achieve
Break these down into the smaller goals or targets you need to hit in order to
reach your big picture goals
Once you have your plan, start working on it to achieve these goals
Depending on the type of goal setting you are doing you may choose to start the
process by looking at your lifetime goals.
Then, work on the things that you can do in, say, the next five years, then next
year, next month, next week, and today, to start moving towards them.
Length of time for goals is somewhat dependant on your circumstances. In
general though, short term goals are usually able to be completed within
12 months, long term goals are therefore greater than 12 months.
Step 1 Setting your ultimate goals these could be lifetime, personal
or career goals
The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in
your lifetime (or at least, by a significant and distant age in the future). Setting
these large goals gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of
your decision making.
To give a broad, balanced coverage of all important areas in your life, try to set
goals in some of the following categories (or in other categories of your own, where
these are important to you):
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Career - What level do you want to reach in your career, or what do you want
to achieve?
Financial - How much do you want to earn, by what stage? How is this related
to your career goals?
Education - Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What
information and skills will you need to have in order to achieve other goals?
Family - Do you want to be a parent? If so, how are you going to be a good
parent? How do you want to be seen by a partner or by members of your
extended family?
Artistic - Do you want to achieve any artistic goals?
Attitude - Is any part of your mindset holding you back? Is there any part of
the way that you behave that upsets you? (If so, set a goal to improve your
behaviour or find a solution to the problem.)
Physical - Are there any athletic goals that you want to achieve, or do you
want good health deep into old age? What steps will you take to achieve this?
Pleasure - How do you want to enjoy yourself? (You should ensure that some
of your life is for you!)
Public service - Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, how?
Spend time brainstorming, then select one or more goals in each category that best
reflect what you want to do. Consider trimming again to end up with a small
number of really significant goals you can focus on.
As you do this, make sure the goals that you have set are ones that you genuinely
want to achieve, not ones that your parents, family, or employers might want. (If
you have a partner, remember you probably want to consider what he or she wants
- however, make sure that you also remain true to yourself!)
Step 2 Setting smaller goals
Once you have set your personal, lifetime goals, set a five-year plan of smaller
goals you need to complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan.
Create a one-year plan, six-month plan, and a one-month plan of progressively
smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these
should be based on the previous plan.
Step 3 Create a to-do list of things you should do today to work
towards your goals
At an early stage, your smaller goals might be to read books and gather
information on the achievement of your higher level goals. This will help you to
improve the quality and realism of your goal setting.
Review your plans, make sure that they fit the way you want to live your life.
Step 4 Staying on track
Once you've decided on your first set of goals, keep reviewing and updating your
to-do list on a daily basis.
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Periodically review the longer term plans, and modify to reflect your changing
priorities and experience. A good way of doing this is to schedule regular, repeating
reviews using a computer-based diary.
Case Study Miriam

Miriam works in a large graphic design company in the art department. She is
really enjoying her job and wants to stay with the company. The company is one
of the newest graphic design firms in the city and are hoping to open four offices
around the country within the next five years. They will need Senior Art Directors
and Deputy Art Directors for all of the new offices in the next four years to begin
development of the offices and staff.
For her New Year's resolution, Miriam has decided to think about what she really
wants to do with her life. She has identified her major (personal, career and
lifetime) goals:
Career - To be Art Director of the company that I work for by 2020, by
completing my dual degree in arts administration and event management by
2017 and the mentoring program within my organisation. My choice of
degree is directly necessary for my professional development and tailored to
these goals, I am more than half way through. I am able to dedicate one
hour of my work time and three hours of personal time to my studies
Artistic - To keep working on my illustration skills. Ultimately I want to have my
own show in our downtown gallery.
Physical - To run a marathon.
Now Miriam needs to break each one into smaller, more manageable goals.
Let's take a closer look at how she might break down her lifetime career goal -
becoming a Senior Art Director:
5-year goal: Become Deputy Art Director
1-year goal: Volunteer for 5 projects the Art Director is head of
6-month goal: Go back to school and finish my degree
Enrol in in-house mentoring program
month goal: Talk to the Art Director about skills needed to do the job and the kind of
person they need to fill these roles
1-week goal: Book the meeting with the Art Director, familiarise myself
with the direction the company wants to go in
If Miriam takes the time now to align her goals of promotion with those of the
company she is more likely to achieve her career goal as it does align with the
goals of the organisation.
Breaking big goals into smaller, more manageable goals makes it far easier to see
how the goal will be accomplished.
Goal setting is an important method of:
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Deciding what you want to achieve in your life

Separating what's important from what's irrelevant, or a distraction
Motivating yourself
Building your self-confidence, based on successful achievement of goals
Five year
plan of
Enjoy the
smaller Regularly
satisfaction
Set lifetime goals you review and
of achieving
goals need to update
goals when
complete to goals
you do
reach your
lifetime plan
Dont forget your goals will be more powerful if they are SMART
S - Specific (or Significant)
M - Measurable (or Meaningful)
A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented)
R - Relevant (or Rewarding)
T - Time-bound (or Track able)
For example, instead of having to sail around the world as a goal, it's more
powerful to say to have completed my trip around the world by December 31,
2015. Obviously, this will only be attainable if a lot of preparation has been
completed beforehand!
The following broad guidelines will help you to set effective, achievable goals:
Express your goals positively achieve a competent result in the execution of
this technique by February is a much better goal than don't make this stupid
mistake
Be precise - include dates, times and amounts to measure achievement
Set priorities - when you have several goals, give each a priority
Write goals down - this crystallises them and gives them more force
Keep the low-level goals that you're working towards small and achievable
Set performance goals, not outcome goals - take care to set goals where you
have control as far as possible, it can be dispiriting to fail to achieve a
personal goal for reasons beyond your control, basing goals on personal
performance, gives you control and satisfaction over the achievement of your
goals
In business, bad business environments or unexpected effects of government
policy can impact on your ability to achieve your goals
Set goals you can achieve - people (for example, employers, parents, media,
or society) can set unrealistic goals for you, they will often do this in
ignorance of your own desires and ambitions
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1.2.6 Align personal work goals to organisational

goals
You as an employee must align your goals with those of the organisation. It is
important that your goals and those of the organisation do not clash, but actually
assist each other.
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
Organisations often express their goals as KPIs. These set targets for individuals or
work groups within the organisation. Sometimes as a motivational tools
management may link KPIs to bonuses or other work place incentive methods.
1.2.7 Key performance indicators (KPIs)

There are several terms which crop up over and over again. Business objectives,
goals, key performance indicators.What is the difference?
Business Goals Tasks, Actions,

Objectives Specific steps Activities
The main reason or strategies to Breaking the
for doing what achieve goals down
you do business The next step in
Highest or over objectives achieving goals
arching aim What you need and business
Desirable to do to objectives
outcome for your achieve your Detailed
business objective
KPIs
Measurements of
performance (success
or otherwise)
Steps to take when establishing the direction of the organisation, the team and the
individual.
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Organisations need to clearly identify their objectives
What needs to be achieved in order for the organisation to be successful?
Then organisational objectives are broken down into goals

KPIs should be set and reviewed so perfomance can be measured and adjustments made to keep on track
Broken into individual goals
Each employee who meets their individual goals directly contributes to the success of the team and the whole
organisation
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to measure an organisations

progress and performance towards achievement of goals and business objectives.
KPIs can, and should be, established to measure all aspects of the
organisation.
Example Financial, service, employee behavioural management, employee
performance management, product development, productivity
specifically numbers of new customers, debtor reduction, return on
investment (ROI). A financial indicator can be sales figures, non-
financial indicators are the benefits created by hiring new executives.
KPIs should be set and reviewed at regular intervals. Management should monitor
these measures to ensure individuals and teams are meeting required performance
standards. If not, corrective action should be taken.
KPIs are best written using the SMART method.
Specific Measureable Achievable Relevant Time bound
When the SMART method is used an action plan is created to identify what will
happen, how it will happen, when it will happen, who has responsibility and how
the outcome will be measured.
Understanding the direction your organisation wants to go in is the first step in
aligning their goals to yours. Your organisation will have plans in place. Your
professional development depends on being familiar with these.
Case Study Miriam

Miriam is aware of the organisations plans to open more offices, this helps her to
align her goals firmly with the organisations goals.
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Understanding your performance plan can assist you in determining your personal
goals. It is important that you know and understand the strategic, tactical and
operational plans (or equivalent in your organisation).
When you develop personal plans, you need to be able to identify the role you play
in the organisations plans; for example, your performance plan identifies that in
six months new technology will mean an update in the organisations computing
system. To ensure that you are prepared to introduce the change to the workplace
and to ensure that the new technology training is suitable for your team, you
complete training so that you can assist your team in learning the new technology.
Strategic Are defined by senior management.

Plans Deal with questions such as who is the client.
Provides a framework for day to day planning.
Usually span two to five years.
Provides organisations with guidance for decisions and actions.
Involves activity of all management within the organisation.
Tactical Breaks the strategic plan into short-term plans.
Plans Plans range from one year or less.
Plans are developed to determine what the organisation must do
to be successful.
Developed by lower or mid management as plans related to parts
of the organisation.
Developed for areas such as marketing, personnel, and production,
finance and plant facilities.
Operational Is the day-by-day and monthly planning.
Plans Are designed for all managers working on the frontline of an
organisation.
Define how your organisation will operate in implementing action
and monitoring plans.
Plans that do not stand alone. They are key components that make
up the tactical plan and form part of the strategic plan.
Your responsibilities and accountabilities will usually be set out in:

Outputs expressed in position descriptions they outline the basic
summary and details of your position, including selection criteria and key
responsibilities of the position, superannuation, position summary, type of
employment and department
A duty statement sets out the key activities and tasks of your job. The
benefits of a duty statement are that it ensures that your position is consistent
with others in a similar role and it can assist you in creating career
opportunities. Regular review of the duty statement can assist you in
determining changes that you may need to make to your personal goals so
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that they are aligned with your organisations goals, they should provide you
with your role statement, duties and accountabilities
Statement of conduct outlines an individuals responsibilities /actions /
performance, the important principles of ethical and professional conduct and
each staff member is encouraged and expected to maintain this level of
conduct
A statement of conduct will usually include:
Working honestly and in a professional manner
To maintain confidence and trust with customers/stakeholders and to ensure
that this trust and confidence adheres to the requirements of their profession
To continuously improve professional knowledge and skills to ensure currency
with the requirements of their industry
To provide staff with helpful, constructive and professional advice
Within organisations there are important processes around defining roles,
responsibilities and accountabilities. These processes are important as they provide
structure and guidance for personnel. Among other processes organisations need to
provide information for all staff around:
Job descriptions, position descriptions or duty statements (what is the job?)
Job or position specifications are statements outlining the essential
employee characteristics needed to be sure of satisfactory performance of
duties, tasks of a specific job (what kind of person are we looking for?)
Performance review or appraisal to monitor performance to plan for future
improvements and development opportunities (how am I doing in my job?)
Expectations of workplace performance, as expressed in a performance plan
Performance plans are used to ensure that personnel have the skills,
knowledge and performance levels to operate. A performance management
plan is designed to suit individuals and should be adapted to suit their
requirements and the requirements of their jobs
A performance review is a great opportunity to discuss your development needs
with your line manager. You may be able to discuss the changing requirements of
your role, as well as your personal development aspirations (career development).
Often these reviews are held annually as a formal process. There is significant
criticism levelled at this, mainly due to the fact that the timing is too infrequent to
be really useful and seems to be a requirement of Human Resource (HR)
management rather than a particularly useful process.
In order to make sure the review process is useful make sure there are no
surprises. If you have something to say either as a supervisor or an employee,
waiting a year to say it is not helpful! It can however be managed well to be
helpful. Both the employee and the manager need to be well prepared. Reviews are
an excellent way to provide opportunities for improvement and feedback.
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Make sure your personal goals are aligned with the outcomes of your
position. This means that you need to know:
Outcomes: an outcome is what you will deliver or achieve in your position
The objective: the task that will be completed that relates directly with each
outcome
If you do not align your personal plans with the job description, the duty statement
or the statement of conduct, conflict will arise. This conflict will impact on your
ability to meet your goals and objectives as a manager. This conflict will also have
a negative impact on your team.
Your personal plans need to ensure that you act SMARTER. Your responsibilities as
a manager means that you must plan your day to complete your assigned tasks.
Your accountability includes who you are answerable to.
If you are unable to maintain your image as a role model that team members can
look up to, then you are accountable to your superiors. This accountability can, in
turn, jeopardise your position, as you will be demonstrating that you do not have
the ability to meet your assigned responsibilities. This, in turn, makes you a liability
to the organisation achieving its own goals.
Work with your team to ensure that their personal plans correlate with the
organisations strategy. In your role as a role model, you should make sure
that all of your team:
Understand how their actions impact on the rest of the organisation. When
employees understand where the organisation is going and how they can help
achieve success, then they become engaged in the organisation and
productivity will improve
Are rewarded for the correct behaviour. Rewards do not necessarily mean
remuneration. If you are a role model, your acknowledgement of a job well
done will usually be sufficient reward
Know where they stand. This means that you are required to continuously
update staff with any changes that will impact on their outcomes. Ensure that
you focus any important updates with links to organisational performance,
such as areas like changes to their outcomes
1.2.8 Achieving goals

To achieve a goal or a vision you must plan how to make it happen. You cannot 'do'
a goal or a vision. Instead you must do the things that enable it - usually several
things, in several steps. A goal without a plan remains just a goal - many people
have visions, intentions, ideas, dreams which never happen, because they are not
planned.
A plan makes things happen
When you've achieved a goal, be satisfied with your results. If the goal was a major
one, reward yourself appropriately. All of this helps with your self-confidence.
Also what progress have you made towards other goals?
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If you achieved the goal too easily, make the next one harder
If your goal took too long to achieve, make the next goal a little easier
If you think you should change other goals, do so
Your goal is achieved but you still lack skills, how can you fix this?
Goal planning can be especially helpful in advancing your career, job hunting,
starting your own business, or becoming self-employed or freelance. A good plan
identifies causes and effects in achievable stages. These need not necessarily be
very detailed or time-bound unless the aim requires it.
Having a clear aim begins to define the plan. For example: a large-scale short-term
aim requires a plan with detail and strict timescales, whereas a goal to achieve a
personal life change within five-to-ten years requires much less detail and
scheduling, provided the crucial causes and effects stages are identified.
Plans can also be structured in different ways according to individual preference
and the various planning tools and methods which exist. Detailed people prefer
detailed plans. Intuitive people prefer broader more flexible plans.
Whatever planning format you prefer, all plans begin as a simple outline, like the
planning template provided here. Beyond this you can add more detail and
structure to suit your aims and preferences, but you must begin with a clear goal,
and an outline of what will make your goal happen.
Whatever the aim, all good plans tend to include:
A clearly defined aim
Linked steps or stages or elements - resources, actions, knowledge, etc. - the
factors of cause and effect
Relevant and achievable proportions and timings (for steps, stages, elements)
Here is a simple outline goal planning template and process, which can be used as
the full planning method for certain personal aims, or as an initial outline planning
tool for the most complex organisational vision.
Even the most ambitious goals and plans are achievable when broken down and
given time. A plan to achieve a goal or vision is normally best developed by
working backwards from the aim. Ask yourself at each stage of the plan: What
must happen before this?
And then plan to achieve each element, working back in realistic bite-sized
elements, to where you are today.
When you have created your plan implement it by working upwards through the
levels from the bottom to the top. Adapt your plan as required - especially add new
factors as you discover them, and plan how each can be achieved by incorporating
causal and enabling factors into this model.
Feed lessons learned back into your goal setting. Remember too that your goals
will change as time goes on. Adjust them regularly to reflect growth in your
knowledge and experience, and if goals do not hold any attraction any longer,
consider letting them go. When you've achieved a goal dont forget to enjoy it!
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Name: Miriam
Give details of an organisational goal you have identified in your business plan
and job description
To expand operations into four more cities in five years appoint Senior and
Deputy Art Directors for all four offices within four years
Describe the Personal Work Goal you wish to set for yourself so you can achieve
the above organisational goal-
Become Deputy Art Director within five years
TASKS ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME KPI
What needs What action is to be How long will How will you measure success?
to be done? taken? this take? Use S.M.A.R.T. formula.
Meet with
the Art Schedule meeting 5 minutes
Director
30 minutes I need to get feedback on what

Meet at the additional skills and knowledge
has been
arranged I need to achieve my goal
Attend meeting scheduled for
time with the
this Is this achievable in the time
Art Director
appointment frame?
Go back to Pass all units on first go

Re enrol in course,
school to 2 years to
contact campus to Gain as many credits for past
complete complete
assess any recognition work as possible
design degree
of prior learning
degree Achieve degree in two years
Investigate the
Volunteer for program for additional Undertake five projects in a 12
five projects projects to determine month time frame with the
in which ones are the involvement of the Art Director
1 year
conjunction most helpful and how
with Art they will fit into my Seek feedback on your
Director work and personal performance to improve
schedule
1.3 Measure and maintain personal performance in

varying work conditions, work contexts and
contingencies
Performance is when you achieve your goals in an effective and efficient manner, in
alignment with organisational goals. The tool that you use should benchmark your
performance against others and indicate your strengths and weaknesses.
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At this stage you should have determined what skills and knowledge or leadership
style(s) are appropriate for your team. You should also ensure that your activities
and plans align with the organisations plans.
To assist you in measuring your performance, you may consider using benchmarks.
An organisation uses its internal processes to measure their work practices by
identifying, understanding and adapting them to ensure that they are considered
best in class from their competitors. In the same manner, you can use your
performance appraisal to benchmark your performance.
These benchmarks can be utilised to assist you in ensuring that you monitor your
performance against reliable measurements. Tracking benchmarks will also assist
you in tracking your own progress and will ensure that you will make appropriate
adjustments to changes in your own performance outcomes and objectives, so that
you are aligned with working conditions, work contexts and contingencies.
Personal performance can be measured against feedback. Feedback provides you
with important information about your behaviour or actions. Based on the feedback
received, you can adjust your current and future behaviour so that your desired
results are achieved. Feedback will be covered in further detail in Section 2.3 of this
eBook.
Performance may also be measured against performance reviews. Performance
reviews should be conducted over a yearly basis. However, some organisations
perform them more often, especially in work environments that rely heavily on
performance to reach outcomes and objectives.
Performance reviews allow you to review feedback from your superiors, in regards
to your performance in the workplace. They can be either formal or informal and
should be utilised as a way to improve performance. If a problem is identified, then
action should be taken to correct errors in your work or correct problems.
If you wish to have a performance review more often, ask your employer to provide
feedback on a needs basis. By identifying a problem within a performance review,
you will be catching a small problem before it escalates into a larger problem.
Performance reviews may include reviews of:
Work performance this type of review will help you identify whether you are
meeting the goals set up by your employer by determining whether you are
meeting your outcomes
Working relationships as a role model, it is essential that your working
relationships are maintained in a professional manner and that you maintain
your high standards
Basic job skills complacency breeds contempt, if you perform the same tasks
over a long period of time, you may start to become comfortable in the
position and bad habits may evolve
There are several different performance reviews your organisation may use. The
main process is called a performance appraisal. The steps of the performance
appraisal include:
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Establishing performance standards
Communicating expectations and

standards
Measuring performance
Comparing performance with standards
Discussing results and obtaining

feedback
Taking corrective action
Your performance appraisal can assist you in identifying areas of weakness in your
skills. Once any weakness have been identified take corrective action to minimise
poor performance.
Remember, this section deals with measuring and maintaining personal
performance in varying work conditions, work contexts and contingencies.
Consider how you can manage performance in your day. One of the most effective
methods is being organised and ensuring your schedule is well planned.
Go through the following steps in preparing your schedule:
ONE Identify the time you want to make available for your work. This
depends on the design of your job and your personal goals in life.
TWO Block in the actions you absolutely must take to do a good job. These
will often be the things you are assessed against.
For example, if you manage people, then you must make time
available for coaching, supervision, and dealing with issues that arise.
Similarly, you must allow time to communicate with your boss and key
people around you. (While people may let you get away with
'neglecting them' in the short-term, your best time management
efforts will surely be derailed if you do not set aside time for those
who are important in your life).
THREE Review your to-do list, and schedule in high-priority, urgent activities,
as well as essential maintenance tasks that cannot be delegated or
avoided.
FOUR Block in appropriate contingency time. You will learn how much of this
you need by experience. Normally, the more unpredictable your job,
the more contingency time you need. The reality of many people's
work is of constant interruption: Studies show some managers getting
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an average of as little as six minutes uninterrupted work done at a

time.
FIVE Obviously, you cannot tell when interruptions will occur. However, by
leaving space in your schedule, you give yourself the flexibility to
rearrange your schedule to react effectively to urgent issues.
SIX What you now have left is your discretionary time, the time available
to deliver your priorities and achieve your goals. Review your
prioritised to-do list and personal goals, evaluate the time needed to
achieve these actions, and schedule them in.
By the time you reach step 5, you may find that you have little or no discretionary
time available. If this is the case, then revisit the assumptions you used in the first
four steps. Question whether things are absolutely necessary, whether they can be
delegated, or whether they can be done in an abbreviated way.
Remember one of the most important ways people learn to achieve success is by
maximising the 'leverage' they can achieve with their time. They increase the
amount of work they can manage by delegating work to other people, spending
money outsourcing key tasks, or using technology to automate as much of their
work as possible. This frees them up to achieve their goals.
Also, use this as an opportunity to review your to-do list and personal goals. Have
you set goals that just aren't achievable with the time you have available? Are you
taking on too many additional duties? Or are you treating things as being more
important than they really are?
If your discretionary time is still limited, you may need to renegotiate your
workload. With a well-thought through schedule as evidence, you may find this
surprisingly easy.
Scheduling is the process by which you plan your use of time. By scheduling
effectively, you can reduce stress and maximise your effectiveness. This makes it
one of the most important time management skills you can use. Scheduling is best
done on a regular basis, for example at the start of every week.
Before you can schedule efficiently, you need an effective scheduling system. This
can be a diary, calendar, paper-based organiser, mobile based technology or a
software package like MS Outlook. The best solution depends entirely on your
circumstances.
Scheduling is then a five-step process:
In the time
Schedule in Block in
Block in the that remains,
high priority appropriate
Identify the essential tasks schedule the
urgent tasks contingency
time you have you must carry activities that
and vital time to handle
available out to succeed address your
house-keeping unpredictable
in your job priorities and
activities interruptions
personal goals
If you have little or no discretionary time left by the time you reach step five, then
revisit the assumptions you have made in steps one to four.
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2 Set and meet own work priorities

2.1 Take initiative to prioritise and facilitate
competing demands to achieve personal, team
and organisational goals and objectives
2.1.1 Time management
Personal time management skills are essential skills for effective people. People
who use these techniques routinely are the highest achievers in all walks of life,
from business to sport to public service. If you use these skills well, you will be able
to function exceptionally well, even under intense pressure.
What's more, as you master these skills, you'll find that you take control of your
workload, and say goodbye to the often intense stress of work overload.
At the heart of time management is an important shift in focus:
Concentrate on results, not on being busy.
Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little,
because they're not concentrating their effort on the things that matter the most.
Time management tools
How often do you find yourself running out of time? Weekly, daily, hourly? For
many, it seems that there's just never enough time in the day to get everything
done.
When you know how to manage your time you gain control. Rather than busily
working here, there, and everywhere (and not getting much done anywhere),
effective time management helps you to choose what to work on and when. This is
essential if you're to achieve anything of any real worth.
Be prepared to make changes to the way you operate. Challenge your own routines
and habits and really think about how you spend your time.
There are a variety of tools or strategies you can use to improve your time
management skills. First lets take a look at procrastination a root cause of poor
time management.
Beating procrastination - Manage your time to get it all done.
If youve found yourself putting off important tasks over and over again, youre not
alone. In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree - but some are so
chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them achieving things they're
capable of and disrupts their careers.
The key to controlling and ultimately combating this destructive habit is to
recognise when you start procrastinating, understand why it happens (even to the
best of us), and take active steps to better manage your time and outcomes.
Why do we procrastinate?
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In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things that you should be
focusing on right now, usually in favour of doing something more enjoyable or that
youre more comfortable doing.
Procrastinators work as many hours in the day as other people (and often work
longer hours) but they invest their time in the wrong tasks. Sometimes this is
simply because they don't understand the difference between urgent tasks and
important tasks, and jump straight into getting on with urgent tasks that aren't
actually important.
They may feel that they're doing the right thing by reacting fast. Or they may not
even think about their approach and simply be driven by the person whose
demands are loudest. Either way, by doing this, they have little or no time left for
the important tasks, despite the unpleasant outcomes this may bring about.
Another common cause of procrastination is feeling overwhelmed by the task. You
may not know where to begin. Or you may doubt that you have the skills or
resources you think you need. So you seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're
capable of completing. Unfortunately, the big task isn't going to go away truly
important tasks rarely do.
Other causes of procrastination include:
Waiting for the right mood or right time to tackle important tasks at hand
A fear of failure or success
Underdeveloped decision making skills
Poor organisational skills
Perfectionism (I don't have the right skills or resources to do this perfectly
now, so I won't do it at all)
How to overcome procrastination
Whatever the reason behind procrastination, it must be recognised, dealt with and
controlled before you miss opportunities or your career is derailed.
Step 1: Recognise that you're procrastinating
If you're honest with yourself, you probably know when you're procrastinating.
But to be sure, you first need to make sure you know your priorities. Putting off an
unimportant task isn't procrastination, it's probably good prioritisation. More on this
in a moment.
Some useful indicators which will help you pull yourself up as soon as you start
procrastinating include:
Filling your day with low priority tasks from your to-do list
Reading an e-mail or request that you've noted in your notebook or on your
to-do list more than once, without starting work on it or deciding when you're
going to start work on it
Sitting down to start a high-priority task, and almost immediately going off to
make a cup of coffee or check your e-mails
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Leaving an item on your to-do list for a long time, even though you know it's
important
Regularly saying yes to unimportant tasks others ask you to do, and filling
your time with these instead of getting on with the important tasks already on
your list
Step 2: Why are you procrastinating?
Why you procrastinate can depend on both you and the task. It is important to
understand what the reasons for procrastination are for each situation, so you can
select the best approach for overcoming your reluctance to get going.
Common causes of procrastination were discussed in detail above, but they can
often be reduced to two main reasons:
You find the task unpleasant
You find the task overwhelming
Step 3: Get over it!
If you are putting something off because you just don't want to do it, and you
really can't delegate the work, you need to find ways of motivating yourself to get
moving. Try these ideas:
Make up your own rewards. For example, promise yourself a treat at
lunchtime if you complete a certain task
Ask someone else to check up on you. Peer pressure works! This is the
principle behind self-help groups, and it is widely recognised as a highly
effective approach
Identify the unpleasant consequences of NOT doing the task
Work out the cost of your time to your employer, your employers are paying
you to do the things that they think are important, you're not delivering
value for money if you're not doing those things. Shame yourself into getting
going!
If you're putting off starting a project because you find it overwhelming, you need
to take a different approach. Here are some tips:
Break the project into a set of smaller, more manageable tasks. You may
find it helpful to create an action plan
Start with some quick, small tasks if you can, even if these aren't the logical
first actions. You'll feel that you're achieving things, and so perhaps the
whole project won't be so overwhelming after all
To have a good chance of conquering procrastination, you need to spot straight
away that you're doing it. Then, identify why you're procrastinating and take
appropriate steps to overcome the block.
Part of the solution is to develop good time management, organisational and
personal effectiveness habits. This helps you establish the right priorities, and
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manage your time in such a way that you make the most of the opportunities open
to you.
Activity logs - find out how you really spend your time
How long do you spend each day on unimportant things? Things that don't really
contribute to your success at work. Do you KNOW how much time you've spent
reading junk mail, talking to colleagues, making coffee and eating lunch? And how
often have you thought, I could achieve so much more if I just had another half
hour each day. Are you aware of when in the day you check your e-mail, write
important articles or do your long-term planning?
Most people find they function at different levels of effectiveness at different times
of day as their energy levels fluctuate. Your effectiveness may vary depending on
the amount of sugar in your blood, the length of time since you last took a break,
routine distractions, stress, discomfort, or a range of other factors.
Activity logs help you to analyse how you actually spend your time. The first time
you use an activity log you may be shocked to see the amount of time that you
waste! Memory is a very poor guide when it comes to this, as it can be too easy to
forget time spent on non-core tasks.
How to use the tool
Keeping an activity log for several days helps you to understand how you spend
your time, and when you perform at your best. Without modifying your behaviour
any further than you have to, note down the things you do as you do them. Every
time you change activities, whether opening mail, working, making coffee,
gossiping with colleagues or whatever, note down the time of the change.
As well as recording activities, note how you feel, alert, flat, tired, energetic, etc.
Do this periodically throughout the day. You may decide to integrate your activity
log with a stress diary.
Learning from your log
Once you have logged your time for a few days, analyse your daily activity log. You
may be alarmed to see the amount of time you spend doing low value jobs!
You may also see that you are energetic in some parts of the day, and flat in other
parts. A lot of this can depend on the rest breaks you take, the times and amounts
you eat, and quality of your nutrition. The activity log gives you some basis for
experimenting with these variables.
Your analysis should help you to free up extra time in your day by applying one of
the following actions to most activities:
Eliminate jobs your employer shouldn't be paying you to do. These may
include tasks someone else in the organisation should be doing, possibly at a
lower pay rate, or personal activities such as sending non-work e-mails
Schedule your most challenging tasks for the times of day when your energy
is highest. That way your work will be better and it should take you less time
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Try to minimise the number of times a day you switch between types of task.
For example, read and reply to e-mails in blocks once in the morning and
once in the afternoon only
Reduce time spent on legitimate personal activities such as making coffee
(take turns in your team to do this - it saves time and strengthens team
spirit)
Activity logs are useful tools for auditing the way that you use your time. They can
also help you to track changes in your energy, alertness and effectiveness through
the day.
By analysing your activity log you will be able to identify and eliminate time-
wasting or low-yield jobs. You will also know the times of day at which you are
most effective, so that you can carry out your most important tasks during these
times.
To-do lists
Do you often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have? Do you face a
constant barrage of looming deadlines? Or do you sometimes forget to do
something important, and people have to chase you to get work done? All of these
are symptoms of not keeping a to-do list.
To-do lists are prioritised lists of all the tasks that you need to carry out. They list
everything that you have to do, in terms of importance. While this sounds simple,
it's when people start to use to-do lists properly that they often make their first
personal productivity / time management breakthrough, and start to make a real
success of their careers.
By keeping a to-do list, you make sure that you keep all your tasks in one place.
This is essential if you're not going to forget things. By prioritising work, you plan
the order in which you'll do things, so you can tell what needs your immediate
attention, and what you can quietly forget about until much, much later. This is
essential if you're going to beat work overload.
Without to-do lists, you'll seem dizzy, unfocused and unreliable others round you.
With to-do lists, you'll be much better organised, and seem much more reliable.
Preparing a to-do list
Write down all the tasks you need to do
If they are large, break them into component elements
If these still seem large, break them down again
Do this until you have listed everything you have to do. This may be a huge
and intimidating list, but our next step makes it manageable
Run through these jobs allocating priorities from A (very important, or urgent)
to F (unimportant, or not at all urgent)
If too many tasks have high priority, revise your list and demote less
important tasks
Rewrite the list in priority order
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You will then have a precise plan you can use to eliminate the problems you face.
You will be able to tackle these in order of importance or urgency. This allows you
to separate important jobs from the many time-consuming trivial ones.
Tip:
Once you're comfortable with use of to-do lists, you need to start differentiating
between urgency and importance.
Using your to-do lists

Different people use to-do lists in different ways in different situations: if you are in
a sales-type role, a good way of motivating yourself is to keep your list relatively
short and aim to complete it every day.
In an operational role, or if tasks are large or dependent on too many other people,
then it may be better to keep one list and 'chip away' at it.
It may be that you carry unimportant jobs from one to-do list to the next. You may
not be able to complete some very low priority jobs for several months. Only worry
about this if you need to if you are running up against a deadline for them, raise
their priority.
If you have not used to-do lists before, try them now: They are one of the keys to
being really productive and efficient.
Key points:
Prioritised to-do lists are fundamentally important to efficient work. If you use to-
do lists, you will ensure that:
You remember to carry out all necessary tasks
You tackle the most important jobs first, and do not waste time on trivial
tasks
You do not get stressed by a large number of unimportant jobs
To draw up a prioritised to-do list, mark the importance of the task next to it, with
a priority from A (very important) to F (unimportant). Redraft the list into this
order of importance.
Now carry out the jobs at the top of the list first. These are the most important,
most beneficial tasks to complete.
2.1.2 Prioritisation
Making best use of your time and resources
Prioritisation is the essential skill you need to make the very best use of your own
efforts and those of your team.
It is particularly important when time is limited and demands are seemingly
unlimited. It helps you to allocate your time where it is most-needed and most
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wisely spent, freeing you and your team up from less important tasks that can be
attended to later, or quietly dropped.
With good prioritisation (and careful management of deprioritised tasks) you can
bring order to chaos, massively reduce stress, and move towards a successful
conclusion. Without it, you'll have too many competing demands.
Simple prioritisation
At a simple level, you can prioritise based on time constraints, on the potential
profitability or benefit of the task you're facing, or on the pressure you're under to
complete a job:
Prioritisation based on project value or profitability is probably the most
commonly-used and rational basis for prioritisation. Whether this is based on
a subjective guess at value or a sophisticated financial evaluation, it often
gives the most efficient results
Time constraints are important where other people are depending on you to
complete a task, and particularly where this task is on the critical path of an
important project. Here, a small amount of your own effort can go a very long
way
It's a brave (and maybe foolish) person who resists his or her boss's pressure
to complete a task, when that pressure is reasonable and legitimate
2.1.3 Prioritisation tools

While these simple approaches to prioritisation suit many situations, there are
plenty of special cases where you'll need other prioritisation and time management
tools if you're going to be truly effective. We look at some of these below:
Paired Comparison Analysis
Paired Comparison Analysis is most useful where decision criteria are vague,
subjective or inconsistent. It helps you prioritise options by asking you to compare
each item on a list with all other items on the list individually. By deciding in each
case which of the two is most important, you can consolidate results to get a
prioritised list.
Grid analysis
Grid analysis helps you prioritise a list of tasks where you need to take many
different factors into consideration.
Action Priority matrix
This quick and simple diagramming technique asks you to plot the value of the task
against the effort it will consume.
By doing this you can quickly spot the quick wins which will give you the greatest
rewards in the shortest possible time, and avoid the hard slogs which soak up
time for little eventual reward. This is an ingenious approach for making highly
efficient prioritisation decisions.
The 80:20 Rule or the Pareto Principle
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The Pareto Principle, or the '80:20 Rule' says that typically 80% of unfocussed
effort generates only 20% of results. This means that the remaining 80% of results
are achieved with only 20% of the effort. While the ratio is not always 80:20, this
broad pattern is the norm in many situations.
The main point here is to recognise that things in life are not evenly distributed!
Concentrate on focussing your resources, time and effort on the 20%. By applying
the time management tips and skills in this section you can optimise your effort to
ensure that you concentrate as much of your time and energy as possible on the
high payoff tasks. This ensures you achieve the greatest benefit possible with the
amount of time available to you.
The value of the Pareto Principle for a manager is that it reminds you to focus on
the 20 percent that matters. Of the things you do during your day, only 20 percent
really matter. Those 20 percent produce 80 percent of your results. Identify and
focus on those things. When the crises of the day begin to take your time, remind
yourself of the 20 percent you need to focus on. If something in the schedule has
to change or not get done, make sure it's not in that 20 percent.
The Urgent/Important Matrix
Similar to the Action Priority Matrix, this technique asks you to think about whether
tasks are urgent or important.
Frequently, seemingly urgent tasks actually aren't that important. And often, really
important activities (like working towards your life goals) just dont seem that
urgent. This approach helps you cut through this.
What are urgent and important activities?
Great time management means being effective as well as efficient. Managing time
effectively, and achieving the things that you want to achieve, means spending
your time on things that are important and not just urgent. To do this, and to
minimise the stress of having too many tight deadlines, it's important to
understand this distinction:
Important activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of your
goals, whether these are professional or personal
Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are often associated with
the achievement of someone else's goals
Urgent activities are often the ones we concentrate on; they demand attention
because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate.
The idea of measuring and combining these two competing elements in a matrix
has been attributed to the former US President Eisenhower and Dr Stephen Covey.
Eisenhower's quote, What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is
seldom important, sums up the concept of the matrix perfectly. This so-called
Eisenhower Principle is said to be how Eisenhower organised his tasks. As a result,
the matrix is sometimes called the Eisenhower Matrix.
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Covey brought the idea into the mainstream and gave it the name The Urgent
/Important Matrix in his 1994 business classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People.
How to use the tool
The Urgent/Important Matrix is a powerful way of thinking about priorities. Using it
helps you overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgent activities, so that you
can keep clear enough time to focus on what's really important. This is the way you
move from fire fighting into a position where you can grow your business and your
career.
Diagram: The Urgent/Important Matrix
Follow the steps below to use the matrix to prioritise your activities:
The first step is to list all activities and projects that you feel you have to do,
include everything that takes up your time at work, however unimportant, if
you use a to-do list or action program, you should have done this already
Next, on a scale of 1 to 5, assign importance to each of the activities - this is
a measure of how important the activity is in helping you meet your goals
and objectives. Try not to worry about urgency at this stage
Once you've assigned an importance value to each activity, evaluate its
urgency, as you do this, plot each item on the matrix according to the values
that you've given it
Now study the matrix using the strategies below to schedule your priorities
Strategies for different quadrants of the matrix

Urgent and important
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There are two distinct types of urgent and important activities: Ones that you could
not foresee, and others that you've left to the last minute.
You can avoid last-minute activities by planning ahead and avoiding
procrastination
Issues and crises, on the other hand, cannot always be foreseen or avoided.
Here, the best approach is to leave some time in your schedule to handle
unexpected issues and unplanned important activities. (If a major crisis
arises, you'll need to reschedule other events)
If you have a lot of urgent and important activities, which of these could have been
foreseen, and how you could schedule similar activities ahead of time, so that they
don't become urgent.
Urgent and not important
Urgent but not important activities stop you achieving your goals, and prevent you
from completing work. Can these tasks can be rescheduled, or delegated?
A common source of such interruptions is from other people in your office.
Sometimes it's appropriate to say no politely, or to encourage them to solve the
problem themselves. Or, try scheduling time when you are available, so people
know that they can interrupt you at these times (a good way of doing this is to
schedule a regular meeting, so that all issues can be dealt with at the same time).
By doing this, you'll be able to concentrate on your important activities for longer
periods of time.
Remember these tasks may be urgent for the other person but not important for
you. It is important to provide alternative times for others who need your help that
fit into both schedules. If you can never help them they may never be available to
help you.
Not urgent, but important
These are the activities that help you achieve your personal and professional goals,
and complete important work. Leave plenty of time to do these things properly, so
they do not become urgent. Leave enough time in your schedule to deal with
unforeseen problems. This will maximise your chances of keeping on schedule, and
help you avoid the stress of work becoming more urgent than necessary.
Not urgent and not important
These activities are a distraction, and should be avoided if possible. Some can
simply be ignored or cancelled. Others are activities other people may want you to
do, but do not contribute to your own outcomes. Again, say no politely, if you can.
If people see you are clear about your objectives and boundaries, they will often
not ask you to do not important activities in the future.
The Urgent/Important Matrix helps you look at your task list, and quickly identify
the activities you should focus on. By prioritising using the Matrix, you can deal
with truly urgent issues, at the same time that you keep on working towards
important goals.
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The Ansoff and Boston matrices

These give you a quick rule of thumb for prioritising the opportunities open to you.
The Ansoff Matrix helps you evaluate and prioritise opportunities by risk. The
Boston Matrix does a similar job, helping you prioritise opportunities based on the
attractiveness of a market and your ability to take advantage of it.
Nominal Group Technique
Nominal Group Technique is a useful technique for prioritising issues and projects
within a group, giving everyone fair input into the prioritisation process. This is
particularly useful where consensus is important, and where a robust group
decision needs to be made.
Using this tool, each group participant nominates his or her priority issues, and
ranks them on a scale, of say 1 to 10. The score for each issue is then added up,
with issues then prioritised based on scores. The obvious fairness of this approach
makes it particularly useful where prioritisation is based on subjective criteria, and
where people's buy in to the prioritisation decision is needed.
Daily rhythm - Your natural rhythm cycle
Everyone has a rhythm over a 24 hour period. The above chart gives you an
example. Research into morning and evening types has been done by Professor Jim
Horne at Loughborough University, who produces graphs by comparing your data
to national profiles.
Why does the chart dip?
Having a siesta seems to be hard-wired into us. Most of us have a natural
dip in the early afternoon - this is controlled by your body clock (not by how
much you eat at lunch)
Morning people (Larks) have a longer, more obvious afternoon dip than
evening people (Owls)
After a poor night's sleep, your afternoon dip would be more noticeable. Your
graph would be one notch lower - something you should bear in mind if
driving in the afternoon
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Can I affect the dips?

Everyone's natural dip is made worse by alcohol - drinking at lunch time
seems to have more of an effect than in the evening
Afternoon tiredness can be overcome by coffee or a 20 minute nap (ideally
both, since caffeine takes 20 minutes before it gets through your system)
If you like to limit your caffeine intake, you may want to save your quota for
when you experience your natural dip
2.1.4 Delegation
If you have ever said it is quicker to do it myself then you need to think hard
about delegation and how it can help you and your team. What if you actually
become too busy to always do it yourself? If you can never hand anything over to
anyone else, not only will you have no chance to get a break but your team wont
ever be able to help you or do your job so you can do another one.
It is also common to hear who would I delegate to? There is no one!
Rarely are there no others available to delegate to. However, if there are no others
to delegate to perhaps you need to outsource the work? Perhaps you need to find
someone and train them to be able to help you reliably and capably so you can do
other, more important or more specialised tasks.
Delegation is an important skill for management. It takes practice!
It is a two way process which, if managed properly will help you and your team.
They become involved in a useful way. Delegation helps free up your time as a
manager and develops and grooms your people for promotion and job growth.
In general there are several stage to effective delegation:
Why do you need to

delegate? If the person
Are they capable of doing
What do you need to you are delegating to
the task? Do they
delegate? Who can you does not know why you
understand what you
delegate this task to? are passing this job onto
need from them?
them they may not be as
willing.
What results do you

What resources need to
expect? Ask the person Deadlines? Are there
be supplied and used to
you are delegating to if stages? If so make sure
make sure the job can be
they understand the expectations are clear.
completed satisfactorily.
standard needed.
Communicate to make
Support the person you sure others know what is Feedback reward
have delegated to. Dont happening. Others may sucess, train and support
just dump the job on not understand why you for improvement as
them and disappear. are not doing the task needed.
yourself.
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Communication is the most important part of this process. Feedback is the best
way to be sure people understand what you need from them.
Questions to consider:
Is there anyone else who could do this job?
Will this task happen again? Can I train someone now to do it as it reoccurs?
Can I develop one of my team to do these tasks?
Is this task taking up too much of my time and stopping me from doing my
main jobs?
If you can answer these yes to these questions then possibly this is a good task to
delegate to someone in your team!
At what point do you delegate? It is more than telling someone what to do and
walking away! Do you ask them to do a task with very strict instructions or give
them a brief overview and leave them to it?
Levels of delegation:
It depends on your the boundaries you set. How free are you with the level of
autonomy and responsibility? Should the person you are delegating:
Wait to be told what to do, at every step?
Ask what to do at each stage?
Recommend actions and then proceed?
Act and tell you what they are doing at stages through the task?
Take full responsibility and report at stages predetermined at the start?
If it is your task and one of your team is helping you, you may still retain
responsibility make sure you manage the level of responsibility properly and clearly
communicate all the way through the process. You are trying to develop a team
member after all.
Ask what approach they would take, what they are comfortable with. Presumably
you have faith in their ability to help you, otherwise you would not have delegated
to them. Ask for their ideas and solutions, dont be too quick to just provide the
answer and rescue them from any responsibility and opportunity to learn and offer
suggestions.
Consider the skill level of the staff you delegate to. If they are close to the source
of the work they may be more competent than someone from another department.
Choose the right person to help you, not only will you get a better outcome but the
process will be positive for them as well.
What results are you looking for? If you delegate be prepared to accept that
someone else may have a better way to do it. Your way is not necessarily the best.
Maintain control over the situation:
Brief your staff properly
Make sure they are confident of their roles and responsibilities
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Confirm when you need to know about progress and issues

Provide support to build confidence and maintain a high standard of work
Recognise and reward success
Mentor and train for improvement
Check in as agreed, not more, not less!
If your team can help you, you will all be more productive and effective. The team
will be motivated and work well together.
2.2 Use technology efficiently and effectively to

manage work priorities and commitments
Technology includes any tool you can use to improve your performance to meet
your organisational objectives. To obtain the most efficiency in your work, make
sure you use the appropriate technology to manage your tasks and meet your
commitments.
For maximum efficiency on your computer, you should:
Create folders (directories) for electronic documents
Create folders (directories) for emails and faxes
File electronic documents in the correct folder
Put the most used folders on your desktop
Most computers will have the following computer applications. These applications,
when used correctly, will improve your effectiveness and efficiency. Computer
software can include:
Database - a database is the way in which information can be organised so the
amount of information generated is minimised.
Relational databases are very popular within organisations. Data is represented in a

mathematical way through tables with columns and rows. Each table should
describe an entity for example, an asset or customer.
Databases have many uses and applications, here is a very small sample of the
possible applications they can be used for:
Maintain customer records in terms of contact details, orders and payments
Research data and establish a library catalogue
Identify the relationships between training and meeting organisational
objectives and goals
A database can be designed as a way in which to increase the security of your data.
This allows you to obtain information that can answer questions.
Databases can be designed to:
Create forms
Design tables
Produce reports
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Complete searches and analyses

Word processing - Word processors are an excellent way in which to
communicate information and maintain an ongoing copy of events that occur within
the organisation. As a manager, you will come to rely on information in documents
to provide you with historical information that can communicate what you have
done and why you have done it, identify errors or ways in which to improve.
These documents are produced quickly and have improved the efficiency and
effectiveness of your work environment.
Online services - As workplaces become more dynamic and the demands on time
increase, more and more businesses are relying on technology to process
information. To save time, less business personnel are travelling. Instead they
attend meetings from their office. For example video conference or audio
conferencing. These meetings save not only time and money, but also increase the
efficiency and effectiveness of an organisations operations.
Project management - To manage your personal work priorities and professional
development you may consider using project management tools which are an
excellent way assist you in meeting your goals and objectives. Programs such as
Microsoft Project and Visio can assist you in developing the tools for project
management.
Visual diagrams are more appropriate for the decision making process. Visio
produces concept maps, diagrams, flow charts and mind maps. Using visual
information provides you with an opportunity to use both sides of the brain.
The left and right sides of your brain processes information in different ways. The
left side of the brain is used for managing, thinking in a logical manner, using
rationality and is skilled at sequencing ideas, whereas, the right side of the brain
uses visuals to form answers, is the dreamer, solves problems intuitively and is
skilled at showing relationships between ideas.
A visual aid will allow you to see ideas and form relationships that may otherwise
not have been formed to improve productivity and improve your skills and
knowledge so that you reach your organisational goals and objectives.
Electronic diaries and mobile technology - are used more and more to assist in
the effective and efficient running of business or individual roles within
organisations. Records such as appointments, emails, phone calls, meetings and
contacts can be found at your fingertips.
The main advantages are:
You can edit information easily
You can search for information easily
Reminders can be programmed for appointments
You can view data as needed
Remember to back up your data regularly!
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2.3 Maintain appropriate work-life balance, and

ensure stress is effectively managed and health
is attended to
2.3.1 Work-life balance
There is no agreed definition of work-life balance but it does appear that the right
balance for one person may differ from the next. Balance is achieved in different
ways for different people. Some people do it to balance their caring responsibilities
for children with work, while others want more time to themselves, engaging in
leisure activities.
Effectiveness and efficiency are likely to improve if you maintain an appropriate
work-life balance and control stress levels. Reducing stress, allows you to better
manage your energy and efficiency. Increased concentration and a less stressed
workforce ensures increased productivity.
Work-life balance, in its broadest sense, is defined as a satisfactory level of
involvement or fit between the multiple roles in a persons life (Hudson, 2005).
Peoples perception of work-life balance is very subjective, as reflected by various
descriptions of work-life balance by employees:
A good balance is a four-day work week. This allows me to get all the stuff
(groceries, laundry, cleaning) done in one day and still have the weekend free
If the dream job has stress within tolerable / manageable limits, then I will
have achieved a work-life balance
For me, a good work-life balance means something simple: to work to
support my life, and not the other way around. I dont want to use my life to
support my work, I want to use my work so I can live my life in the way I
want it. If I can do this, then I have good work-life balance
Work-life balance for any one person is having the right combination of
participation in paid work (defined by hours and working conditions) and other
aspects of their lives. This combination will change as people move through life and
have changing responsibilities and commitments in their work and personal lives.
How can you achieve it?
Work-life balance policies can assist employees achieving the balance between their
work and personal commitments that is right for them. The policies need to be
supported by the workplace culture, which reflects the beliefs, values and norms of
the whole of the organisation from the CEO to staff members. Other important
factors in the success of work-life balance policies include proper communication of
commitment to the policies to existing and future employees, raising awareness of
the policies, education of managers about the importance of policies, and training
of managers on how to implement these policies.
Who does it apply to?
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Work-life balance policies and practices can assist all people, not just those with
young children. They assist people who are responsible for the care of elderly
parents, people who have study commitments, those older employees who simply
want to ease themselves into retirement or people with other personal and lifestyle
commitments.
Our work and personal lives change across the life span with associated
responsibilities, and thus the need for work-life balance policies, changing all the
time. One thing that an increasing number of people might have in common in the
future is their caring responsibilities for the elderly (e.g. parents and spouse) with
the ageing of the population.
Plan your time. Make time for yourself.
Scheduling is the process by which you look at the time available to you, and plan
how you will use it to achieve the goals you have identified. By using a schedule
properly, you can:
Understand what you can realistically achieve with your time
Plan to make the best use of the time available
Leave enough time for things you absolutely must do
Preserve contingency time to handle the unexpected
Minimise stress by avoiding over-commitment to others
A well thought-through schedule allows you to manage your commitments, while
still leaving you time to do the things that are important to you. It is therefore a
most important weapon for beating work overload and stress.
If you find you are unable to maintain a healthy life and work life balance, you may
need to obtain professional assistance. Many organisations employ counsellors and
mental health professionals as part of their employee assistance program (EAP).
Organisations design EAPs to enhance the emotional, mental and psychological
wellbeing of all employees and if necessary the needs of the family.
The aim of an EAP is to provide preventative and proactive interventions for the
minimisation of personal problems that may affect performance. Employee
assistance may include counselling, physical fitness and assistance for gambling,
addictions, depression, anxiety disorders and communication problems.
What is stress?
Everyone experiences stress at some stage in their life. Stress is often referred to
as the harmful physical, psychological and emotional responses that occur
when an individual is exposed to perceived environmental pressures. Harmful
responses to these pressures, known as stressors, occur when the requirements of
a situation do not match the perceived capabilities, resources or needs of the
individual. How an individual responds to stressors will depend on their personality,
perceptions and past experiences. Some stress is positive when it assists us in
achieving our work and personal goals.
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Prolonged or repeated stress may lead to a number of adverse reactions including

psychological injury.
2.3.2 Identify sources of stress

When an individual experiences stress, it not only impacts on their work behaviour
but the broader work environment. Psychological injury is recognised as a costly
type of workers compensation claim. Signs of stress may include:
Absence from work
Alcohol or other substance abuse
Conflict
Poor work performance
Impact of stress in the workplace may be manifested in:
Increased or excessive absenteeism
High or increased accident rates
Reduced morale
Poor interpersonal relations in the workplace
Poor or reduced work output and performance
Increased staff turnover
Personal wellness is an accumulation of six dimensions of wellness that influence
the emotional state, motivation and overall health an individual. The six dimensions
it is comprised of include:
Occupational (job) wellness

Emotional wellness
Spiritual wellness
Intellectual wellness
Social wellness
Physical wellness
For more information on these
dimensions visit:
http://www.hettler.com/sixdimen.htm
Stress has an effect on your wellness in ways which can impact your performance
at work.
Recognising signs and symptoms of stress
Identifying the signs and symptoms of employee stress, and working proactively to
address and resolve problems, can reduce the impact that these issues have on the
individual and the workplace. As a manager, you are in an ideal position to
recognise early warning signs indicating an employee is experiencing stress and/or
requires support.
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The information you use in assessing an employees situation may come from a
variety of sources.
Sometimes individuals will clearly communicate that they are experiencing personal
or work related difficulties - they may even approach you directly. Often, however,
it is through observing an individuals behaviour and non-verbal communication,
that you can identify this issue.
Symptoms of stress may include:
Anxiety
Changed eating habits
Difficulty concentrating
Fear of criticism or disapproval
Feeling overworked or overloaded
Feeling tense or on edge
Feeling tired
Feeling unclear about roles and responsibilities
Feeling weak or easily exhausted
Increased consumption of alcohol
Nervousness
Restlessness
Trembling or shaking
Worry
Monitoring stress symptoms like the examples above, requires an understanding
of exactly what you are dealing with before implementing any strategy.
Stress is a generic term widely used in society to describe feelings that some
people have in response to pressures that they face in their lives.
Stress itself is not a disease or injury and feeling stressed is not sufficient to
establish a workers compensation claim, unless it results in a mental or
physical injury
The form of mental injury generally associated with work-related stress is
called psychological injury and may include conditions such as depression,
anxiety, adjustment disorder and post-traumatic stress
Such injuries may be compensable under the Safety, Rehabilitation and
Compensation Act 1988
The Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act) provides
the legislative basis for the Commonwealth workers compensation scheme
Stress at work is not always harmful
There is both useful stress (eustress) and harmful stress (distress) Eustress is
challenging and can produce positive effects, such as the maximisation of output
and creativity.
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NOTE: Acceptable definition:

Eustress is a term coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye which is defined in the
model of Richard Lazarus (1974) as stress that is healthy, or gives one a feeling of
fulfilment or other positive feelings. Eustress is a process of exploring potential
gains.
Distress may become evident, however, when a person is subjected to demands

and expectations that are out of keeping with their needs, abilities, skills and
general coping with work related activity.
Distress is likely to result in a loss of productivity and a decline in overall
levels of well-being
The occurrence of stress depends on the individual circumstances, particularly as
the individual perceives them.
No-one is immune to stress, and some circumstances are so stressful that the
majority of people would be adversely affected. However, an individuals reaction to
stress will be influenced by a range of factors, including:
Their personality
Age
Educational level
Degree of training
Health status (physical fitness and nutrition)
Social status in the organisation
The pressures they face outside the workplace
Establish a plan to reduce stress
If significant numbers of employees are experiencing and expressing effects of
stress at work, then the problem assumes organisational proportions. Work-
related stress can impact on an organisation in many ways, including:
Workplace and work-team relations
Productivity
Quality
Absenteeism
Employee turnover
Accidents
Customer and client complaints
Research has also emphasised the importance and benefits for organisations to
investigate the relationship between employee health and the prevention of work-
related stress.
How can you as an employee or a team work to reduce stress in the workplace?
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Individually
Schedule your work

Dont overload yourself
Plan regular breaks
Regular informal meetings with supervisor
Team
Team social functions

Team meetings with group sessions to support the team
Organisation
Casual Fridays and other informal measures

Counselling services for staff
Provide a flexible work environment
It has been also suggested in research that the following areas are frequently
symptoms of underlying stress problems. Treating the symptom without treating
the problem is unlikely to be effective.
Absenteeism
Staff turnover
Poor productivity
Poor customer service
Increased workers compensation claims
What causes stress and psychological injury? Sources of stress may include:
Complex tasks
Cultural issues
Work and family conflict
Workloads
Most claims develop over periods of six months or more, often in response to the
interaction of a number of work-related and other factors.
Data for psychological injury recorded by Australian government
organisations over recent years indicate that there has been an increase in
the proportion of claims classified as relating to work pressure
This category, work pressure, covers a range of stress factors arising from and
including:
Workload backlogs
Deadlines
Organisational restructures
Interpersonal conflict with peers and supervisors
Performance counselling
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In terms of further establishing a plan to reduce stress, research has suggested this
task may be best served if divided into the following categories, physical hazards
and psychosocial hazards, context and content.
Physical Noisy or dangerous work can be associated with anxiety which, in

hazards turn, drives the experience of work-related stress.
Psychosocial Those aspects of the design, organisation and management of

hazards work and its social and environmental context that can cause
psychological, social or physical harm.
Context Relating to the manner in which the work takes place or how the
work is organised.
Content The work task or what the job involves.
Work Context STRESS Risk Factors
Organisational Poor communication, low levels of support for problem-solving

culture and and personal development, lack of definition of organisational
function objectives.
Role in Role ambiguity and role conflict, responsibility for people.

organisation
Career Career stagnation and uncertainty, under-promotion or over-

development promotion, poor pay, job insecurity, low social value to work.
Decision Low participation in decision making, lack of control over work

latitude/control (control, particularly in the form of participation, is also a
context and wider organisational issue).
Interpersonal Social or physical isolation, poor relationships with superiors,

relationships at interpersonal conflict (including harassment and bullying), lack
work of social support.
Customer- The need to hide negative emotions during interactions with

related clients/customers, unrealistic customer expectations, and/or
verbally aggressive clients/customers. Risk factors for violence
include exchange of money with customers, few employees on
site, and evening or night work.
Home-work Conflicting demands of work and home, low support at home,

interface dual career problems.
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Work Problems regarding the reliability, availability, suitability and

environment maintenance or repair of equipment and facilities.
and equipment
Task design Lack of variety or short work cycles, fragmented or

meaningless work, under-use of skills, high uncertainty.
Workload/pace Work over-load or under-load, high levels of time pressure.
Work schedule Shift working, inflexible work schedules, unpredictable hours,

long or unsocial hours.
Relieve stress and anxiety

Flexible routines can help relieve stress and anxiety because there is a plan in
place. It creates a mental release from having to constantly work out the details,
wondering and worrying when an employee may be able to accomplish something.
To build skills to better manage workload, some or all of the following areas can be
examined:
Take a realistic look at the sales team customers' and expectations
Identifying the gaps and reasons between expectations and reality eg.
unclear priorities, missing deadlines, cutting corners
Clarifying roles, responsibilities, goals, objectives and priorities
Providing easy tips and techniques for improving time and work management
including managing meetings and quantifying and categorising work
Building the skills to work smarter rather than harder or longer
Using a simple self-coaching process to help set and meet improvement
goals and a personal action plan to improve control of work and stress
Self-management of stress
Support and resolution strategies may include:
Awareness raising
Counselling
Employee assistance programs (EAP)
Family support
Group activities
Job design
Mediation
Sharing load
Time off
Training
If you suffer from work-related stress you can help yourself in a number of ways:
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Think about the changes you need to make at work in order to reduce your
stress levels and take action
Some changes you can manage yourself, while others will need the
cooperation of others
Talk over your concerns with your employer or human resources manager
Take care of yourself - eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep and exercise
regularly
Consider the benefits of regular relaxation, try meditation or yoga
Provide enough free time to yourself every week
Dont take out your stress on loved ones - share your work problems and ask
for their support and suggestions
Drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco, wont alleviate stress and can cause
additional health problems. Avoid excessive drinking and smoking
Seek professional counselling from a psychologist
If work-related stress continues to be a problem, despite your efforts to manage
the stress, you may need to consider another job or a career change.
None of the above comments or suggestions are based on any medical advice or
foundation. They are drawn from practical experience, research and Australian
Government records.
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3. Develop and maintain professional

competence
3.1 Assess personal knowledge and skills against
competency standards to determine
development needs and plans
To ensure you maintain organisational standards, take steps to monitor and assess
your performance. Utilise your job description, duty statement or statement of
conduct and performance appraisal as a tool to measure your professional
competency. These documents can assist you in determining your level of personal
knowledge and skills. They will help you prioritise your activities to ensure that you
work efficiently and effectively. It is important that you also take steps to monitor
your performance.
Performance can be measured in several different ways including:
Observing peoples reactions to you - for interpersonal relations and to
reinforce your position as a role model, take the time to observe whether
personnel react to you in a positive manner. Particular attention should be
paid to others body language. Is it open? Is it closed?
Do people ask for your opinion? - If no one asks for your opinion, a red
flag should be raised. You have either intimidated them and dont feel they
can approach you or they do not respect your opinion. Do not make
assumptions. Gather feedback to find out what the situation is
Exposure to other members of management - Communication is a two
way process. Understand what other members of management think about
your skills and knowledge. Observe their skills and knowledge to assist you in
identifying ways in which you can improve your own personal skills and
knowledge
Competency standards can be used to measure the level of your performance. A
competency standard is a document used as a frame of reference by your employer
to determine how they expect the job and the performance of the job to be done
and to determine how competent you are at your job. Competency standards aim
to ensure that you can perform at a specified minimal level.
The main types of competency standards are:
Nationally endorsed units of competency consistent with work requirements,
these are recognised nationwide and service as a basis for assessment and the
issue of formal qualifications
Enterprise-specific units of competency consistent with work requirements
Organisational standards that are in-house and specific to your employer
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In-house standards are developed to ensure you meet the minimal level for your
employer. If you identify weaknesses in competency standards, corrective action
should be taken to address the issue.
The following table can be used to assist you in assessing your personal
knowledge and skills.
Skill or Competency Actual performance

knowledge gap standard to meet
the gap
Case Study Miriam

If we look at the case study for Miriam again we can use this table to help us. As a
result of Miriams meeting with the Art Director she now knows, in addition to
completing her degree she needs training in the process of recruitment (Art
Directors are also involved in employment of their team) together they decided that
Miriam should undertake another course, a unit from a Business Diploma aimed at
recruitment, selection and induction. Her process may look like this.
Skill or Competency Actual performance KPI

knowledge standard to
gap meet the gap
Improve BSBHRM506 Selection process Complete the course in
recruitment Facilitate Recruitment 14 weeks
skills recruitment Undertake the next
Legislation involved
selection and process of RS&I within
Organisations induction
induction three weeks
program
processes
(RS&I)
It is also important that you seek feedback when you complete this form. Listening
to the opinion of others will allow you to obtain a clear picture of your level of
competence from other perspectives.
You have identified your goals and set your plans. Now what? Identifying your
development needs can be challenging. Often, we find ourselves looking at what
training courses are available and deciding which of those would be most helpful. In
fact, it is better to try and identify what the development need is and then to work
out ways of meeting that need, which may or may not be a training course.
Determining your development needs
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What skills, What skills,

knowledge, knowledge and Identify the Determine
and behaviour behaviours do gaps in your how to meet
do you need to you already development. those needs.
do your job? have?
Annual review is a great opportunity to discuss your development needs with your
line manager. You may be able to discuss the changing requirements of your role,
as well as your personal development aspirations (for example, career
development). It is important that you have considered your development needs
before your annual review meeting as this will enable you to make the most of your
discussion.
Stages to identifying your needs.
ONE Identify what skills, knowledge and behaviours are required
for you to do your job well
Virtually all roles have a position description and/or a person specification. Your
position description will list the things that you are expected to do, and the person
specification will identify the skills, experience, knowledge and behaviours that you
need to do that job well. These are often incorporated into one document.
You may find it helpful to talk to your line manager or Head of Department (HOD) if
you feel you want to clarify any of the requirements set out in these documents.
Your annual review meeting will be one place to have this discussion, but you can
raise the issue of development at any meeting with your manager during the year.
At this stage, its also worth thinking about the skills, knowledge and behaviours
that you may need to develop in the future in your current job. You may know, for
example, that your role will be changing or that you will be working on different
projects or that you are interested in a career change. What new or different skills,
knowledge and behaviours will you need? Go back to your life or career goals to
include in your development plan.
Make a list of current and future skills, knowledge and behaviours that you need.
TWO Look at the skills, knowledge and behaviours you actually have
now
Look at the list you have produced. Now ask yourself how effectively you match
against each one. You could consider talking this through with a friend or colleague,
or with your manager or HOD.
Its important to ask yourself some rigorous questions at this stage and answer
honestly! Are there areas of your work, for example, where developing more
confidence would make a real difference to your success in your job? Are there
knowledge, skills and behaviours that you only need on occasion that would benefit
from some development? Can you identify areas where you feel confident and
believe you perform well that could be an even greater strength for you with some
development?
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THREE Compare actual with required to identify the gaps. These are
your development needs
Try and be as specific as possible about what you need to do differently. This will
really help you when you are deciding how to best address your development
needs. It will also help you review and measure your success.
For example, I need to learn how to use Outlook to sort, prioritise and store my
emails, will be much more helpful than I need to be more organised, when it
comes to deciding what development you need. It will also help you check how the
Outlook training you undertook actually made a difference in your ability to be
organised.
FOUR Decide how to meet identified needs
The next step is how best to address the development needs you have identified.
Practicalities
How do I prefer to learn?
Finding the best solution
Where to go for more help
Practicalities
You do need to consider the practicalities, such as cost, timescales and the urgency
of your development need at the outset. How much funding is likely to be available
and what solutions are available and when, will all have a bearing on how the
needs are met. If you are asking your department to fund the cost of your
development, remember that your HOD will need to consider your request in light
of budgetary restrictions and within the wider training needs of the department.
This may mean that your preferred option may not be feasible in the short term.
You might need to consider a number of ways of meeting the identified
development need where possible.
How do I prefer to learn?
Do you learn most successfully observing, trying things out, reading, listening,
discussing, reflecting, researching or questioning? Think about the times when you
have learned something successfully and try to work out why you were able to
learn effectively. Or think about a time you didnt learn well and work out why.
Finding the best solution
Remember to start by identifying what it is that you need to learn. Try to be as
precise as you can. What is it that you need to do differently? Make sure the
development you choose will result in the change you need. If you are thinking
about a course, check the content and learning outcomes advertised and then
review these against your development need. How well do they match?
Remember to consider all the options to make sure you dont miss the right
opportunity. This may not always be a course or a formal training session. Look at
the development solutions list for suggestions.
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BSBWOR501B Manage personal work priorities and professional development
2.3.3 Personal work goal and action plan

Case Study Miriam
Name Miriam
Give details of an organisational goal you have identified in your business plan
and job description
To expand operations into four more cities in five years appoint Senior and
Deputy Art Directors for all four offices within 4 years
Describe the Personal Work Goal you wish to set for yourself so you can achieve
the above organisational goal-
Become Deputy Art Director within five years
TASKS ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME KPI
What needs What action is to be How long will How will you measure success?
to be done? taken? this take? Use S.M.A.R.T. formula.
Meet with
the Art Schedule meeting 5 minutes
Director
Meet at the 30 minutes I need to get feedback on what

arranged has been additional skills and knowledge I
time with Attend meeting scheduled for need to achieve my goal
the Art this Is this achievable in the time
Director appointment frame?
Go back to Pass all units on first go

Re enrol in course,
school to 2 years to
contact campus to Gain as many credits for past
complete complete
assess any recognition work as possible
design degree
of prior learning
degree Achieve degree in two years
Investigate the program

Volunteer Undertake five projects in a 12
for additional projects
for five month time frame with the
to determine which
projects in involvement of the Art Director
ones are the most 1 year
conjunction
helpful and how they Seek feedback on your
with Art
will fit into my work and performance to improve
Director
personal schedule
Consider using this form for your own action plan.
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BSBWOR501B Manage personal work priorities and professional development
2.4 Seek feedback from employees, clients and

colleagues and use this feedback to identify
and develop ways to improve competence
2.4.1 Feedback
Humanist Carl Rogers listed five types of feedback. The sequence is important: they
are given in order of frequency of use (not necessarily the same order of
effectiveness):
Makes a judgment about the other person, evaluating
Evaluative
worth or goodness.
There is a big difference between judging a person and
judging their actions.
A personal evaluation judges the whole person and You are not a very
implies this is a personal and unchangeable attribute. nice person. / You
Negative personal evaluation can be very are a lovely person.
uncomfortable for the other person. Positive personal
evaluation, is very flattering.
Behavioural evaluation judges the action, but not the That was not a very
person. This makes negative evaluation easier for the nice thing to do.
other person to accept.
You seek to test your understanding of what has been So you are
Interpretive
said by interpreting and paraphrasing back to the interested in doing

other person what you think has been said. this job -- is this
This is typically followed by a question to allow the right?
other person to agree with your interpretation or offer
a correction.
Understanding is not perfect and testing understanding
is generally a very good thing to do. It is generally
flattering too, as you are demonstrating an active
interest in what is being said.
Seek to support the other person in some way. That was truly
Supportive
In flattery, you support the other person's ego by telling awesome! Can you
them they are good in some way (whether or not this is sing it again,
true). please?
With developmental supportive feedback, you seek to Your singing is
help the other person change in some way. This is not improving. Try
always easy, as some criticism may be involved. recording it and
listen to the opening
notes.
Supportive feedback can be reversed with the deliberate That was awful! You
purpose of damaging the other person's ego in a should give up
personal attack. singing.
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Probing Seeks to find more information by asking deeper Could you tell me
questions that seek specific information. more about what
happened? ... What
happened next?
Why?
At the 'understanding' level, you are seeking to
Understanding
understand not just what was said, but the whole

person underneath
Asking questions not only shows that you are listening
to the inner person, but also that you truly understand.
Do not become defensive. Accept the feedback and thank the person giving it. You
need to seek out feedback. It is important that you maintain your image as a role
model to look up to. If you are defensive, consider the message that you are
passing to your team members.
A form of feedback that can be used to gain a better understanding of your
strengths and weaknesses is 360 degree feedback. This is the process where
employees, peers, other managers and other personnel can provide managers with
feedback about their performance.
This form of feedback should be performed either in a survey or on-line. A group of
eight to twelve individuals will be required to complete a feedback form about each
others workplace competencies. The feedback is anonymous and their responses
aim to provide you with information about your strengths and weaknesses.
360 degree feedback is used in two ways:
To measure employee performance (such as through the use of a performance
appraisal)
As a development tool to recognise your weaknesses and strengths so you can
identify where you may be required to take corrective action
360 degree feedback provides constructive feedback that assists:
Managers, by saving time
In team development
Personal and organisational performance development
Reducing the risk of discrimination
With training needs assessments required by your employer to help identify
areas in which you can improve and professional development strategies to
close the gap between actual and expected performance
Feedback tips
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Be specific rather than general
More meaning is gained from knowing what it is exactly that needs consideration
To be told you dominate meetings is far less helpful than being told Just now
when we were discussing ideas for the way forward I would have appreciated it if
you had allowed others equal time to put forward their suggestions
Use descriptive rather than judgemental feedback
Describe the action without positioning a judgement, criticising or laying blame

This reduces the likelihood of the recipient getting defensive and helps to keep
you focussed on what is not an interpretation of what is
Avoid BUT and HOWEVER people know whats coming next
Use and when putting points together

Not only do people prefer hearing it, it also frames your feedback into solutions,
possibilities and suggestions and can make for productive outcomes
Ask questions
Seek clarity at every opportunity and ensure the conversation is two way
Have the receiver rephrase the feedback and confirm that it matches your intent
Own the feedback
Use: The way I see it is that My view is It seems to me that.
Time the feedback well
It is most useful at the earliest opportunity after a particular behaviour has

occurred
Have a positive intention
Make sure your motives and mindset are well intended

Dont give feedback when you are feeling angry or stressed
Dont use feedback to get at someone or prove your point
The purpose of feedback is to help the individual
Feedback, no matter how it is given should be used as a way in which to improve

your performance. If feedback highlights your strengths, then find a way to
improve your strengths by creating more personal benchmarks.
Be proactive in your approach to feedback. Demonstrate to your team
members that it is okay to ask for feedback. Obtain feedback from:
Colleagues at the same level and more senior managers
Internal or external customers
People from a wide range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with a
range of physical and mental abilities
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Team members
Treat all personnel equally, professionally and with the same level of consistency.
Assure personnel that you will handle all feedback confidentially and make sure
that you reinforce the trust that you have established with them.
Case Study Miriam
Considering Miriam again and her project of adding to her knowledge and skills
once she has completed the process, the Art Director will be able to provide
feedback based on the results of her study. The KPIs allow her progress and
development to be measured effectively and she can ask and receive feedback on
her performance.
Skill or Competency Actual performance KPI

knowledge standard to
gap meet the gap
Improve BSBHRM506 Selection process Complete the course in
recruitment Facilitate Recruitment 14 weeks
skills recruitment Undertake the next
Legislation involved
selection and process of RS&I within
Organisations induction
induction the three weeks
program
(RS&I)
processes
Her manager and the Art Director may be able to assist her with real, hands on
experience and feedback on her performance. Her trainer will be able to provide
feedback on her assessment and time management skills. At all stages Miriam
should be willing and receptive to this feedback. Her mentors need to be able to
provide positive and constructive feedback to help her.
2.5 Identify, evaluate, select and use development

opportunities suitable to personal learning
style/s to develop competence
There are a range development opportunities available to be considered when
developing your personal development plans:
Action learning
Coaching
Exchange/rotation
Induction
Mentoring
Shadowing
Networking
Structured training programs
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Action Learning
Action learning is an educational process whereby people work and learn together
by tackling real issues and reflecting on their actions. Learners acquire knowledge
through actual actions and practice rather than through traditional instruction.
Action learning is done in conjunction with others, in small groups. It is proposed
as particularly suitable for adults, as it enables each person to reflect on and review
the action they have taken and the learning points arising. This should then guide
future action and improve performance
Coaching
When referring to being coached by a professional coach, is a teaching, training or
development process where an individual gets support learning to achieve specific
personal or professional results or goals. If you are receiving coaching you may be
called a client or coachee or you may be an intern or apprenticeship with the
person coaching you.
Exchange/Rotation
Job rotation is a management approach where employees are moved between two
or more assignments or jobs at regular intervals of time in order to expose them to
all areas of the organisation. It is a pre-planned approach aimed at testing
employees skills and competencies in order to place them in the right place.
Job rotation is a well-planned practice to reduce the boredom of doing the same
type of job every day and explore the hidden potential of an employee. The process
serves the purpose of both the management and the employees. It helps
management in discovering the talent of employees and determining what he or
she is best at. On the other hand, it gives an individual a chance to explore his or
her own interests and gain experience in different fields or operations.
Induction
Commencing at a new workplace can be exciting and an overwhelming. The
transition to the new workplace will be easier and more effective if there is a
thorough induction process. A well-prepared and comprehensive induction program
helps staff quickly understand the responsibilities of their new role and your
expectations of them.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or
knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or knowledgeable person.
However, true mentoring is more than just answering occasional questions or
providing ad hoc help. It is about an ongoing relationship of learning, dialogue, and
challenge.
Mentoring is a process that involves communication and is relationship based, its
precise definition is elusive, and this is one example, there are many others.
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Mentoring is a process for the informal transmission of knowledge, social

capital, and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant
to work, career, or professional development; mentoring entails informal
communication, usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time,
between a person who is perceived to have greater relevant knowledge,
wisdom, or experience (the mentor) and a person who is perceived to have
less (the protg).
Essentially, a mentor provides a long term development relationship over a broad
range of topics, and not a specific skill. As a guideline we could assign these roles
to these participants in this kind of personal or professional development:
Mentor Mentee Supervisor
Support mentee Take responsibility Needs to be kept

Share expertise and Initiate meetings informed of progress
experience mentee Share experiences Must provide
needs opportunities for
Listen actively
Foster learning appropriate personnel
Listen and respect
to participate
Help and clarify issues other perspectives
Encourage participants
Answer questions Learn to find their own
to feed outcomes into
Actively listen solutions
the personal
Spend time with Spend time with the development plan and
mentees mentor annual review
Be accessible and Give and receive
positive honest and
Give constructive constructive feedback
feedback
Are non-judgemental
Respect confidences
Shadowing
Work shadowing quite simply refers to a process where one staff member
'shadows' or follows another in their work role for a period of time. In practice,
work shadowing provides an opportunity to increase knowledge, skills and
understanding of a particular job role through first hand observation. It also
provides a means of gaining insight into how the department operates, and how a
particular work role fits within the overall organisational structure.
Networking
Networks are made up of groups who exchange information and ideas based on
common interests. Networks will help you build contacts while developing your
interpersonal skills. Networking can be formal or informal and work in hand with
the other development opportunities. See more about networking in section 3.4.
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Structured training programs

Structured training programs, whether online or face to face, feature a
comprehensive set of learning objectives. Registered Training Organisations (RTO)
offer accredited training for a wide range of subjects and professions.
Learning professionals design and develop structured training programs to provide
skills and knowledge.
Extensive research, including task analysis, results in lesson content development
that meets the learner's needs. In structured training programs, students must
prove they have achieved the skills and knowledge presented in the current lesson
before progressing to the next section. Self-evaluation, complemented by formal
testing, ensures student mastery.
Case study Miriam
Miriam has decided to undertake some more study, a unit specifically related to
recruitment selection and induction. Her Art Director and mentor have identified
that this would be a useful skill for her to have as she moves towards her main
goal of becoming a deputy Art Director.
The unit she has decided to study is part of the Business Diploma The unit code
is BSBHRM506 and the unit of competency she needs to be able to complete is
available here https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/BSBHRM506
This is the National Register on Vocational Education and Training (VET) in
Australia. Training.gov.au is the authoritative source of Nationally Recognised
Training (NRT) which consists of:
Training packages
Qualifications
Units of competency
Accredited courses
Skill sets
Now Miriam needs to find an RTO to help her with her course, she will of course,
look at how she best learns to understand whether she should study face to face
or on line for example.
The most appropriate development opportunity will vary depending on

outcomes sought, the individual participating, the nature of the business
operations and time constraints. These issues must be incorporated into
any personal development plan.
2.5.1 Learning styles

Learning style should be interpreted to mean an individual mixture of styles.
Everyone has a mixture of strengths and preferences. No-one has exclusively one
single style or preference. Please bear this in mind when looking at these ideas.
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There are a variety of techniques that can be adopted to determine an individuals

preferred learning style. These include:
VAK - visual, auditory, kinaesthetic
Felder and Silverman's Index of Learning Styles
Learning Styles Inventory
Howard Gardner Seven Learning Modalities (referred to as intelligences)
David Kolbs Learning Style Model
Myers Brigg Type Indicator
Overview of learning styles
Learning styles classify different ways people learn and how they approach
information.
If you feel like you cant learn something important - even after you use a method
a friend, a parent, a colleague, or a teacher suggested - you might have a different
learning style and their approach might not be best for you. We all learn and
process information in our own way, though we all share some learning patterns,
preferences, and approaches. Knowing your own style can also help you realise
that other people approach the same situation different from your approach.
Learning style assessments provide you an opportunity to learn how you are likely
to respond under different circumstances and how to approach information in a way
that best addresses your own particular needs.
Perceptual modalities
The learning styles assessments which examine how you take in information
through your senses are called perceptual modality assessments. They look at
how you see, hear, feel, and move through the world. Those perceptions deeply
affect your ability to learn. Whether you tend to rely more or less on one sense
than another has a tremendous influence on how you interpret new experiences
and succeed in whatever you work with each day.
Multiple intelligences
Howard Gardner asserts there are at least seven modalities (referred to as
intelligences) that can be used to describe your individual style. His work
encourages everyone to think about learning in new and creative ways. This work
suggests people can be:
Verbal-linguistic: sensitive to the meaning and order of words
Musical: sensitive to pitch, melody, rhythm, and tone
Logical-mathematical: Able to handle chains of reasoning and recognise
patterns and order
Spatial: perceive the world accurately and try to re-create or transform
aspects of that world
Bodily-kinaesthetic: able to use the body skilfully and handle objects adroitly
Interpersonal: understand people and relationships
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Intrapersonal: possess access to ones emotional life as a means to

understand oneself and others
Mind styles
According to Anthony Gregorc, there are four basic learning styles. Gregorcs Mind
Styles model categorises learners as:
Concrete Sequential (CS) learners are hardworking, conventional, accurate,
stable, dependable, consistent, factual, and organised
Abstract Sequential (AS) learners are analytic, objective, knowledgeable,
thorough, structured, logical, deliberate, and systematic
Abstract Random (AR) learners are sensitive, compassionate, perceptive,
imaginative, idealistic, sentimental, spontaneous, and flexible
Concrete Random (CR) learners are quick, intuitive, curious, realistic, creative,
innovative, instinctive, and adventurous
Learning styles indicator

David Kolbs Learning Style Model classifies learners as having a preference for:
Type 1 (concrete, reflective). A characteristic question of this learning type is
Why? Type 1 learners respond well to explanations of how course material relates
to their experience, their interests, and their future careers. To be effective with
Type 1 students, the instructor should function as a motivator.
Type 2 (abstract, reflective). A characteristic question of this learning type is
What? Type 2 learners respond to information presented in an organised, logical
fashion and benefit if they have time for reflection. To be effective, the instructor
should function as an expert.
Type 3 (abstract, active). A characteristic question of this learning type is How?
Type 3 learners respond to having opportunities to work actively on well-defined
tasks and to learn by trial-and-error in an environment that allows them to fail
safely. To be effective, the instructor should function as a coach, providing guided
practice and feedback.
Type 4 (concrete, active). A characteristic question of this learning type is What
if? Type 4 learners like applying course material in new situations to solve real
problems. To be effective, the instructor should stay out of the way, maximising
opportunities for the students to discover things for themselves.
Myers-Briggs
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, based on the work of Carl Jung identifies 16
personality styles based on:
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How you relate to the world How you take in information

(Extrovert or Introvert) (Sensing or intuiting)
Extroverts: try things out, focus Sensors: practical, detail-oriented,
on the world around focus on facts and procedures
Introverts: think things through, Intuitors: imaginative, concept-
focus on the inner world of ideas oriented, focus on meanings and
possibilities
How you make decisions How you manage your life

(Thinking or Feeling) (Judging or Perceiving)
Thinkers: sceptical, tend to make Judgers: set and follow agendas,
decisions based on logic and rules seek closure even with incomplete
Feelers: appreciative; tend to data
make decisions based on personal Perceivers: adapt to changing
and humanistic considerations circumstances, resist closure to
obtain more data
For example, one learner may be an ESTJ (extravert, sensor, thinker, and judger)
and another may be an INFJ (introvert, intuitor, feeler, and judger).
Others
There are other ways to organise learning style models. These fall into general
categories such as information processing, personality patterns, and social
interaction.
Information processing distinguishes between the way you sense, think, solve
problems, and remember information. You have a preferred, consistent, distinct
way of perceiving, organising, and retaining information. Consider the following
theories - Kolbs Learning Styles Inventory, Gregorcs Mind Styles Model, and
Keefes Human Information Processing Model.
Personality patterns focus on attention, emotion, and values. Understanding these
differences allows you to predict the way youll react and feel about different
situations. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter
are two of the most well-known personality pattern assessments. A lesser known
assessment is Dellingers Psycho-Geometrics.
Social interaction looks at likely attitudes, habits, and strategies learners will take
toward their work and how they engage with their peers when they learn. Some
learners are independent, dependent, collaborative, competitive, participant, and
avoidant. Reichmann and Grasha as well as Baxter Magolda have developed
assessments.
The VAK learning styles model and related learning styles tests offer a relatively
simple methodology. Therefore it is important to remember that these concepts
and tools are aids to understanding overall personality, preferences and strengths -
which is always a mixture in each individual person.
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As with any methodology or tool, use VAK and other learning styles ideas with care
and interpretation according to the situation. They are a guide as to the mixture of
preferences, strengths and learning styles in an individual, not a basis for deciding
on one exclusive preference or approach to the exclusion of everything else.
VAK learning styles
The Visual-Auditory-Kinaesthetic learning styles model or 'inventory', usually
abbreviated to VAK, provides a simple way to explain and understand your own
learning style (and learning styles of others).
The model is also referred to as Visual-Auditory-Physical, or Visual-Auditory-
Tactile/Kinaesthetic (or Kinaesthetic). The model is also extended by some people
to VARK (Visual-Auditory-Reading-Kinaesthetic) or VAKT (Visual-Auditory-
Kinaesthetic-Tactile), and you can decide yourself about the usefulness of such
adaptations.
Original VAK concepts were first developed by psychologists and teaching (of
children) specialists such as Fernald, Keller, Orton, Gillingham, Stillman and
Montessori, in the 1920's. VAK theory is now a favourite of the accelerated learning
community because its principles and benefits extend to all types of learning and
development, far beyond its early applications. See also Kolb's learning styles
model, and Gardner's Multiple Intelligences model, in which section you'll find more
information about VAK, VARK and VAKT learning styles theories.
Katherine Bensiger's methodology is also useful and relevant, as is the various
material on the Personality Styles section. These models provide additional
perspectives of the way we each think and relate to the world, and where natural
strengths lie.
The Visual-Auditory-Kinaesthetic learning styles model does not overlay Gardner's
multiple intelligences, or Kolb's theory, the VAK model provides a different
perspective for understanding and explaining a person's preferred or dominant
thinking and learning style, and strengths. Gardner's theory is one way of looking
at thinking styles; Kolb is another way; VAK is another. The more perspectives you
have, the better you see and understand your own personality and learning styles,
and the learning styles of employees, colleagues and staff.
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Visual Auditory Kinaesthetic
Preference for seen Preference for the Preference for

or observed things spoken word/sounds physical experience
and noises
Show me, lets

have a look Tell me, lets talk it Let me try, how do
over you feel?
Perform best after
reading instructions Perform best by
or watching Perform best after
going ahead and
someone do a task listening to
trying, and learning
first instructions
as they go
According to the VAK model, most people possess a dominant or preferred learning
style, it is possible that many people have a mixed and evenly balanced blend of
the three styles.
The VAK model and test listed in the appendix provides a quick easy way to assess
your own or other people's preferred learning styles. Please note the test is a
simple indicator of preferred learning styles - it's not meant for rigorous scientific
research. This VAK assessment tool is a good basic guide to personal learning
styles, but it is not a scientifically validated instrument.
VAK Learning Styles Explanation
The VAK learning styles model suggests that most people can be divided into one of
three preferred styles of learning, remembering that there is no right or wrong
learning style:
Someone with a Visual learning style has a preference for seen or observed
things, including pictures, diagrams, demonstrations, displays, handouts,
films, flip-chart, etc. These people will use phrases such as show me, lets
have a look at that and will be best able to perform a new task after reading
the instructions or watching someone else do it first. These are the people
who will work from lists and written directions and instructions. Visual
learning style involves the use of seen or observed things, including pictures,
diagrams, demonstrations, displays, handouts, films, flip-chart, etc.
Someone with an Auditory learning style has a preference for the transfer
of information through listening: to the spoken word, of self or others, of
sounds and noises. These people will use phrases such as tell me, lets talk
it over and will be best able to perform a new task after listening to
instructions from an expert. These are the people who are happy being given
spoken instructions over the telephone, and can remember all the words to
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songs that they hear! Auditory learning style involves the transfer of
information through listening: to the spoken word, of self or others, of
sounds and noises.
Someone with a Kinaesthetic learning style has a preference for physical
experience - touching, feeling, holding, doing, and practical hands-on
experiences. These people will use phrases such as let me try, how do you
feel? and will be best able to perform a new task by going ahead and trying
it out, learning as they go. These are the people who like to experiment,
hands-on, and never look at the instructions first! Kinaesthetic learning
involves physical experience - touching, feeling, holding, doing, and practical
hands-on experiences. Kinaesthetic style is also referred to as 'Physical', or
'Tactile', or 'Touchy-Feely'.
People commonly have a main preferred learning style, but this will be part of a
blend of all three. Some people have a very strong preference; other people have a
more even mixture of two or less commonly, three styles.
When you know your preferred learning style(s) you will understand the type of
learning that best suits you. This enables you to choose types of learning that work
best for you.
There is no right or wrong learning style. The point is that there are types of
learning that are right for your own preferred learning style.
A valuable tool is to utilise a Reflective Practice. This practice refers to the process
of awareness of self, how we think and feel about events and experiences in our
past and present. We can use the lessons we have learnt in our past if we are
aware of them and their impact on our lives professional and personal.
More information about learning styles, personality, personal and professional
development is available at www.businessballs.com.With acknowledgements to
Victoria Chislett for developing this assessment. Victoria Chislett specialises in
performance psychology and its application within organisations.
2.6 Undertake participation in networks to enhance

personal knowledge, skills and work
relationships
Networks are made up of groups who exchange information and ideas based on
common interests. Networks will help you build contacts while developing your
interpersonal skills. The contacts you make will provide you with opportunities to:
Forge alliances which can provide you with industry information and give you
opportunities that you did not think you could obtain access to
Generate information - there may be times when you receive conflicting
information. By building relationships with the network, you will be more
informed and can make decisions based on reliable contacts
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Improve business relationships and help with obtaining better advice or prices
for example
Assist in the development of staff - when developing staff, members of your
network can provide you with up to date information
Access the latest trends and new information, new problem solving techniques
and the latest technology and how it can benefit you
Business contacts and networks may include the following groups and
individuals within them:
Other departments or branches of the organisation
Organisations with industry links - your organisation purchases goods from
suppliers for their office and technological needs, these organisations are an
excellent source of information. They will introduce new innovations and give
you a competitive advantage by keeping your organisation up to date with
changes and trends within the industry
Organisations with similar industry functions - some organisations deal with
sub-contractors, others may deal solely with commercial organisations
Potential and current clients - current clients can be leads for potential clients.
Form relationships within your networks so you can listen for potential clients,
all your contacts can become potential clients
Networks may be either formal or informal. Informal networks comprise of staff
from other organisations. You may not become a member of a network until you
obtain credibility with other staff and your colleagues and peers.
Formal networks can include joining associations aimed at providing information
specifically to your industry. For example, Certified Practicing Accountants are
usually members of CPA Australia.
2.6.1 How to network

When you start to network you need to:
Develop confidence which allows you to meet and greet more people
Set up a file of contacts
Know where and when you met these people
It is important to display:
Correct interpersonal skills
Active listening skills - take note of what you are told and maintain eye
contact
Positive questioning skills - be interested in what is being said to you,
acknowledge answers to questions
Use open and close ended questions. Open questions start with what? Why?
Where? How? Open ended questions need more than a yes or no response.
Close-ended questions only require a yes or no response
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When you meet other personnel or potential members of your network,

remember:
Their names, the company they work for and their special interests
To exchange business cards
To plan ahead
Act professionally at all times to maintain your credibility with your peers.
2.6.2 Where can I network?

You can network in a variety of places. Begin by deciding the best places that you
may network. You might include:
Your workplace
Formal associations
Business functions
Trade fairs and conferences
Community groups
Classes and post-graduate courses
Every person you meet can prove to be a valuable source of information, make
sure you are aware of your work environment. Know the people you work with and
listen to everything that you are told.
Maintain confidentiality and never speak without thinking. You may be speaking to
a professional networker who is very experienced and you may unwittingly give
them inside information about the company you work with.
Communication is integral of the networking process. Maintain contact with all of
your networks and respond when they contact you. Use their preferred
communication method. For example, a busy manager may prefer an e-mail which
they can peruse at their leisure, whereas another may prefer a telephone call.
Be consistent with your networks. As a role model, it is important you demonstrate
the same level of integrity, trust and empathy that you would demonstrate to your
team. Everyone should be treated equally.
Demonstrate:
Integrity - everyone must see you have a high level moral principle and
professional standards when you interact with them.
Ethical standards - follow a level of conduct stipulated by your group or industry.
Empathy - demonstrate sensitivity to others feelings.
Positive behaviour - Hard working, loyal, cooperative and confidential, showing

respect and always be fair take steps to avoid conflict of interest.
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3.5. New skills to achieve and maintain a

competitive edge
To maintain a competitive edge in your industry, leaders need to make sure that
they continuously update their skills and knowledge to be reactive to the needs of
the organisation. We have already established that two ways in which to improve
your skills is by:
Using your job description, duty statement or statement of conduct to identify
whether you are meeting the organisations standards
Using feedback from work colleagues, peers, clients and associates to identify
weaknesses in your behaviour, skills or knowledge
In both instances, where you identify behavioural, leadership knowledge and skills,
you arrange to ensure that you bridge the gaps between your organisations
standards or your personal goals.
Another way to maintain a strong competitive advantage is to be proactive in
identifying changes within your industry and deficiencies in your skills and taking
action to breach that gap before the change is implemented. By being proactive,
you learn skills before your competitors.
Not only will you be ahead of your competitor, you will build your credibility within
your network and clients.
To achieve success:
Try to be proactive. Look at the changes occurring in the market (such as
technological innovation) and take steps to ensure that you update your skills
Try to solve problems and ask for other peoples opinions. People have
different experiences and may give you a perspective that you had not
considered
Challenge the way you do things. By trying new things, you may actually find
ways in which to increase your performance
Consult with team members and where appropriate consult with:
Mentor or coach: a coach is usually someone you can learn from, whereas a
mentor is someone you can learn from but also use as a role model. Both mentors
and coaches will support you and assist in the learning process.
Training manager: if you work for a large organisation take advantage of the in-
house training offered to most staff. It is part of the training managers job to
ensure that the training offered meets workers needs.
Colleague: approach colleagues who may be in a position to assist you. They may
have already achieved the goal you are trying to attain. Know what your colleagues
can do. If you know what they can do, you can save time by approaching them
directly.
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Trainers and consultants: They can advise you on what learning strategies you
need to follow to complete a task
In short, you should know:
What you want to achieve. If you need to learn a specific task, know exactly
what that task is for and what steps you need to follow to attain a competent
level
What you need to achieve. Be clear on what the goals are and what the end
product is. If you are unclear of the results, then you could be wasting time
The advantages of what you are doing.
What resources do you need?
When planning activities, be clear on what resources you will need to achieve
success. When participating in a new task, you may need to be aware of any
legislation that may impact on your task. If you are unsure, consult with the
appropriate legislative party.
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Appendix - VAK learning styles self-

assessment questionnaire
Learning styles are personal and a reflection of the type of person you are - how
you perceive things and the way that you relate to the world. This questionnaire
helps you to improve your understanding of yourself and your strengths. There are
no right or wrong answers. Circle or tick the answer that most represents how you
generally behave.
(Its best to complete the questionnaire before reading the accompanying
explanation.)
1. When I operate new equipment I generally:
a) read the instructions first
b) listen to an explanation from someone who has used it before
c) go ahead and have a go, I can figure it out as I use it
2. When I need directions for travelling I usually:
a) look at a map
b) ask for spoken directions
c) follow my nose and maybe use a compass
3. When I cook a new dish, I like to:
a) follow a written recipe
a) call a friend for an explanation
b) follow my instincts, testing as I cook
4. If I am teaching someone something new, I tend to:
a) write instructions down for them
b) give them a verbal explanation
c) demonstrate first and then let them have a go
5. I tend to say:
a) watch how I do it
b) listen to me explain
c) you have a go
6. During my free time I most enjoy:
a) going to museums and galleries
b) listening to music and talking to my friends
c) playing sport or doing DIY
7. When I go shopping for clothes, I tend to:
a) imagine what they would look like on
b) discuss them with the shop staff
c) try them on and test them out
8. When I am choosing a holiday I usually:
a) read lots of brochures
b) listen to recommendations from friends
c) imagine what it would be like to be there
9. If I was buying a new car, I would:
a) read reviews in newspapers and magazines
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b) discuss what I need with my friends

c) test-drive lots of different types
10. When I am learning a new skill, I am most comfortable:
a) watching what the teacher is doing
b) talking through with the teacher exactly what Im supposed to do
c) giving it a try myself and work it out as I go
11. If I am choosing food off a menu, I tend to:
a) imagine what the food will look like
b) talk through the options in my head or with my partner
c) imagine what the food will taste like
12. When I listen to a band, I cant help:
a) watching the band members and other people in the audience
b) listening to the lyrics and the beats
c) moving in time with the music
13. When I concentrate, I most often:
a) focus on the words or the pictures in front of me
b) discuss the problem and the possible solutions in my head
c) move around a lot, fiddle with pens and pencils and touch things
14. I choose household furnishings because I like:
a) their colours and how they look
b) the descriptions the sales-people give me
c) their textures and what it feels like to touch them
15. My first memory is of:
a) looking at something
b) being spoken to
c) doing something
16. When I am anxious, I:
a) visualise the worst-case scenarios
b) talk over in my head what worries me most
c) cant sit still, fiddle and move around constantly
17. I feel especially connected to other people because of:
a) how they look
b) what they say to me
c) how they make me feel
18. When I have to revise for an exam, I generally:
a) write lots of revision notes and diagrams
b) talk over my notes, alone or with other people
c) imagine making the movement or creating the formula
19. If I am explaining to someone I tend to:
a) show them what I mean
b) explain to them in different ways until they understand
c) encourage them to try and talk them through my idea as they do it
20. I really love:
a) watching films, photography, looking at art or people watching
b) listening to music, the radio or talking to friends
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c) taking part in sporting activities, eating fine foods and wines or dancing
21. Most of my free time is spent:
a) watching television
b) talking to friends
c) doing physical activity or making things
22. When I first contact a new person, I usually:
a) arrange a face to face meeting
b) talk to them on the telephone
c) try to get together whilst doing something else, such as an activity or a meal
23. I first notice how people:
a) look and dress
b) sound and speak
c) stand and move
24. If I am angry, I tend to:
a) keep replaying in my mind what it is that has upset me
b) raise my voice and tell people how I feel
c) stamp about, slam doors and physically demonstrate my anger
25. I find it easiest to remember:
a) faces
b) names
c) things I have done
26. I think that you can tell if someone is lying if:
a) they avoid looking at you
b) their voices changes
c) they give me funny vibes
27. When I meet an old friend:
a) I say its great to see you!
b) I say its great to hear from you!
c) I give them a hug or a handshake
28. I remember things best by:
a) writing notes or keeping printed details
b) saying them aloud or repeating words and key points in my head
c) doing and practising the activity or imagining it being done
29. If I have to complain about faulty goods, I am most comfortable:
a) writing a letter
b) complaining over the phone
c) taking the item back to the store or posting it to head office
30. I tend to say:
a) I see what you mean
b) I hear what you are saying
c) I know how you feel
Now add up how many As, Bs and Cs you selected.
As = Bs = Cs =
If you chose mostly As you have a VISUAL learning style.
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If you chose mostly Bs you have an AUDITORY learning style.

If you chose mostly Cs you have a KINAESTHETIC learning style.
Some people find that their learning style may be a blend of two or three styles, in
this case read about the styles that apply to you in the explanation below. When
you have identified your learning style(s), read the learning styles explanations and
consider how this might help you to identify learning and development that best
meets your preference(s).
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Appendix - Time management quiz Scoring

Instructions
For each question, assign the value and total at the bottom of the sheet.
Question
Occasionally
Not often
Always
Never
Often
1 Are the tasks you work on during the day, the ones with the
1 2 3 4 5
highest priority?
2 Do you find yourself completing tasks at the last minute, or asking
5 4 3 2 1
for extensions?
3 Do you set aside time for planning and scheduling? 1 2 3 4 5
4 Do you know how much time you are spending on the various jobs
1 2 3 4 5
you do?
5 How often do you find yourself dealing with interruptions? 5 4 3 2 1
6 Do you use goal setting to decide what activities you should work
1 2 3 4 5
on?
7 Do you leave contingency time in your schedule to deal with the
1 2 3 4 5
unexpected?
8 Do you know whether the tasks you are working on are high,
1 2 3 4 5
medium, or low value?
9 When you are given a new assignment, do you analyse it for
1 2 3 4 5
importance and priorities accordingly?
10 Are you stressed about deadlines and commitments? 5 4 3 2 1
11 Do distractions often keep you from working on critical tasks? 5 4 3 2 1
12 Do you find you have to take work home in order to get it done? 5 4 3 2 1
13 Do you prioritise your To Do list? 1 2 3 4 5
14 Do you talk with your manager in order to prioritise your work? 1 2 3 4 5
15 Before you take on a task, do you check that the results will be
1 2 3 4 5
worth the effort that you will need to put in?
16 Do you use agreed criteria to prioritise your work? 1 2 3 4 5
17 Does your staff or manager find it difficult to meet with you as you
5 4 3 2 1
are so busy?
18 Do you have time at the end of the week to prepare for the
1 2 3 4 5
following week?
19 Are you regularly disappointing loved ones with your inability to
5 4 3 2 1
meet them for special appointments?
20 Do you think you are over-worked and everyone else isnt? 5 4 3 2 1
Total:
Score Interpretation
Score Comment
46-75 You're managing your time very effectively! Still, check the sections below to
see if there's anything you can tweak to make this even better.
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31-45 You're good at some things, but there's room for improvement elsewhere.
Focus on the serious issues below, and you'll most likely find that work
becomes much less stressful.
15-30 Ouch. The good news is that you've got a great opportunity to improve your
effectiveness at work, and your long term success! However, to realise this,
you've got to fundamentally improve your time management skills.
As you answered the questions, you probably had insight into areas where your
time management could be better. The following is a quick summary of the main
areas of time management that were explored in the quiz, and a guide to the
specific tools you can use.
Goal Setting (Questions 6, 10, 14, 15)
To start managing time effectively, you need to set goals. When you know where
you're going, you can then figure out what exactly needs to be done, in what order.
Without proper goal setting, you'll fritter your time away on a confusion of
conflicting priorities.
People tend to neglect goal setting because it requires time and effort. What they
fail to consider is that a little time and effort put in now saves an enormous amount
of time, effort and frustration in the future.
Prioritisation (Questions 1, 4, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15)
Prioritising what needs to be done is especially important. Without it, you may work
very hard, but you wont be achieving the results you desire because what you are
working on is not of strategic importance.
Most people have a to-do list of some sort. The problem with many of these lists is
they are just a collection of things that need to get done. There is no rhyme or
reason to the list and, because of this, the work they do is just as unstructured. So
how do you work on to-do list tasks top down, bottom up, easiest to hardest?
To work efficiently you need to work on the most important, highest value tasks.
This way you wont get caught scrambling to get something critical done as the
deadline approaches. For information on how to start prioritising your tasks, see
activity logs, prioritised to-do lists, prioritisation, the action priority matrix, and the
urgent/important matrix.
Managing Interruptions (Questions 5, 9, 11, 12)
Having a plan and knowing how to prioritise it is one thing. The next issue is
knowing what to do to minimise the interruptions you face during your day. It is
widely recognised that managers get very little uninterrupted time to work on their
priority tasks. There are phone calls, information requests, questions from
employees, and a whole host of events that crop up unexpectedly. Some do need
to be dealt with immediately, but others need to be managed. Two excellent tools
that discuss how to minimise your interrupted time are The Urgent/Important
Matrix and Managing Interruptions.
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However, some jobs need you to be available for people when they need help
interruption is a natural and necessary part of life. Here, do what you sensibly can
to minimise it, but make sure you don't scare people away from interrupting you
when they should.
Procrastination (Questions 2, 10, 12)
Ill get to it later has led to the downfall of many a good employee. After too many
laters the work piles up so high that any task seems insurmountable.
Procrastination is as tempting as it is deadly. The best way to beat it is to recognise
that you do indeed procrastinate. Then you need to figure out why. Perhaps you
are afraid of failing? (And some people are actually afraid of success!)
Once you know why you procrastinate then you can plan to get out of the habit.
Reward yourself for getting jobs done, and remind yourself regularly of the horrible
consequences of not doing those boring tasks! For more help on recognising and
overcoming procrastination see our guide to Beating Procrastination.
Scheduling (Questions 3, 7, 12)
Much of time management comes down to effective scheduling of your time. When
you know what your goals and priorities are, you then need to know how to go
about creating a schedule that keeps you on track, and protects you from stress.
This means understanding the factors that affect the time you have available for
work. You not only have to schedule priority tasks, you have to leave room for
interruptions, and contingency time for those unexpected events that otherwise
wreak chaos with your schedule. By creating a robust schedule that reflects your
priorities and well as supports your personal goals, you have a winning
combination: One that will allow you to control your time and keep your life in
balance.
Time management is an essential skill that helps you keep your work under control,
at the same time that it helps you keep stress to a minimum.
We would all love to have an extra couple of hours in every day. Seeing as that is
impossible, we need to work smarter on things that have the highest priority, and
then creating a schedule that reflects our work and personal priorities.
With this in place, we can work in a focused and effective way, and really start
achieving those goals, dreams and ambitions we care so much about.
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Appendix - Body language

What our bodies say about our thoughts and feelings is a major part of how we
communicate. You must consider the impact of the way your own body language
reveals your own attitudes and feelings as well as what body language says about
others.
Body language is conscious and unconscious. Often you cant control how you
behave and wont even notice how others behave towards you. You can learn to
read body language however it is very important to understand that each person
reacts in unique ways and no single body language is a reliable way to gauge
how someone is reacting to you or feeling about a particular happening.
Body language is referred to as nonverbal communication. You talk with your body
movements and facial expressions. Understanding others and our own body
language is the key to becoming better communicators.
Below are some commonly held beliefs regarding body language.
Remember your specific circumstance will determine what all of these actually
mean in any given situation. You could be watching someone with arms crossed
thinking they are being withdrawn when they are actually cold! Someone scratching
their nose can actually be itchy rather than lying or being shifty!
Listening and watching is a great way to learn and begin to understand this
science.
Positive body language Negative body language
Arms When moved slowly and in a curving way can indicate comfort.
Moved quickly they can threaten.
Arms Can be a sign of authority if coupled with feet apart.

crossed Arms crossed (unless the person is very cold or lounging in a chair),
indicates a blocking action - resistance to what is being said.
If accompanied by a blank expression theyre simply not listening.
Legs crossed This gesture can also intimate the person is claiming territory.
The position of the legs (referred to as a leg lock) can also indicate
feelings of superiority.
Chin Often following on from evaluation gestures, chin stroking signifies

decision-making, we should take a back seat here and let the person
come to their conclusions uninterrupted.
What happens directly after chin stroking (decision making) will give
the greatest clues to the nature of that decision.
Closeness The closer people are the more comfortable they are with you.
Moving away indicates the other person is not happy to be so close.
Eyes Dilated pupils can mean interest in you. Alcohol and drugs can cause
this as well so be aware.
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People who look sideways are distracted or nervous.

Looking down can indicate an upset or trying to hide an emotion.
Some cultures believe that looking at someone in the eyes is a sign of
disrespect, or is only done with intimate friends or family, this could
explain why someone is avoiding eye contact.
Feet Crossed ankles usually means comfortable.

Some people point their feet where they want to go. Or point them at
what they are interested in!
Tapping feet can indicate nervousness, impatience.
In some cultures the sole of the foot are the lowest part of the body
and can be insulting.
Moving feet can be an indicator or a person lying.
Swinging the foot can be a type of pointing.
Fiddling Can indicate disagreement or boredom.
Fists When arms are crossed or when the unclenched hand is placed over
clenched the other holding it down, symbolically restraining the aggressive
gesture.
This indicates true feelings a person holds they really dont like
whats being said. They are not happy and cant necessarily tell you.
Hand Depends on the context of the conversation, active hands can be trying
gestures to convince you of something.
Can express passion and interest.
Evaluation gestures include a closed hand resting on the cheek, this
shows the person is interested in what is being discussed. Often the
index finger will be pointing vertically upwards on the side of the head.
The participant may be simply thinking about what is being said and
attempting to make a decision or understand a concept.
The ok symbol is a rude gesture in some cultures.
Eastern cultures beckon with the hand down.
Fingers, and objects such as pens, and cigarettes placed in the mouth
are a sign of anxiety. Babies are comforted and soothed by sucking on
thumbs and dummies this gesture is a mimic of that need for comfort.
Exposed palms signify openness and honesty, it is a submissive
gesture indicating that the person has nothing to hide. This common
gesture is used extensively by dodgy sales people, Watch out.....
Concealed palms suggest that the person is hiding something or
concealing the truth.
Hands Behind your head means comfortable. Both hands behind the head is a
gesture of superiority, it demonstrates a degree of smugness, which
tends to annoy the person or people it is aimed at.
Hands on On the hips can mean impatient or tired. Standing hands on hips may
hips also indicate that the person wants to take positive action in response
to what theyre discussing (not to be confused with the aggressive
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hands on hips in order to appear imposing - obviously an angry person

is ready to take action of a different sort).
Hands Rubbing together can indicate that someone is not comfortable, they
are comforting themselves.
If the hand supports the head; the degree to which the hand supports
the head reflects the level of boredom. The head is heavily supported
(facial features look crumpled) indicating extreme boredom. If one or
more of your participants look like this, it may time for a break or an
energiser.
Hands Clasped hands in front of the body as a protective barrier are a sign of
clasped nervousness or insecurity.
Holding ones hands in front of the body is comforting in unfamiliar or
stressful circumstances.
One arm placed across the front of the body clasping the other, is also
a sign that a person is uncomfortable or lacking in confidence in a
particular situation (such as standing before a crowd or a group of
unknown people).
Conversely hands clasped behind ones back (often with head up and
chin out) signify confidence or superiority people in authority often
use this gesture.
Head Shaking from side to side in India can signal agreement where nodding
in Western countries means agreement.
Head Can be a mark of respect in some cultures.

lowered
Can be timid or a reason to hide something.
Head tilting Overly tilted can be a sign of sympathy, coupled with smiling can mean
playful.
Could mean a challenge or confusion depending on eyes and eyebrows

and mouth.
Mirroring Usually is complimentary.

behaviour
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BSBWOR501 Manage personal work priorities and professional development

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1. Establish work goals

What skills, What skills,

1.1 Serve as a positive role model in the

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1.1.1 Role modelling tips

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ridicule. Encouragement is usually more effective than

1.1.2 Organisation skills

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Clear a space on your desk

Create a structured schedule

Delegate and ask for help where possible

Eliminate the clutter

It is easier to think in a clean space with no clutter

1.2 Ensure personal work goals, plans and

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1.2.2 Goal setting theory

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1.2.3 Five principles of goal setting

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The notion of participative management rests on this idea of involving employees in

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1.2.4 SMART goals examples

To establish Have coffee

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1.2.5 Starting to set personal work goals

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Case Study Miriam

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Deciding what you want to achieve in your life

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1.2.6 Align personal work goals to organisational

1.2.7 Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Business Goals Tasks, Actions,

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Organisations need to clearly identify their objectives

What needs to be achieved in order for the organisation to be successful?

Then organisational objectives are broken down into goals

Broken into individual goals

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to measure an organisations

Specific Measureable Achievable Relevant Time bound

Case Study Miriam

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Strategic Are defined by senior management.

Your responsibilities and accountabilities will usually be set out in:

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1.2.8 Achieving goals

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TASKS ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME KPI

30 minutes I need to get feedback on what

Go back to Pass all units on first go

1.3 Measure and maintain personal performance in

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