7. SKILLS ANALYSIS PAPER AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN REPORT
Self-description: Former accounting intern, now a full-time analytics MBA student
A self-analysis of your leadership and management skills. Drawing upon principles from various surveys and instruments used and specific examples from your experiences prepare a report that describes your strengths and areas for improvement. Your report will also include a plan describing how you will go about making efforts to improve your skills and abilities in relation to two key areas. In preparing your report, try to use a corporate annual report as a metaphor — that is, you will be writing a report about U Inc. (For example, if I were writing the paper it would be titled my name Inc.
Part 1 Mission, Vision and Values
Your report should begin by providing a mission statement. Why are you doing what you are doing (in life, not merely in work or school)? You should provide a vision statement. Where are you going? What do you hope to be doing (in your career and perhaps other aspects of your life) in 5 years, 10 years? Then you should provide statement of values. What are the principles that govern your behavior? (Some of you may argue that you do not have a mission, vision, or values. This observation would be an interesting topic for additional reflection.)
Part 2 -Status and Analysis (Present and Past)
Describe the current status of U Inc.
What are your assets (strengths)? What are your liabilities (limitations or weaknesses)? The description of your assets and the description of your liabilities should comprise the most extensive and detailed section of the paper. This section of the paper should describe and integrate feedback you have received based on (a) surveys and instruments in your text and from the course (b) the assessment (c) others feedback, (d) descriptions of your experiences,
What is your customer base? What people, groups, or organizations are currently interested in the skills and products you offer? You can define customers very broadly — internal and external to your employer, paid work or community service, family, avocational interests, etc. Also discuss your potential customers.
What is your product line? What do you offer others? Are your offerings narrow (specialized) or broad (generalist)? How do you differentiate your products from those offered by others? What is special or unique? To what extent are you creating a product line that offers you a sustained competitive advantage (in the career marketplace or elsewhere) because what you offer is not easy for others to imitate and therefore adds unique value?
Next, look back over the past several years?
What capital investments have you made in U Inc.? How profitable has U Inc. been? Is U Inc. more valuable today than it was one year ago? Three years ago? What measures do
you use to assess your profitability? Feedback from others? (If so, who, how often?) Performance appraisals? Benchmarking? Is your income (earnings) your only measure? What other measures do you need to develop?
Part 3 Skill Development Areas
Next, Id like you to look forward.
What are your growth objectives? In this part of the paper, you should identify two skills that you want to improve. Try to select one skill that you think you have a high likelihood of being able to improve at least modestly over the next two-three months. I also encourage you to select another skill that will require you to stretch, where progress will require greater effort, time, and attention. Therefore, select only skills that you will have a reasonable opportunity to improve. For example, it makes no sense to focus on your presentation skills if you will have no opportunity to practice and demonstrate such skills. Provide your rationale for selecting the two skills. Bottom line — describe how you will invest in U inc.
A few final thoughts. As you write this paper, keep in mind that the following factors will be considered when evaluating your work.
Be comprehensive (i.e., do not limit your analysis to only a few skills)
Demonstrate a strong understanding of course concepts and interrelationships between them.
Be strategic
o Consider how your assets and liabilities relate to other aspects of your analysis (your mission and values, your customer base, your development objectives, etc).
Provide evidence to support each of your conclusions.
Be specific
o Use detailed behavioral examples from your experiences in work , class and or other aspects of your life.
o Provide specific information from surveys and instruments (e.g., percentile scores) from the evaluations you have completed.
Look for and describe interrelationships and or inconsistencies between various data sources
o Consider formal and informal feedback from multiple sources (e.g., peers, direct reports, supervisors, mentors/coaches, faculty, other students).
o Describe relationships between various surveys, class activities, and feedback.
