Analyse your personality to perform a managerial type job by using set theories, such as Cattell and the Backs analysis.

Introduction

By analysing my personality I will be able to discover whether or not I have certain attributes within my personality to perform a managerial type job by using set theories, such as Cattell and the Backs analysis.

Management skills

In order to perform the functions of management and to assume multiple roles, managers must be skilled. Robert Katz identified three managerial skills that are essential to successful management: technical, human, and conceptual.

Technical skill involves processes or technique knowledge and aptitude.

Human skills involve the ability to be able to work with people effectively. Managers do not just delegate work to the sub ordinates, they must also co-operate and empathise with their employees.

Conceptual skill involves the formulation of ideas. Managers understand conceptual relationships, develop ideas, and solve problems creatively. Thus, technical skill deals with things, human skill concerns people, and conceptual skill has to do with ideas.

Back Analysis

Baggage (past)

During my adolescent years I grew up in a well-structured, family orientated environment. Throughout my life I had been given a high level of responsibility (certain duties to perform in and around the house, cleaning etc).

From a very young age I had been taught that to posses certain skills would further my development.

From the age of 16 my first job within the catering industry educated my hard work ethic. It taught me that to be able to work in a team would enable me, and others to complete set tasks, and that certain people are suited more to certain duties and tasks.

This I believe gives me the ability to be able to distinguish certain features from individuals, and allocate work that best suits them.

Aspiration

My main aspiration within life is to be able to support my self comfortably financially, and to have a varied interesting work type.

Culture

I grew up in a very stable household where family values and family orientation was a massive characteristic. I was born in England with a strong Indian and English upbringing as my mother is British and father is Indian.

Both cultures where conflicting at times but both awarded me the basic skills of life such as motivation, people skills (empathy) and ethical considerations.

When I meet new people I am quite trusting of them and give them the capability to prove themselves, before I cast any preconceived ideas upon them.

Knowledge

Reliability

With my upbringing and past work experience I have been told that I am very reliable.

I believe that reliability describes allot about ones character.

My managerial skills/attributes

Motivation

All through my life I have been well motivated to achieve set goals. In many of my appraisals at work it had been noted that I am more than capable to set myself goals and the time bands in which to achieve these aspirations.

Time utilisation

My time utilisation is well correlated to my motivation level. If I generally feel unmotivated I will utilise my time poorly.

I find that keeping a scheduled rota helps me to use my time more effectively.

Responsibility

If I am awarded with responsibility I generally try ...

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My managerial skills/attributes

Motivation

Time utilisation

My time utilisation is well correlated to my motivation level. If I generally feel unmotivated I will utilise my time poorly.

I find that keeping a scheduled rota helps me to use my time more effectively.

Responsibility

If I am awarded with responsibility I generally try to fulfil the duty by performing to the best of my ability.

From a young age I had to supervise my sister before my parents returned from work, which enabled me to mature at an earlier age to many of my friends.

All the stated characteristic would help me to become a manager; generally my conceptual ideas are very well structured. I tend to be constantly thinking of ways in which I can improve certain procedures and tasks.

I believe that innovation is one of the main keys to being a first-rate manager. Managers are working with different people where these differences need to be addressed and adapted to suit the team as a whole.

Leadership Skills.

A leader can be described as an,

“ An individual that influences the behaviour of others without the use of threats or violence.” Buchanan and Huczynski (1997)

To be able to do this certain conditions need to be achieved in order to obtain sight of completion of the set goal.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POST

A leader should understand his or her own needs and characteristics.
A leader should understand the needs and characteristics of each member of the group. This helps the leader to deal with each person as an individual, to treat that individual with respect, and to help the person grow.

I believe that I have certain characteristics to become a successful leader, as I generally know my own limitations and have a keen eye for other people’s pros and cons.

3. COMMUNICATING (How I communicate)

Pay attention and listen carefully.
Make notes and sketches.
Ask questions and repeat your understanding of what was said.

I believe that I have more good communication skills, as when necessary
I speak slowly
Make sure that people are listening before I speak
I have the ability to use visual aids in order to explain my self
Have the listeners repeat their understanding

SETTING AN EXAMPLE (How I and others should lead)

I believe that setting a strong example when in leadership is the most effective way in showing the group how they should conduct themselves. One way to think about setting the example is to imagine yourself as a member of a group and think about how you would like your leader to act.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING

Effective teaching is a process to increase the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the group and its members. The focus is on learning, not teaching. For teaching to be effective, learning must take place. This skill is yet to be learnt, as I do not hold the characteristics to be able to suit different teaching types to suit different people. At this moment in time I could offer a diluted version of this “effective teaching” i.e. hearing-impaired subjects could be given visual aids etc.

COUNSELING

To help people solve problems
To encourage or reassure
To help an Explorer reach his or her potential

To be able to show empathy toward an individual’s problem/s within the group will help to increase morale within the group. I believe that I hold the properties and the patients to counsel people as I find this is a very strong attribute to my character.

Six-teen point Theory

I have used Cattells sixteen point hypothesis to find out if my perception of my personality is the same as other peoples perception of me. The subjects I have used in my research are friends. Six subjects where used ranging from friends I have known for as little as 1 year to as much as six years. Male and female subjects were used in order to reduce the sexual bias.

(Managing others textbook)

Results

I estimated that a trend would be present within the results; I presumed that the people who have known me for the longest will agree with my perception of myself. Or would have the same perception of me.

After looking at the results it is clear that a majority of the people questioned have the same perception of my attributes within my personality. Only one subject has fluctuated from this set trend. I believe that this is because this subject often sees me under different circumstances to the other subjects. This is one flaw of cattels sixteen-point theory. The theory does not take into consideration different social settings.

It has been noted that more than two subjects have perceived me to be a little less rule conscious, which I believe to be a bad trait. Now that I have an accurate perception of my self I will try to be become a more upstanding rule follower and conform to any rules or regulations.

Pretty much all the of the characteristics that where asked conformed to my original opinion of my self. I believe this is due to my nature of being very scrupulous and critical in the way I act.

By looking at the results I have gathered that my interpersonal skills are very much linked to my upbringing and social experiences. My communication is built up on my level of articulation and comprehension of others. By looking at the results of Cattells theory it is evident that the people who where surveyed feel that I have similar perceptions on my communication skills to me.

On of the most important attribute to have within life is the ability to manage conflict well. The main characteristics that help this attribute within my personality are once again articulation comprehension to other peoples need and wants empathy towards there desires and needs etc. Depending on the situation I am put in to I believe that I have all the necessary attributes to manage conflict well.

Emotional Intelligence

The wider range of qualities which enable people to excel – self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, empathy, etc. (Daniel Goleman)

From a young age my social learning theory consisted of observing my parents and trying to replicate their actions. They own their own business and pride themselves upon their persistency and impulse control. This has taken its effect over the way I handle my self. During the time I studied at college I was unable to complete a large amount of work due to an event outside of my control. A knock on effect was that I was unable to gain the grades that I desired, thus having to join a course at university that I didn’t want to originally take. I believe this shows persistence, as I know that I need to complete this HND to be able to join the degree level to further my career.

I am aware of my positive attributes and my negative attributes and believe that I an improve the qualities that do not help me progress. These qualities are time keeping/utilisation.