Personal Effectiveness

Personal Effectiveness

FETAC Level 5

Name:______

Personal Effectiveness

Introduction

Each one of us wants to have some place in society. We want to show that we are someone special and also helpful to society. The workplace is one of the most vital places for us to show our determination and prove ourselves. We prove that we can do every piece of work assigned to us and also do more and more provided things go well. Or in other words we show that we are very effective and efficient in the workplace and life in general.

Personal effectiveness leads to success of our career. So what does personal effectiveness mean? It entails improving ourselves in a way such that we are recognised to be a person of courage, high spirits and good determination and also a good and balanced person. In the workplace, it is that character which helps us towards success. To be the best performer we can be we don’t need the highest grades or gold medals. Rather what we need is self improvement.

At every point in life we need improvement or Personal effectiveness.

So what should be done to improve our personal effectiveness in the workplace? Here are some tips.

·  Develop the ability to think clearly and logically

·  Present ideas effectively and in a way that is easily understood

·  Be confident in conducting oneself and in presenting ideas

·  Time management

·  Dissolve conflict

·  Good planning

·  Remain composed

·  Prioritise

·  Be a good listener

·  Be understanding

·  Reduce stress

·  Be proactive

·  Motivate others

·  Be optimistic

·  Be a continuous learner

·  Be professional

·  Build good relationships

·  Be flexible

·  Be mature

·  Dress appropriately

Increasing Your Level of PersonalEffectiveness – 4 Principles

While it can sometimes seem that a chosen few have been anointed with the secrets of success, there are no secrets. Rather, there are simple principles of personal effectiveness that have stood the test of time. Incorporating the following four principles into your life will help to create a well-balanced life.

1)  Accept Personal Responsibility

2)  Adjusting to Change

3)  Stay Focused

4)  Surround Yourself with Positive People

Principle Number One: Accept Personal Responsibility

No one is responsible for your life circumstances except you. People and events may impact you in ways you cannot control, but ultimately you are the only person who can decide what you do with the experiences you’ve had, the dreams you aspire to, and the actions you take each day.

To be responsible quite literally means that you are “able to respond” to the events of your life. This ability to take on the present conditions of your life at any given time and to decide if those circumstances are working for you or not is always present. You always retain the power to take action and to change circumstances that aren’t measuring up to your standards.

Nobody goes through life without knockbacks, be it a broken heart, being made redundant etc. Effective people don’t live in the past. They’ve learned from the past. Then they’ve let it go. They live each day in the present, with their eye on the future they wish to create. When something bad happens, they take in the facts and take responsibility to address the situation in a way that compliments the life they want to live.

Don’t give your power to the past—to people who have hurt you or to the experiences that undermined your self-confidence. Absorb yourself in the belief that you can handle anything that comes your way. Then take responsibility to handle it.

Principle Two: Adjusting to Change

One thing is certain in life—everything must change. Nothing is static. In fact, right now a large area of your life is evolving.

You must feel physically, mentally, and emotionally safe in order to live at your highest potential. One of the most common strategies used to create this sense of safety involves establishing a level of predictability in your day-to-day experience. The very nature of change shakes this predictability up.

Effective people accept the inevitability of change and consciously decide how they will embrace and manage it when it arrives. The key to successfully taking this approach requires you to identify the essence of what you value in your current circumstances and to incorporate those qualities into the changing conditions you’re dealing with.

Within every circumstance of your life—those you love and those you don’t—there is something important that impacts on your perception of that event. When you experience change, it is normal for you to react to the possibility of fear of the unknown.

When you allow yourself to take time-out and analyse the basic nature of the circumstance in your life that’s changing, you are better equipped to incorporate this new concept into your new circumstance.

Change is not always easy, but by making the decision to embrace change you are taking the first step.

Principle Three: Stay Focused

The quality of your life is directly related to what you focus on in any given moment. Focus directs your attention and clarifies your actions. Effective people are masters at establishing and maintaining focus. They focus on their aspirations and the results they want to create. When they encounter a problem, they focus on solving that problem so that they can get back to moving toward their goals.

Common problems people have in relation to this area is that sometimes people find it difficult to establish focus or sometimes they find it difficult to maintain it once they hit a bump in the road.

Establishing focus requires that you are clear about what you want and what you have to do to get there. It also requires that you clearly define your priorities and manage your time and energy in accordance with them. It is important to remember that while people may develop their priorities, it is also necessary to manage their calendars based on that list.

Effective people are willing to say no. When they make a commitment, they follow through on that commitment unless they are presented with a real emergency, and before making a commitment they carefully evaluate whether or not that promise will support or detract from their present undertakings.

Now that you know the first three principles of personal effectiveness, it’s vital that you do what you know. This requires self-discipline and a healthy dose of personal responsibility.

You will have problems. You will meet obstacles. Not all of your projects will go according to plan. No matter what circumstances you encounter, maintain focus on your original goal and invest all of your energy in getting over, around, under, or through the problem you’re facing. Using this approach, your problems will be short-lived and you’ll reduce your frustration level greatly.

Principle Four: Surround Yourself with Positive People

Nothing will disrupt your efforts to live a healthy, balanced, fulfilled life more conclusively than surrounding yourself with people who don’t support your desire to live in this manner. The most difficult course you’ll plan as you make life improvements will be that of nurturing and evolving relationships with those who support you, and identifying and terminating relationships with those who aren’t willing to assist your growth.

Your relationships have the capacity to boost. They also have the capacity to keep you stuck or tear you down. Surrounding yourself with people who support your growth is an incredibly powerful way to create a lifestyle that pulls you towards your highest potential. Surrounding yourself with people who don’t, will almost certainly undermine the very change that you’re attempting to make.

Your commitment to surrounding yourself with supportive people and clearly asking for the kind of support you need sets you up for success. Your willingness to develop relationships with people who share your values and interests increases your chances of success still further. Your resolve to end relationships with people who won’t support you or who undermine your attempts at change ensures your success, increases your satisfaction, and validates your deservingness.

Take a moment to consider the key people in your life. Are they supportive of the new things you’re learning? Will they encourage you in your desire to change? Don’t settle for less than you deserve.

Assignment

Choose 3 of the principles of Personal Effectiveness and write a paragraph (150 words) on each principle indicating how you feel you have already put them into practice or how you intend putting them into practice in the future.

ORGANISATIONAL AWARENESS

Organisation Profile – Case Study – Cork County Council

In this unit we are going to look at the profile of Cork County Council. We are going to look at the following areas:

·  the structure of the organisation

·  the purpose of the chosen organisation through its mission statement

·  the functions and

·  interaction of sections within the organisation

There are 3 main types of organisational structures including

Hierarchical

Flat and

Matrix.

Cork County Council has a hierarchical structure

Hierarchical Structure

Diagram of hierarchical structure

Description of the diagram

The hierarchical organisation structure is pyramid-shaped. At the top of the structure is a single person, who has a small number of people reporting directly to them. Each of these people has several people reporting into them and the number of people at each level increases as you move down the structure.

Cork County Council Hierarchy Chart

Flat Structure

Diagram of flat structure

Flat Structure

The flat structure is common in entrepreneurial start-ups or small companies in general. There are fewer levels in the flat structure organisation. However, as the company grows it becomes more complex and hierarchical, which leads to an expanded structure, with more levels and departments.

In this example structure, there is one person at the top with everyone else reporting into them on an equal level.

______

Matrix Structure

A Matrix structure organisation contains teams of people created from various sections of the business. These teams will be created for the purposes of a specific project and will be led by a project manager. Often the team will only exist for the duration of the project and matrix structures are usually deployed to develop new products and services.

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a formal, short, written statement of the purpose of a company or organisation.

Mission Statement of Cork County Council

“Cork County Council is a local authority established by statute whose corporate purpose is to enhance the physical, social, cultural and economic environment of the county in a sustainable and socially inclusive manner, so as to improve the quality of life of its citizens.”

The functions of Cork County Council can be broadly defined through the various departments.

Cork County Council is divided into 3 divisions; North, South and West. In addition the various departments are Roads, Waste Management, Water Services, Housing, Coastal and Recreation, Corporate Affairs, Planning, Environment & Waste, Community & Enterprise, Library & Arts Service, Economic Development, Information Technology, Personnel and Finance.

Roads

The Roads Department is responsible forthemaintenance and upkeep of the existing public road network. The public road network consists of carriageways, margins, footpaths and kerbs.

Other responsibilitiesinclude:

·  Planning, design and construction of new roads and motorways

·  Public Lighting

·  Traffic management

·  School warden service

Water Services

Cork County Council's Divisional Water Services Sectionsmanage the provision of water services for the communities in North, South and West Cork and implements national policy directives on water conservation, such as the Water Pricing Policy, the Rural Water Programme and the Water Services Investment Programme.

o  Water Services Operational staff are responsible for the operation and maintenance of all water supplies and sewerage schemes throughout each Division.

o 

o  Water Services Capital Sections are responsible for the improvement of the existing Water & Sewerage System and the provision of new schemes.

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o  The Rural Water Programme, run in partnership with the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, Cork County Council provides financial assistance to individuals and groups for the provision of water supply.

Burial Grounds

o  The planning, design,construction and maintenance of Burial grounds is the responsibility of Water Services Section.

Public Conveniences

o  The operation and maintenance of public conveniences falls within the remit of the Water Services (Operations ) Department

Housing

Cork County Council's Divisional Services are responsible for housing in three regions of County Cork - North Cork, West Cork and South Cork. They provide many housing services to the people of County Cork, including housing maintenance, ongoing repairs, estate management, central heating grants and disabled person's grants. They also and have primary responsibility for the provision of affordable housing in the county.

Coastal & Recreation

/ Cork County Council provides and maintains many leisure facilities, including playgrounds, leisure centres, nature walks, beaches, heritage centres and playing pitches. Each division engages in the development, implementation and review of recreation and amenity facilities in its area.
The regional divisions also have a role to play in the development and maintenance of piers, harbours and coastal development.

Corporate Affairs

The Corporate Affairs Directorate incorporates a wide variety of centrally provided services. It contains the following sections:
·  Communications and Press Office
·  Community and Amenity Grants
·  Corporate Services and Council's Secretariat
·  Franchise (Register of Electors)
·  Freedom of Information/Ombudsman Complaints
·  Higher Education Grants
·  Internal Audit
·  Irish Language Officer
·  Law
·  Mayor's Office
The Directorate is responsible for the development and implementation of the Strategic Management Initiative. This depends on the full and active involvement of all directorates in the County Council. It focuses on ensuring that a corporate approach is pursued in a number of key areas, such as the following:
·  Customer service delivery standards
·  Services to support elected members
·  Support for the Workplace Partnership initiative
Planning
Cork County Council's Planning Department is responsible for the orderly and sustainable development of the County. It achieves this through five main functions:
o  Preparation, monitoring and implementation of development plans.
o  Control of development.
o  Enforcement of planning control.
o  Protection of our heritage.
o  Promotion of best practice.

Environment

The Environment Department monitors, analyses and reports on the quality of air, water and waste water in County Cork, in accordance with EU and national legislation. It also provides information on environmental matters to the public and to other County Council departments. The overall purpose of the Department is 'protecting and enhancing our environment for present and future generations.'