Individual Reflective Assignment-Learning from Past Mistakes (Essay Sample)

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIVE ASSIGNMENT-LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES by Student’s Name Class/Course/Code Professor’s Name University/School City, State Date Individual Reflective Assignment-Learning from Past Mistakes Introduction Learning from mistakes is the primary aspect of enhancing professional development. According to Nguyen (2018), professional development is crucial to human education, leadership, and management growth. I have made several mistakes when working in a group setup which requires a significant reassessment to enhance my professional wellbeing. My ability to overcome challenges in both experiences has been subjected to the diverse nature of professional development. Having the chance to undertake the process again, I would recoup my ethical behavior and capacities and embrace change for a better outcome. Experience 1 Distorted communication was the main challenge I experienced when working in a new group. Salamondra (2021) asserts that communication is critical to enhancing ethical wellbeing and improving the team’s code of conduct. The group had new members, which made me lack a proper means to create an impressive attitude. For instance, the group members had varied communication styles and accents, establishing an extensive language barrier in the communication setup. I lacked a proper means to express my views and opinions, as some members required an interpreter to help them grasp the information. The other challenge included a lack of trust, as each group member doubted their peer’s ability to undertake a particular task. Bormann et al. (2021) posit that when working in a group of new members, there may be a lack of trust, making people fail to express their confidence in the discussion process. I encountered a situation where one group member doubted my ability to handle a critical-thinking task. This aspect affected my confidence level as I felt intimidated. I overcame the communication challenge by developing a proper engagement process with the new team. For instance, we developed a harmonious communication structure where each member contributed to the topic. I obtained confidence to express my objectives and fostered improved communication in the group setup. Lack of trust was mitigated through a proper definition of responsibilities to ensure each member understood their peer’s abilities. I overcame this challenge by expressing my critical thinking skills and developing meaningful solutions. This process enabled the group to remain harmonious as each member felt included and had an equal chance to determine a profound engagement. The main lesson about my strengths is that I can lead a team through a well-coordinated plan to foster a harmonious working relationship. I can develop a workable plan to ensure each member understands their roles and expectations in the group. I learned that my weakness is setting high expectations for each member and getting frustrated once they fail to meet my expectations. I expect each group member to understand their roles and operate per the expectations. I learned that my problem-solving abilities are founded on my ability to understand each member’s objectives and enhance proper role-play in the group setting. Given a chance to do things again, I would consider a different approach to developing a harmonious engagement with new team members. For instance, I would empower each member to focus on improving their cooperation metrics as it would ascertain growth. I would also focus on team development by encouraging each person to develop their views and perceptions. The main lesson from experience was the need to embrace coordination while working as a group. I will use this lesson to enhance my communication skills and foster a well-outlined group engagement. The other lesson was the need to appreciate others’ contributions, which creates confidence and a positive outcome. I will incorporate this lesson in a subsequent group setting to ensure others feel appreciated for their contributions and encompass team development. Experience 2 The main challenge I faced when creating the presentation was inappropriate content organization. The content was required to have a clear structure and develop a logical flow for the audience. According to Galgotia and Lakshmi (2022), proper presentation requires an in-depth exploration of a particular topic and an analytical flow approach to enhance readability. This aspect was challenging as I was expected to organize the workflow to meet the diverse presentation standards. Each slide had to build upon the previous content and enhance clarity without overloading the presentation. I had to organize the slides to build interest in the audience, and this became a challenging approach. A challenge I faced in delivering the presentation comprised poor time management. The presentation had strict deadlines, and I was expected to cover every bit of the content within the set timeframe. I was expected to set realistic project deadlines and found it challenging to deliver all concepts within the allocated time. Delivery skills were part of the presentation process, as I was expected to portray confidence with low anxiety levels. Poor time management led to a hasty presentation which increased my anxiety levels, thus failing to make a satisfactory conclusion. I overcame the inappropriate content organization by specifying the key elements which required priority. Content organization requires a profound approach to identifying the segments requiring emphasis when making presentations. I focused on these critical elements, which helped build up the entire presentation as I ascertained clarity in their identity. The other way to overcome the challenge included developing a planned timeframe for each slide. I subdivided the allocated time across the different subheadings and ensured I made a detailed presentation within the set timeframe. This technique enabled me to build confidence during the presentation, knowing I was within the specified time. Proper presentation requires time management to enhance a meaningful explanation of the critical components in the slides. I learned of my ability to improve my time management skills using proper content organization. My presentat...