Essay on Core Personal Skills

What is the core skill?

According to Vohs et al. (2014), self-control is the ability to regulate ones inner feelings and desires. It also constitutes one's ability to manage one's thoughts, impulses, and pressures appropriately. Persons who with self-control pay attention to emotions and feeling and do not use them as the primary basis for making difficult decisions. On the other hand, having the ability to regulate feelings implies that one can respond to ongoing demands and experiences in a way that the society can tolerate. Besides, the regulation of feelings constitutes being sufficiently flexible thus permitting extemporaneous reactions as well as being able to delay spontaneous reactions.

Why is this core skill important? (use relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)

According to Ndukwu (2014), having self-control and the ability to regulate feelings are important for they increase the decision-making capacity of an individual by preventing the presence of emotions which often cloud one's judgment. It also increases the chances of success of a decision since it is made from an objective point of view and not subjective. Ndukwu (2014) further states that self-control is instrumental in curtailing impulsive behaviors, which may ruin one's reputation. It also helps to improve an individuals focus on anything since it eliminates distraction by negative thoughts, which would otherwise lead to, undesired outcomes.

How competent are you currently? (use your tool-kit findings, feedback from peers and your tutor, plus your reflections on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to answer this question)

The Big Five Personality test report affirms my character as an individual who exercises self-control. One of the textual summary items that measure conscientiousness indicated that I fall under the 72% percentile, which is a high range (See Appendix B). The result concludes that I am well disciplined, efficient and well organized. According to the Human Metrics Jung Typology Test results, my self-control results indicate that I do not hesitate to make plans. I also tend to stick to my plans without fail. Additionally, though the plans may have no importance to any other person, I often feel compelled to carry them out (See Appendix A).

Can you identify any contradictions or allowable weaknesses from your analysis?

Some of the allowable defects from the analysis include the ability to control me in learning. Since self-control consists persevering in uncertain and ambiguous circumstance, I may disincentivize to learn when the material being studied is insufficient to make me present myself as presentable on the topic. I may also not experience self-control when the materials being taught do not significantly expand the boundaries of my understanding. I am also unable to exercise self-control when I have no personal interest in the things I am learning.

How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)

In my future studies or career, self-control will be useful in enabling me to reject instant gratification and pleasure in favor of a greater gain in the future. The stated benefit will be achieved through perseverance and the ability to resist distractions and temptations. For instance, I may face hardships at my place of work such as having disrespectful subordinates, but self-control will enable me to persevere. Self-control will also help me to resist distractions while studying for it may allow me to avoid the temptation to procrastinate assignments. The possession of the skill will help me attain self-confidence, self-esteem and eventually satisfaction with the direction my life is taking (Ndukwu, 2014).

Presentation Skills

What is the core skill?

One of my core skills entails the possession of exceptional presentation skills. Theobald (2016) defines presentation skills as a set of capabilities that allow an individual to interact with an audience through the transmission of messages with clarity, engage with the public during a presentation and having the ability to interpret and comprehend the mind-set of the addressees. For one to be considered as an expensive presenter, he or she must have the capacity to make an audience understand what is being communicated.

Why is this core skill important? (use relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)

Excellent presentation skills are useful for an individual for they will enable him or her to mold messages according to the traits of an audience, which will increase the possibilities of the successful transmission of messages. Good presentation skills are essential in leadership. An effective leader should have the ability to communicate to followers clearly, and leaders are often judged by the way they present themselves. Excellent presentation skills provide one with a positive public image and opinion. The reason is that an individuals perception is related to how he or she is physically and verbally presented. Moreover, the skill is instrumental in eliminating ambiguity and confusion for it ensures that the recipients of information receive it in the clearest way possible (Theobald, 2016).

How competent are you currently? (use your tool-kit findings, feedback from peers and your tutor, plus your reflections on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to answer this question)

According to the Human Metrics Jung Typology Test results, I often have a larger than life attitude in presenting or describing projects and proposals. The ability is often expressed in salesmanship, storytelling, and stand-up comedy. The results indicate that I have a natural propensity for a filibuster, which increases the chances that a customer will be convinced to make a purchase. Perhaps the abilities that make me have good presentation skills are using creative approaches in discussions and adequately understanding a topic before commenting on it (See Appendix A). The Big Five Personality test indicates that I am imaginative and open-minded, which increases my flexibility to a clients demands (See Appendix B).

Can you identify any contradictions or allowable weaknesses from your analysis?

The Human Metrics Jung Typology Test results reveal an opposition to the skill. The results indicate that I come across as demanding and argumentative. It also shows that I often strive to have my opinion recognized before that of others and as the right one. The qualities contradict to the attributes of an excellent presenter, which includes accommodating and being cordial to the views of the audience. Some of the allowable weaknesses from the analysis include being unable to discuss materials with weak logical connections and being unable to discuss matters that involve feelings for too long (See Appendix A).

How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)

According to Cleverism (n.d), excellent presentation skills will help me in future by enabling me to enhance my growth opportunities. For instance, it will allow me to strike deals and gain clients as a business professional. At the workplace, my superiors will be able to notice my skills in presentation and confidence and consequently assign me tasks that have greater responsibilities. Additionally, the presentation skills will help me in future in the circumstances such as interviews as an interviewee, at face to face meeting and conference calls, speaking at meetings with colleagues and other staff members, speaking at a training session (Van Emden & Becker, 2016). The skill will be instrumental to my career as a salesperson.

Influencing Others

The third core skill that I have is the ability to control others. According to De Beer (2017), the ability can be defined as ones gift, talent, or capacity to make others agree with him or her. Capacity to influence can be attained in some ways. It can be done through nagging, coercion or appeal. Influencing others through coercion involves using force or threats that if they do not do what I want, I may threaten them with sanctions. Influencing through nagging requires grinding others to the point of submission by constantly reiterating a point that the target feels that the only way they will get peace is through agreeing with the persons demands. On the other hand, influence by appeal constitutes the act of a target voluntarily agreeing to the requests of an individual.

Why is this core skill important? (use relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)

Influencing skills are essential for they have the ability to get followers or a group of peers to agree with me. For instance, as a student who seeks to have an overhaul of our schools student disciplinary measures, my influence skills can easily enable me to get other students to support the cause. The skills are also important since they give me an added advantage as a leader. For a leader to be effective, he or she has to have an influencing skill that enables him or her give to directions to followers who will follow instructions without hesitations (De Beer, 2017).

How competent are you currently? (use your tool-kit findings, feedback from peers and your tutor, plus your reflections on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to answer this question)

According to results from the Human Metrics Jung Typology tests, I have a natural tendency to marshal and to direct. The tendency can be expressed using the charm of a world leader and the intensity of a cult leader. I can attest to the results of the test with description of my experiences. Since high school and early days in college, I was often appointed as a group leader in class assignments that were to be done in groups. I noticed that my peers would agree with my suggestion. Additionally, in high school, while competing for the position of the journalism club chairmanship I managed to persuade quite some students to vote for me, and I ended up with the most votes and became the clubs chair person (See Appendix A).

Can you identify any contradictions or allowable weaknesses from your analysis?

An example of an agreeable weakness described by the Human Metrics Jung Typology tests is that I encounter difficulties when attempting to influence a person if the process entails using finer soft skills such as being tactful, patient, or appealing to the emotions of a target. I am also not effective in influencing people if the subject of control involves love or poetry (See Appendix A).

How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)

Influencing skills will help me in future in my career as a sales person by assisting me in convincing my targets to make purchases. Further, as a leader of my sales department team, I will be able to introduce changes to work processes without intense resistance for I will have influenced my subordinates to accept a course of direction that I have predetermined for the team (Bowden, 2015).

Understanding Personal Learning Styles

What is the core skill?

The fourth core skill that I possess is the ability to understand personal learning styles. Learning styles are the distinct and consistent ways of perception, comprehension, and retention of information. An individuals preferred learning style is predicted by affective, cognitive and psychosocial behaviors, which serve as an indicator of how learners interact, perceive and react to learning environments. People learn differently from each other. For instance, an individual will prefer to learn by reading while another person will prefer to learn by listening. On the other hand, another person may prefer to learn using watching a clip or a video (Entwistle & Ramsden, 2015).

Why is this core skill impo...