Comments to: crs@uvm.eduReviewed as of 4/20/98
THIS DOCUMENT WAS PRODUCED BY THE NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM. IT IS POSTED BY THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES FOR PUBLIC
USE. THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR
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UNIT 7: MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR PERSONAL POWER
Management Skills for Personal Power
Much has been written, especially in the last few years, about the
outer-directed management skills that are necessary for people in
leadership positions, and the general field of management
consulting has grown steadily to respond to the great interest in
management problems.
Fields such as personnel, organization, financial, time, and
project management are important areas for leaders to understand,
and can be applied to personal problems and goals. This discussion
will focus on the latter subject: how management skills help people
increase their own personal power.
Management is defined by Webster's as "judicious use of means to
accomplish an end." This discussion assumes that you've done an
honest assessment of yourself and what you want to achieve. Using
management techniques in your personal life will help you achieve
your goals.
This unit considers three general areas in which leaders may need
management skills for personal development:
Time management--Time management skills are crucial for setting a
comfortable, optimal rhythm and pace for one's life, and making
sure you get to more than just the necessities.
Self management--Self management skills, and recent breakthroughs
in psychology research, can be used to keep you motivated,
productive and positive about your life.
Conflict management--Conflict management skills can be used to
understand and mediate internal conflicts, and help you to handle
the stress that accompanies change.
Generally speaking, leaders intend to make change upon society,
which can be an enormous task requiring a strong commitment.
Leadership challenges are often long-term projects that are
performed with a wide variety of people over time. Leaders also,
by nature, have high expectations of themselves as well as the
people with whom they work.
To maintain the strength of personal commitment, to work as
effectively as possible in many different situations, and to meet
personal goals a leader needs to be able to handle time, people,
and issues in a manner that treats everyone involved with
integrity. Management skills are simply tools by which a leader
develops integrity.
Integrity is the quality of acting in ways that are as consistent
as possible with one's personal beliefs and goals. Integrity
requires self-knowledge and honesty. It also requires the
discipline to act consistently all the time.
Integrity requires discipline. As spiritual leaders are so fond of
reminding novices, discipline is freedom, by which they mean that
being sure and consistent about the basic things in life frees a
person to go on to higher achievements. As a leader, you are
committed to higher achievements, and you need the discipline to
keep working toward the vision.
Living your life with integrity will cause you to have both self-
respect and confidence in yourself, and will earn you the respect
and trust of others. People with integrity can carry large
responsibilities and make important decisions comfortably because
they know what they want, have the clear guidance of their goals
and beliefs, and manage to make it all happen.
Assumptions
þ Management is the step-by-step process by which leaders
implement their goals and visions, both personal and
social.
þ Successful leadership requires honest self-assessment and
self-awareness, and management psychology offers tools
for increasing self-awareness.
þ Leaders increase their personal power, integrity and
effectiveness with strong management skills.
þ Applying management techniques to one's own life requires
discipline and commitment. The techniques are not
temporary measures; rather, they are tools for action
throughout your life.
Learning Objectives
þ Develop skills from the field of management psychology
for personal growth in the following areas:
Time: managing your own time most efficiently
Self management: motivating, evaluating and expressing
yourself
Conflict: Resolving your own internal conflicts
þ Learn the importance of identifying problems first to
determine the right management techniques to apply to
problems.
þ Learn how to be a detached observer of your life, and
therefore apply knowledge about human behavior directly
in your own life.
Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed as of 4/20/98