Time Management

Time management is important since it helps to accomplish more using less effort, make better decisions, learn more and become more successful (Joseph, 2015). One accomplishes more since they are usually focused on the task involved while better decisions are enabled by creating sufficient time to think things over. I select this skill for reflection because according to Joseph (2015) time management is life management. In life, time is among the valuable possessions that one can have since you cannot have it back once it is gone. As a result, an essential life skill one should strive to master is time management. It is important to make it an objective of making every day to count. This will help to eliminate procrastination and enhance self-discipline.

Currently, I am competent when it comes to time management. I have assessed this based on how I usually complete my tasks on time. Rarely will I fall behind with deadlines regardless of what it is that I am involved with. This is also something that people within my circle complement me on. Most of the times when there is a group activity I am given the mandate to be the group leader.

There is a match between how I see myself and how others see me. I consider myself to be competent with time management, and that is the same feeling I get from other people. People will trust you with group activities if you can deliver the requirements within the desired period. As for me, it is something that I noticed from an early age.

This skill will help me in future given the career path that I am aspiring to take. Currently, I am taking a business management degree, and it is an area I aspire to pursue in my career prospects. The skill of time management will help me in setting goals and priorities in the workplace. This will help to identify items in my workload that need to be addressed before moving to those of lower importance.

Time management also ensures that one develops as an employee since one is likely to feel less pressure while meeting important deadlines. This gives an employee the opportunity of working on the company’s long-term goals rather than worrying on the day to day activities. The skill of time management has been known to be a favourable tool for identifying one’s biggest time wasters hence making the necessary adjustments (Oettingen et al., 2015).

 Team-working

I have selected this skill since it offers organisations an opportunity of learning how to work together. Team-working is usually vital for the success of any entity. Creating a team is one thing, but it is something different to create teamwork (Jackson et al., 2014).

The importance of team-working is that it enhances efficiency. Well-trained teams that are working in partnership usually find it easy to complete tasks accurately and quickly. This makes it possible for the team to take on more work hence the probability of increased revenue generation. Through teamwork, ideas also tend to flourish. When there is team-working, members feel comfortable giving suggestions while the teams meet for discussions (Jackson et al., 2014). This concept of brainstorming ensures that there is the generation of varied beneficial ideas.

I regard myself to be competent with regards to the skill of team-working. This realisation is through self-assessment findings. When tasked with group projects, I have realised that I always have this ability to work in partnership with other people. I have not experienced aspects of laxity or conflicts while working in these groups. Apart from self-assessment, my feelings also give me the notion of my team-working abilities. I am always happy and look forward to working with teams.

There are mixed feelings on how others see me with regards to the team- working skill. Some of my friends believe that I am very able when it comes to teamwork, and there are those that say I can be a little controlling while working in teams. There is also an instance where someone told me that I had the tendency of prioritising my ideas. I am not sure if she was being honest or she just wanted to get back at me.

The team-working skill will help me in the future in different ways. Among them is that it will make it possible for me to settle at the workplace without encountering difficulties. Extending this skill at the workplace will also work to boost my prospects of career development. This is because team-working creates synergy, which helps an entity to achieve greater prospects. The skill also promotes an empowered way of working by removing constraints that may hinder an individual from working properly (Salas et al., 2017).

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Giving and receiving feedback is an important skill due to the positive attributes that it brings along. Despite the feedback being either positive or negative, it should always be constructive. It helps to keep people going since they are aware of the improvements they are supposed to be making and areas where they need to maintain. Feedback also tends to unlock change and motivation (Petit, 2011). A good example is how customers give feedback to organisations after using a product or service. Organisations use these feedbacks to build on whatever they are offering and make them even better.

Feedback also has the ability to improve performance when it is viewed as something constructive since people are willing to adjust according to the recommendations. There is also the tendency of feedback acting as a motivation for employees. This is because they feel valued and appreciated since the management is showing an interest in seeing them progress (Petit, 2011).

Through self-assessment and peers’ feedback, this is a skill that I excel in. When necessary I will always give feedback on the issue at hand. This is something my peers have praised me about from time to time. I think it is the reason why most of them will approach me when they are encountering issues on different things. I am also very accommodative when it comes to receiving feedback.

How I see myself with regards to giving and receiving feedback is the same way that others see me. I am competent at giving feedback, and also competent while receiving the same.

In future, this skill will be helpful as it will enhance my career development. This is because when feedback at the workplace is constructive, it helps employees that take it seriously to develop even further. They are now aware of their weaknesses hence have the ability to work in these areas (Petit, 2011). Positive feedback at the workplace also brings the feeling of being appreciated, needed and part of the team.

Focus and Attention

Having the skill of focus and attention is quite important since it creates a better opportunity of doing what one is indulged with. Regardless of what it is, everything needs some level of focus and attention for substantial results to be obtained (Goleman, 2013). The power of attention is not something that people are born with, but it is a skill that people learn as they develop. The skill of focus and attention helps people to control their thoughts, free the mind from annoying thoughts, improve the ability to study, work more efficiently, strengthen their intuition, improve meditation, gain inner peace, and improve memory among other things.

When it comes to focus and attention, it is not a skill that I would praise myself about. This is because my ability to focus and maintain attention is dependent on the issue at hand and the people involved. If I am not interested in the issue at hand or the people involved, there is a high probability that my level of focus and attention will be low.

There are contradictions between how I view myself on this skill, and how my peers view it. Most of them think that I am highly competent in this skill. However, what they are not aware is that I appear to be competent with the skill because I am interested in them as individuals. That is why our interactions are usually positive.

This skill will be helpful in future since it will help me to focus on things that matter most. On most occasions, people fail to fulfil their long-run goals since they tend to give attention to side-shows along the way. This is why most people tend to get stuck in their careers and other issues. They do not seem to be moving forward since there are other things that are acting as obstacles (Goleman, 2013). When someone embraces the skill of focus and attention, it becomes possible to block out destructions and deal with things that matter the most.