Manage Work

1.Discuss how a positive role model can influence personal development or learning.

"A role model is a person who others look up to and admire. A role model provides inspiration and motivation to seek out accomplishments. Role models send messages about their beliefs by what they do and say."1

Working at Defence middle management level for the past twelve years, I have seen many positive role models that are confident in their own abilities to inspire and motivate people to seek out accomplishments. These role models are often trustworthy, reliable, respectful to others and lead by example.

I have been teaching instrumental music for the past 25 years and I found that the students (at all levels and ages) associate my successful behaviours with their own personal goals making them more motivated to achieve success in their own lives.

2.Discuss why personal work goals and professional development should reflect organisational or work goals.

I think that personal goals in the workplace are closely associated to one's professional development. These are designed to encourage people to expand their knowledge in their field and by doing so creating a positive outcome in the organisational or work goals. Quite often, and certainly in the Defence Force, the initial probation period is a period where a large amount of time is dedicated to professional development and knowledge is rapidly acquired. These development strategies are developed to help people realise their full potential, therefore achieving their business goals. The hierarchical organisational structure allows each individual to focus on their role creating a cascade system.

All goals must be reasonable and achievable.

"Why is an organisational focus on goal setting so critical? An organisation in which all employees understand and act upon their roles and potential to adhere to the business strategy, in which everyone is travelling in the same direction, is unstoppable."2

3.Discuss how you prioritise and facilitate competing demands to achieve personal, team and organisational goals.

My standard expectations not only of myself but others around me are very high.

I am well adapted to manage change in work demands. I have excellent skills in harnessing information and opportunities , managing competing priorities and I am able to deliver high quality results while meeting tight deadlines. I create a list of tasks (Timeline) to be achieved and prioritise them and plan ahead the plan of attack sort of speak.

As a middle manager I am a role model for my peers and subordinates and I demonstrate this through my commitment to always try to achieve the best outcome in everything I do.

I constantly liaise with teams to ensure that all incoming and outgoing work is taken care of promptly and efficiently and that is an essential element of my role. While these teams may not have liaised strongly with each other, as a central point of contact I am able to monitor where each team is in the work pipeline and notify other

teams accordingly.

4.Research and discuss how you use technology to manage your priorities and commitments

In my previous role as the Public Affairs Manager for the Australian Army Band Brisbane the use of computers was a daily necessity for Media Releases, emails and research on the intranet and internet for