In the past few months we talked about Attitude, Behaviour and the Complexity of Culture. The common thread that runs through these topics is the desire to learn and grow; a natural and courageous thing to want. This desire can be grounded in Personal Development, our topic this month. Changes in attitude, behaviour, and understanding the complexities of culture are just some of the benefits that will result from personal development.
Personal development encompasses making changes in attitude or behaviour, upskilling and self-reflecting, gaining awareness and feedback. This spirit of personal development is enmeshed with Cultural Impact’s philosophy.
The Cultural Impact Scan
One of the frameworks we use to help with personal development is the Cultural Impact Scan. The Cultural Impact Scan provides a solid foundation for understanding how each member can contribute to the success of the team by looking at our distinct cultural preferences and understanding the notion of context.
This enhances the ability to identify the different contexts and adjust accordingly. It is a useful framework for defining team norms and clarifying ways of working together while learning about the individual preferences. The Cultural Impact Scan will help team members to expand their behavioural repertoire and adapt to different contexts.
Exchange Theatre
Exchange Theatre is another modality for personal development. Exchange Theatre enables you to receive immediate feedback on how you are perceived at work, as well as how your behaviour impacts your relationships with colleagues. Exchange Theatre can also help point out and identify your biases and bring to light possible blindspots you may have about the world.
Action Learning
Another form of personal development is through Action Learning. Action Learning elevates the norms, collaboration, creativity and courage of individuals and groups. This framework develops leaders, as the simple rules, based on questioning, force participants to think critically and work together. Participants of Action Learning develop the mindset and skills that enable continuous learning which is imperative to personal development.
Why Personal Development?
Using these and other methods, personal development can help individuals become more self-aware, recognise their strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. This helps individuals to continuously learn and grow. By working on themselves in this way, individuals can increase their self-confidence and self-esteem, which can have a positive impact on all areas of their lives.
It’s important to note that personal development goes beyond getting better at a job, but expands to being a better person in the community. Personal development can improve communication skills and strengthen relationships with family, friends and colleagues. It can help individuals develop resilience and coping skills so that they can better deal with stress and securely overcome challenges.
Underneath this desire to be better is the desire to fulfil human potential. When individuals commit to developing themselves, societies grow and flourish, leading to a better quality of life for everyone.
The Human Development Survey is a survey assessing companies’ openness for Human Development. It is currently open for responses, if you are interested please find out more here: https://bit.ly/ADHO2023
Written by Farah Rani
19/4/2023