Summary

This is about reflecting on and evaluating honestly your own performance, and discovering ways to improve it through skills development. This requires you to work with others to identify your strengths and weaknesses, find out what information and support is available to help you develop a plan covering your personal and professional aspirations, and then put those plans into action.

What you need to show

You must make sure that your practice meets the following requirements.
a Monitor your performance regularly to make sure that it is as effective as possible.
b Get regular and useful feedback on your performance.
c Regularly describe and analyse any improvements that need to be made, either by you or through involving others.
d Maintain a level of knowledge and understanding that enables you to carry out your role effectively.
e Change the way you work in line with any relevant or new approaches or recommendations.
f Use feedback from clients, contacts or colleagues to identify any skills gaps.
g Develop a personal development plan and update it regularly to include new aims or
achievements.

What you need to know and understand

You need to know, understand and be able to apply each of the following.
Communication and interpersonal skills
1 How to use effective interpersonal and communication skills.
Personal action planning
2 Your own values and career and personal goals and how to relate them to your job role and professional development.
3 The importance of assessing your own performance and developing your skills accordingly.
4 The most appropriate methods for assessing your own performance.
5 Who the best people are to judge your performance and give you constructive feedback (for example, clients, contacts and colleagues).
6 What an effective development plan should contain.
7 How to update a development plan in line with feedback received or development activities
undertaken.
Improving your performance
8 The current level of knowledge, understanding and skill required to do your job.
9 The sources of information or support that will help or influence the way you do your job, and how to access them.

Personal behaviours

You need to be able to:
10 Apply knowledge/experience effectively, yet be open to exploring new ideas. IiP3.4
11 Invite a two-way exchange of information and feedback with others. IiP6.3
12 Strive to add value by achieving results in the best way. IiP7.1
13 Be committed to developing yourself to improve performance. IiP7.2