PSY FPX 6730 Assessment 6 Growth and Development 

Abstract

This concluding evaluation will outline my progress and development as I journey towards becoming an I/O psychology practitioner. In this paper, my future consultancy vision and plans for the kind of consultant I want to become as well as the practice I want to establish will be addressed. I will also describe some marketing strategies and some self-assessment of my skills with areas for improvement. Finally, I will be describing some strategies to keep me energized and far away from burnout.

My Vision of Becoming an Independent Consultant

Being on the road to becoming an independent consultant, it was not hard for me to know what field I would adore practicing. I have always been blessed to have been surrounded by top-level leaders and be present to clarify what is occurring on the front lines and become a bridge between these leaders and up-and-coming leaders from the rank-and-file teams below. From executives to senior managers, I have always been called upon to stay in touch with corners of the organization from shop floors to airport terminals throughout my tenure as an aviation manager. I have enjoyed sharing guidance with senior leaders on how to build tighter connections and troubleshoot with rank-and-file staff members as well as assisting in creating new leaders. From these experiences, I decided to make this a passion and eventually a profession as a leadership development coach/consultant.

Strategies for My Future Consultation Practice

Refining my craft may be a work in progress, but I have had plenty of applied experience and exposure to some incredible leaders during my career. My own professional growth has leveraged the power of positive organizational behavior (POB), which is best conceptualized by Avey et al. (2008, p. 112) as “the study and application of positively oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities that can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement in today’s workplace.” My previous mentor taught me this term; he also gave me my first chances as a manager to collaborate with outside consultants to assist in developing transformational leaders while fostering form and habits in order to drive performance.

I think this is a practice that I need to adopt as I continue on my path to becoming a consultant. I also think that using positive psychology and CBT as a practice will lead me, as I have already started to develop a strong interest in both ideas. Taking into account the way a consultant must be cooperative and willing to take on challenges like resistance head-on, adopting actionable elements of positive psychology like “boosting public trust, strengthening training, and piloting intervention effectiveness” will be part of my consultant toolset (Biswas-Diner, 2020, p. 701). Although I appreciate being exposed to ideas like POB, I also understand as a practitioner, there are skills I need to include in my practice that will enable me to thrive.

PSY FPX 6730 Assessment 6 Growth and Development 

Some of these skills are “(a) reflecting on my behavior, (b) building relationships, (c) involving consultees in the process, (d) knowing consultation research and theory, (e) evaluating problems, (f) working on problems, (g) consulting and multicultural environments, (h) applying research methods, (i) (i) (i) (i) (i) (i) (i) knowing systems, and (j) following professional ethics” (Newell, 2012, p. 9). As a leader in different roles, I feel that the missing skill sets that I/O psychology is equipping me with have contributed to the way I communicate, even now. I think my new and old experiences make me qualified to eventually conduct psychological consultation in the workplace.

Finally, regarding my VIA character strengths, my top three traits are humor, social intelligence, and leadership. I think being technically knowledgeable but also a people person and social as a consultant would be beneficial. I feel that leveraging these skills would serve me quite well. I can see how far social intelligence and a sense of humor strengthen my leadership at the MTA. This is a factor where individuals desire to work with you to reach objectives. I look at my experience with consultants, and while nice, they were understandably businesslike. I want to be both kinds, but with the ability to cut through resistance and tension with humor in combination with my selected methodologies to overcome it.

What is my marketing action plan?

In order for me to sell myself and my new consultancy to the world, I look back a bit on my VIA character test results and those top three traits. Leadership and projecting leadership are important to me, but they are tempered by the humor and social awareness I project. My staff is aware that I am inspirational and also concentrated on their well-being and advancement, but I also lead with humor; even when we are in the midst of work projects or other assignments, I ensure I give them the proper motivations and objectives to push through. I think as a consultant these traits do have a place in the way I would conduct myself. Though, this is not to say that I am immune to weaknesses.

One of the weaknesses that I have is that I lack strong social media. I believe for one to expand their influence, social media is essential. I realize that I would have to at some point create and build my presence within this medium. I also look forward to it. Leverage my SIOP membership to connect with others who are working in this trade. It only makes sense that in order for me to legally market myself in a way that brings in paying clients, doing some work without pay may be in order. Listening to the partners at AMCA Consulting, they offered some excellent self-promotion suggestions, like “doing a project for a junior league or an organization” (Capella University, 2023).

PSY FPX 6730 Assessment 6 Growth and Development 

I have a few friends with small businesses and some with nonprofits for whom I could take on some projects. Another piece of advice the AMCA consultants provided was to “be a student” for these same clients. As an active person, I would wish to be in the trench with the people I am here to learn from. In terms of areas of professional growth, the last thing I would wish for is to be deficient in areas of professional expectation like communication and interaction. I now serve in management for the Organizational Development and Design unit of the largest growth and development transportation organization in North America (MTA).

I have the privilege of having direct access to numerous forms of professional development mechanisms, which I intend to make full use of. Finally, with respect to expense or feasibility challenges when it comes to developing a marketing plan, I don’t see much by way of huge obstacles. Apart from time, using social media for business-related purposes will involve a learning process, but it’s accepted. In my opinion, time will also be a factor if I have to do free project work. If I manage to pace myself, I think that I can expand in the consultant arena and establish future clients who will already feel at ease with my output.

Strategies to Keep Motivated and Moving Forward

I have had a good amount of access to people and resources I needed to excel in my career up to this point, and I think this new journey I am surrounded by is no exception. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have a plan in place for avoiding pitfalls like burnout and maintaining my enthusiasm. Following are three practices I will do my best to keep in action as I develop into a practitioner:

Social Support and Sense of Community:

In a fascinating article by Kovach Clark et al. (2009, p. 582), “social support refers to the resources and interactions provided by others and/or the connection to others that help one cope with stressful circumstances.”

” This means my SIOP resources as well as my professional mentors will continue to be pillars of support when I begin to feel the weight of the world.

Solution-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Coaching (SFCB):

A second way to use it in order to keep me even-keeled and satisfied with my endeavor is the SFCB technique. SFCB can be defined as a method to “improve performance, decrease stress, and assist in building resilience—therefore, SFCB coaching could be an effective methodology for improving performance and well-being and also as a preventative tool that can decrease the likelihood of stress, growth and development-related fatigue, and burnout” (Grant, 2017, p. 98). My mentor practices this technique, and she and I have discussed this practice; she has informed me that she will walk me through the steps of the SFCB when the time is appropriate.

My Personality:

Finally, I am a confessed social butterfly in the workplace. I live for assisting people and watching the organization improve because of it. Having the ability to perform these roles as a consultant will continue to give me joy, with the most significant difference being that I am able to leave behind a system built through collaboration. I also possess an unshakeable belief in myself. I believe in my capabilities and my ability to learn new techniques while honing existing ones.

Conclusion

This has been the toughest course that I have undertaken thus far, but I have gained a great amount of information from these classes. I am convinced that I will be an effective consultant since my education will not end on graduation day. I realize what responsibilities will fall upon an independent consultant, and I am sure I will be up to it. I also appreciate the support I get now and will get in the future. Until then, I will keep pushing through this educational life, doing the best work I can, knowing that a bright future lies ahead of me.

PSY FPX 6730 Assessment 6 Growth and Development 

Grant, A. M. (2017). Solution-focused cognitive–behavioral coaching for sustainable high performance and circumventing stress, fatigue, and burnout. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 69(2), 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000086

Kovach Clark, H., Murdock, N. L., & Koetting, K. (2009). Predicting Burnout and Career Choice Satisfaction in Counseling Psychology Graduate Students. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(4), 580–606. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000008319985

Newell, M. L. (2012). Transforming knowledge to skill: Evaluating the consultation competence of novice school-based consultants. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 64(1), 8–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027741