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Next Review Date

January 2013

About the author – Maria Landrelli

Maria has been involved in mentoring and training franchisees and small business owners (SME) in computer accounting software and business systems since March 1994. Over this

time she has helped hundreds of SMEs with their accounting needs using software programs such as MYOB and Quicken.

Since 1995 she has been an MYOB Certified

Consultant and is one of a small number of specialists around Australia authorised by MYOB Australia Limited to provide training on their

behalf.

During her career, Maria has been the main trainer of a large

international accounting franchise and has setup many of the systems which are still in place today. Over the years she has mentored a

number of franchisees specializing in accounting, financial control and bookkeeping services to help them create their own profitable

businesses and still keeps in contact with a number of them today.

Maria in 1997 joined a Not For Profit Registered Training Organisation

(RTO) as part time trainer and trained business owners in MYOB related products. During this time Maria became dissatisfied with the quality of the training material available and decided to create her own manuals.

During this time Maria was asked to become a member of the board for this Not for Profit RTO. She has also been a member of the executive committee and over the last 15 years has been treasurer on a number of occasions.

Maria has a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment to ensure she is delivering training to the highest possible standards and has been

training small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers in a classroom situation since 1998.

In 1999 Maria set up her own successful MYOB consulting and bookkeeping business.

Maria went on to become a franchisee of the international accounting franchise and had been named the most successful franchisee in NSW

on more than one occasion.

Maria has also twice been a mentor for the “Women in Business Mentor” program for the NSW Department of State and Regional Development. The Women in Business Program helps up-and-coming

women business owners expand their business.

In 2006 Maria became a member of the MYOB Publishers Program

which helps publishers of MYOB learning material to ensure the quality and integrity of that material is of the highest standard.

In 2010, Maria was asked to teach the Certificate IV in Financial Services (Bookkeeping) and GST/BAS Skill set for the RTO, the

required educational qualifications for registration with the Tax Practitioners Board as a BAS Agent.

In 2011, Maria received both the Brian Milligan Memorial Shield and the Pride in Workmanship award from The Rotary Club of Waitara

In 2012 Maria was invited to be a presenter at the prestigious NSW/ACT annual congress for the Institute of Public Accountants

(IPA), In 2013, the Institute invited Maria to develop and present course material for members of the Institute.

Maria is also a fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) and a member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB). Maria is also

Network Meeting Facilitator for ICB and runs the monthly networking meetings at Hornsby.

In 2007 Maria co-founded Bookkeeping Biz in a Box with Ralph Rossteuscher to assist bookkeepers and financial accountants that

wished to setup their own successful bookkeeping business.

Updated: March 2012 Page 1

BSBWOR501A Manage personal work priorities & professional development © Maria Landrelli

Table of Contents

Unit of competence ............................................................................................................................................................. 2

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Chapter 1 Establish personal work goals ................................................................................................................................ 9 Serve as a positive role model in the workplace through personal work planning and organisation. ............................ 10

What is a role model? ................................................................................................................................................. 10 Qualities of a good manager / leader ......................................................................................................................... 11

Ensure personal work goals, plans and activities reflect the organisation’s plans, and own responsibilities and

accountabilities ................................................................................................................................................................ 14 Measure and maintain personal performance in varying work conditions, work context and contingencies ................ 17

Time Stealers ............................................................................................................................................................... 18

Chapter 2 Set and meet own work priorities........................................................................................................................ 22 Take initiative to prioritise and facilitate competing demands to achieve personal, team and organizational goals and

objectives ......................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Use technology efficiently and effectively to manage work priorities and commitments .............................................. 26 Maintain appropriate work-life balance, and ensure stress is effectively managed and health is attended to.............. 28

Chapter 3 Develop and maintain professional competence ................................................................................................ 31 Assess personal knowledge and skills against competency standards to determine development needs, priorities and

plans ................................................................................................................................................................................. 32 Seek feedback from employees, clients and colleagues and use this feedback to identify and develop ways to improve

competence ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Identify, evaluate, select and use development opportunities suitable to personal learning style/s to develop

competence ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Undertake participation in networks to enhance knowledge, skills and work relationships .......................................... 39 Identify and develop new skills to achieve and maintain your competitive edge ........................................................... 45

Assessment ....................................................................................................................................................................... 49

Theory Assessment Question ............................................................................................................................................ 53

Page 2 Updated: January 2013


Unit of

competence

Updated: January 2013 Page 3


Unit Descriptor This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and

knowledge required to manage own performance and professional development.

Particular emphasis is on setting and meeting priorities, analysing information and

using a range of strategies to develop further competence.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit

at the time of endorsement.

Employability Skills This unit contains employability skills.

Application of the Unit This unit applies to managers and focuses on the need

for managers to be organised, focussed and skilled, in order to effectively manage

the work of others. As such it is an important unit for most managers, particularly

as managers serve as role models and have a significant influence on the work

culture and patterns of behaviour.

Unit Sector Deleted/Superseded Units

ELEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

ELEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Establish

personal work

1.1 Serve as a positive role model in the workplace through

personal work planning and organisation

goals 1.2 Ensure personal work goals, plans and activities reflect the

organisation's plans, and own responsibilities and

accountabilities

1.3 Measure and maintain personal performance in varying work

conditions, work contexts and contingencies

2. Set and

meet own work

priorities

2.1 Take initiative to prioritise and facilitate competing demands

to achieve personal, team and organisational goals and

objectives

2.2 Use technology efficiently and effectively to manage work

priorities and commitments

2.3 Maintain appropriate work-life balance, and ensure stress is

effectively managed and health is attended to

3. Develop and

maintain

professional

3.1 Assess personal knowledge and skills against competency

standards to determine development needs, priorities and

plans

competence 3.2 Seek feedback from employees, clients and colleagues

and use this feedback to identify and develop ways to improve

competence

3.3 Identify, evaluate, select and use development

opportunities suitable to personal learning style/s to develop

competence

3.4 Undertake participation in networks to enhance personal

knowledge, skills and work relationships

3.5 Identify and develop new skills to achieve and maintain a

competitive edge



REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this

unit.

Required skills

• communication skills to receive, analyse and report on feedback

• literacy skills to interpret written and verbal information about workplace

requirements

• organisational skills to set and achieve priorities.

Required knowledge

• principles and techniques involved in the management and organisation of:

• performance measurement

• personal behaviour, self-awareness and personality traits identification

• personal development plan

• personal goal setting

• time management

• management development opportunities and options for self

• organisation's policies, plans and procedures

• types of learning style/s and how they relate to the individual

• types of work methods and practices that can improve personal performance.

RANGE STATEMENT

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for

different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold

italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential

operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment

(depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item,

and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Own responsibilities and accountabilities may include:

• expectations of workplace performance as expressed in a performance plan

• outputs as expressed in position descriptions or duty statements

• statement of conduct outlining an individual's responsibilities / actions /

performance

Technology may include:

• computerised systems and software, databases, project management and

word processing

• electronic diary

• personal digital assistant (PDA)

Competency standards may include:

• enterprise-specific units of competency consistent with work requirements

• nationally endorsed units of competency consistent with work requirements



Clients and colleagues may be:

• colleagues at the same level and more senior managers

• internal or external customers

• people from a wide range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with a

range of physical and mental abilities

• team members

Development opportunities may include:

• action learning

• coaching

• exchange/rotation

• induction

• mentoring

• shadowing

• structured training programs

EVIDENCE GUIDE

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in

conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range

statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate

competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

• systems and processes (electronic or paper-based) used to organise and

prioritise tasks, which show how work is managed

• personal development plan, with career objectives and an action plan

• knowledge of relevant legislation.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

• access to appropriate documentation and resources normally used in the

workplace.



Method of assessment A range of assessment methods should be used to

assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for

this unit:

• analysis of responses to case studies and scenarios

• direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third

party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate

• observation of presentations

• oral or written questioning to asses knowledge of work methods and practices

that can improve personal performance

• review of personal work goals, plans and activities

• evaluation of work-life balance

• review of documentation assessing personal knowledge and skills against

competency standards.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and

job role is recommended, for example:

• other units from the Diploma of Management.



Introduction



Being effective in your workplace involves setting and managing your work

priorities.

This unit of competency is about setting priorities to accomplish your work

priorities and developing and maintaining your skills.

This learner guide has been created especially for the bookkeeping industry, and

the examples used relate to bookkeeping; however it could be used for any

professional in a management position or their own business.

At the end of this unit, you will be asked to complete a assessment. The

information contained in this training guide will assist you to complete this task.



Chapter 1

Establish

personal

work goals



Serve as a positive role model in the workplace through personal work

planning and organisation.

What is a role model?

According to Wikipedia a role model is “any person who serves as an example,

whose behavior is emulated by others".

As in any situation, there are good and bad role models and you need to choose

who and what you emulate, although even a bad role model can still be a positive

influence ie you don’t want to be like that person and will act in the opposite way

to achieve a good outcome.

Individually, we all have different strengths and weaknesses and there are things

we would like to change about ourselves and we should always be striving to

improve ourselves both professionally and personally.

Often when you think of role models, you think of them as somebody you want to

emulate in the entirety, which is not always the case.

Often you will want to emulate one area of a role model, but not other areas. Ie

you can be a positive role model regarding your skills and knowledge, but your

time management abilities or work / life balance may leave something to be

desired.

We also often perceive ourselves differently to how others see us, and we do not

often think of ourselves as positive role models, even though you may be

perceived as a role model by others. Ie you may see yourself as being totally

disorganised and wish you were like Mrs Efficiency who seems to manage to get

everything done while you are still burning the midnight oil to meet a deadline.

Whereas Mrs Efficiency may wish that they have your knowledge and skills and

strive to improve that area of their lives or Mr Disorganised may look at your time

management skills and think you are so well organised.

It is all a matter of perception.



Qualities of a good manager / leader

A good leader / manager will also be a positive role model and inspire others

through their words and actions. While most people think leadership is a

managerial position with the employees under their command, however this is not

always the case. This can include but not be limited to colleagues, clients and

other people surrounding them.

Individual qualities are determined by our attitudes, and these attitudes are

formed through our past experiences, both personally and professionally. They

can be our family, teachers at school, our bosses and our colleagues.

Some say leaders are born and not made, however we are on a lifelong learning

path and if an individual wants to change the way they work, they can change

their attitudes and beliefs.

According to Danny Cox, there are 10 leadership characteristics © 1996.

1 High Standards of Personal Ethics. Honesty and integrity is the core to

personal ethics, and with honesty and integrity you build trust with those

around you, and if people don’t trust you then they will not follow your lead.

Rules and regulations need to apply to everybody in an organisation, not just a

few ie if you tell people that they must arrive on time and you are constantly

late or taking credit for something someone else has done, then what sort of

message is being sent?

This can also include being able to admit where you have made a mistake and

then take steps to rectify the situation.

2 High Energy. You often hear great leaders being described as having

enthusiasm for life and unending energy.

This can often be the understanding of what tasks are important and needs to

be concentrated on and delegating work to others for a later time or not getting

involved in petty issues.

3 Work Priorities Setting priorities are important, however ensuring the priority

work is completed is even more important and good leaders need to be good at

both, especially if the tasks are difficult or disagreeable.

Particularly when you are overloaded with work, it means getting the important

work done, when it needs to be done and ignoring other work that could wait

for another time.



4 Courage. Ambrose Redmon said “Courage is not the absence of fear, but

rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear”

A good leader will take risks and accept responsibility for the result, although

this is not to say that a good leader is reckless, as a decision should always be

made after reviewing the pro’s and con’s.

You often hear hindsight is 20/20 and you will not know if a decision made has

been the right one until later, however good or bad you need to stick with that

decision.

5 A Committed and dedicated hard worker. When you look at a dedicated

hard working individual, you will often hear them say “I don’t work hard, I just

love what I do”.

They tend to be upbeat, happy individuals that will often look at ways to

improve what they do and are usually willing to go the extra mile to get the job

done.

6 An Unorthodox and creative leader will constantly push the envelope.

Effective leaders are innovators who bore easily and prefer shaping tomorrow

rather than to repeating yesterday.

Effective leaders are usually innovative people with the urge to create rather

than wait for the phone to ring. If they are working on something that is not

working, they are more likely to abandon the project and look for another way.

7 Goal orientation Focus on the goal to be achieved and be willing to make the

tough decisions to reach that goal.

Individuals that are goal orientated will not be concerned with making

mistakes, but rather look at getting feedback on past performances. They will

continuously focus on improving their skills and updating their knowledge to

improve their performances.

8 Enthusiasm and passion Good leaders inspire enthusiasm from those around

them, and genuine enthusiasm and passion is contagious.

Employee’s level of enthusiasm is often directly related to the enthusiasm and

passion of the leader, and if a leader gives an “I just don’t give a damn”

attitude, this becomes the attitude of the employees. Similarly, if you are

excited and passionate about a project, then this becomes the attitude of the

employees.



9 Level headed. Strong leaders are steady and level headed in a crisis and see

things as they really are, rather than what they wish it was. A good leader will

resolve the immediate issues rather than just react to the issue, while still

looking ahead at the long term goals.

A good leader that stays level headed under pressure, will inspire those around

them to do the same.

10 Desire to help others grow Successful people are always looking at how to

help others around them grow and succeed, rather than thinking “what’s in it

for me?”

A good leader is always trying to improve themselves, and share their

knowledge and experience with others around them.



Ensure personal work goals, plans and activities reflect the organisation’s

plans, and own responsibilities and accountabilities

Effective time management is the difference between achieving or not achieving

work goals and plans.

Workers usually follow the direction of their

managers, however managers or outside

consultants have greater flexibility in how they go

about achieving their own work goals and plans and

are held responsible for achieving those outcomes

and meeting those goals.

While this flexibility can lead to greater productivity and assist with personal work

/ life balance, it also requires a far greater discipline and ability to prioritise their

own workload.

Individuals that are able to successfully manage their time are able to manage

their workload and meet their deadlines without undue stress.

While a bookkeeper’s life is determined by various deadlines both for the work

they do for a client, as well as the work within their own business, including but

not limited to:

� Payment of employee wages

� ATO lodgments including IAS and BAS

� Payment of creditors bills ie credit cards, insurance, tax and super etc

� PAYG Summaries

� Business accountant for BAS and / or income tax return lodgments

Missing or forgetting a deadline, can have a variety of implications for the

organisation ie disgruntled employees, fines or late fees and penalties,

organization being uninsured.

If you are a contract bookkeeper running your own business, you will also need to

deal with meeting your own business deadlines and managing staff if you have

any, as well as acting as a role model for them and others.

When you are running your own bookkeeping business, you will probably find you

will have a combination of regular weekly, monthly and quarterly clients, and it is

the quarterly clients that will put pressure on you during BAS months, especially if

you are also completing the BAS for them, (and inconveniently if you have

children, it also falls during most of the school holiday periods)



If you are completing BAS for clients, time management with client appointments

is extremely important. If you don’t time manage you will not have enough time

to complete all the work required by the due dates.

Your clients don’t want the hassle of having to ring you to make an appointment.

Dollars to donuts, if the deadline is the 28th of the month, they will ring you on the

25th and you will be booked out. With a deadline looming, you will only put

pressure on yourself to complete all the work by the due dates.

It is important to be pro-active and make your appointments well ahead of time;

don’t wait for clients to ring you. If you have a monthly client and you know they

particularly prefer a certain day of the week, then in November / December make

the appointments for the coming 12 months.

It can be as easy as saying “I tend to get busy around certain times of the year,

and I don’t want to have a situation where I won’t have time to complete your

work, can we schedule in times now for the next 6 or 12 months?”

You will be helping yourself organise the work ahead, as well as getting your

client’s financials organised. It will also make you look more professional.

It is a great feeling looking at your diary in January, knowing you have regular

clients booked all the way to December, which will also help you manage your

cash flow.

Traditionally, the Christmas / New Year period is a feast or famine situation for

most clients. They are either very quiet, so they shut down and can’t see you or

are extremely busy and don’t want to see you because they haven’t the time. The

ATO has always given businesses an extra month to complete the December BAS.

Get into the habit of making appointments with yourself so you can catch up on

your own paperwork, expand your business marketing and diarise personal

events.

You can also schedule crisis days, such as every Wednesday, for the unexpected

work you have to complete for a client, which is not part of your regular

bookkeeping work.

If you have staff, it is also important to schedule regular times with them,

including

� Regular updates on work schedules

� Any issues that may be affecting them.

� Professional Development



Many small business operators work from home and this can prove difficult with

the lines blurring between home and professional life.

This is not so much of an issue when you go to a client’s premises to complete the

work and you have a 9.30am appointment.

You will generally leave home in time to reach that client by the appointed time

and you will probably finish at the nominated time.

Documents

About the author – Maria Landrellicertificateivbookkeepingtrainingresources.com.au/wp-content/... · BSBWOR501A Manage personal work priorities & professional ... BSBWOR501A Manage