Ed Pearson Professional Development

Professional Development Ed Pearson MA Design Management Module: DES7063 Module Tutor: Nicholas Irvin

Table of Contents 1. Introduction: Setting my professional development plan through action research

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2. Research questions 3 3. Where am I now? 4 3.1 My journey here 6 3.2 Skills and knowledge 9 3.3 Understanding who I am 10 3.4 Strenghts and weaknessess 14 3.5 What motivates me? 15

3.6 Managing a team 16 4. Where do I want to be? 18 4.1 My journey from here 18 4.2 2019 vs 2020 21 4.3 Target themes 22 4.4 What are the potential barriers? 23 5. How will I get there? 24 5.1 What opportunities are out there? 24 5.2 How will my experience help? 25 5.3 Mentor and networking 26 5.4 How am I going to use this course?

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6. References 28 7. Bibliography 30 8. Appendix 1: BCUSU Marketing & Communications Manager job description

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9. Appendix 2: Network map 34 10. Appendix 3: Interview with Education Marketer 36 11. Appendix 4: Graduate + personality test results 38 12. Appendix 5: Carl Jung results via 123test 44 13. Appendix 6: 16Personalities test results 46 14. Appendix 7: Hospice job description 49 15. Appendix 8: University of Bath Students’ Union CEO job listing

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1. Introduction Initiating my development plan through action research According to Kleon (2019), a creative journey isn’t a straight one. It can curve, loop and spiral. What does this mean when planning for the future, and considering how I want to get there?

This work aims to initiate my professional development plan by undertaking action research.

By setting myself a goal, and working out how I’ll achieve it, I will investigate where I am now; where I want to be; and how I will get there.

As part of this report, I will also evaluate my skills, knowledge, and learning style. I will be comparing and contrasting different personality traits, psychometric profiles and my skills and knowledge as a manager.

As a mature student, who also part-completed this module in 2019, I will also be considering additional elements as part of this module. In 2019, I felt the module gave me the insight to successfully apply for a job at Coventry University. Since leaving Coventry and joining Birmingham City University Students’ Union (BCUSU) in October 2020, I’m keen to understand how my outlook has changed, and how the experience has shaped my future.

Key words: professional, development, design, Students’ Union, charities, progression, higher education

2. Research questions • • •

Where am I now?

Where do I want to be?

How will I get there?

Design by Rebecca Morris www.hellobeckymorris.co.uk

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Heading Where am I now?

Subheading Body text

National College for S chools and Children S ervice s Marketing A ssist ant / Marketing Co-ordina tor 2007 – 20 09 De Montfor t Universi t y Diploma in Higher Educ a tion – Marketing 2002 – 2007

A ward: Out st anding Contribution to Nottingham Trent Universit y 2 013

Nottingham Trent Universit y Marketing Execut ive 2009 – 2015

Rock S ound Online Editor (P lacement) 2004

Met R 2015

Nottingham Cit y Council Marketing Co-ordina tor 200 9

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Not

t

Move d to Birmingham 2016

y

hea 5

Coventry Universit y Marketing Mana ger – S tudent Eng a gement 20 20 G ot Married!

201 9

Birmingham Cit y Universit y Marketing and Communic a t ions Officer 2016 – 2020

tin gham Trent Universit y S chool UG/PG Marketing Mana ger 2 015 – 2016

BCUSU Marketing & Communic a tions Mana ger 2020

S t ar ted MA De sign Mana gement 2019 – 202 2

A ward: Out st anding Contri bution to Nottingham Trent Universit y 2016

Figure 1 (Pearson, 2020)

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3. Where am I now?

3.1 My journey here My career has been dominated by working as a marketing professional within higher education (Figure 1). My experience throughout that time have given me the opportunity to work on a wealth of rich content; from creating comprehensive communication plans to delivering large projects for a range of stakeholders.

A key differentiation between my roles at Coventry University and Birmingham City University Students’ Union (BCUSU) to those that came before is the target market I’m engaging with. During my time at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and Birmingham City University (BCU), my work was directed at recruitment and conversion of prospective students. Working with specific institutions within these universities, I was responsible for a range of elements to engage this target market, and convince them that this was the correct course, and university, to achieve their career and life goals.

This NTU video (Figure 2) was the first video project I led on in my career, and was part of a series that encompassed all of the Art and Design courses. I wanted to capture the excitement of the Degree Show submission, whilst also giving prospective students an insight into the unique selling points such as the facilities, live projects and placements.

This video did especially well, receiving over 102,921 views.

At BCU, I was keen to showcase the opportunities available to students within the School of English (Figure 3). These profiles, which were also separated out into three case studies, took students outside of the classroom and highlighted how the course gives them excellent employability opportunities. All of our competitors had videos of the library, or lectures. I wanted to show we offered more, and these videos ended up being a large success at Open Days and in emails to prospective students.

Upon moving to Coventry University, the target market changed. As the Marketing Manager – Student Engagement, my work focussed on engaging current students with the Centre for Global Engagement (CGE).

CGE offered students extra-curricular opportunities to enhance their career on a global scale. The students had already chosen the university, so it was my job to help encourage them to take part in opportunities to give their CV international depth by studying abroad, learning a language, or becoming a member of the Global Leaders Programme. During the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, this became increasingly difficult as the programmes moved online, and students didn’t have the opportunities they had enjoyed previously.

When I started at Coventry, the relationship between CGE and the central Marketing team had completely broken down. I used my relationship building skills to re-connect the gap that had formed, and brought CGE into the marketing processes for design, social and website creation. This collaboration led to the creation of the CGE video, which I wrote, directed and completed the voiceover for (Figure 4). As we didn’t have any recent filmed content due to the pandemic, I worked with our designers on creating an animated video to highlight the different programmes available in under two minutes.

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Figure 2 (Nottingham Trent University, 2011)

Figure 3 (Birmingham City University, 2019)

Figure 4 (Coventry University, 2020)

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Since October 2020, I have been employed as the Marketing & Communications Manager at BCUSU. The principal purpose of my role (Appendix 1) is to develop and deliver a successful marketing and communications strategy that aligns with BCUSU’s vision, and meets the organisation needs. I have line management responsibility of four team members, budgetary and resource responsibility for MarComms and Welcome Week budgets, alongside a number of project specific funding streams.

As you can see in my network map (Appendix 2), I work closely with the CEO of the Students’ Union, who is also my line manager. Alongside my team, we work with the elected officers to assist, develop and deliver their campaign promises to students. We work hard to ensure each student, from whatever campus or background, feels welcome as part of the Students’ Union.

Reaching further out in my network are the other sides of BCUSU, including the Eagle & Ball, our Victorian-era pub. Working with these teams is a new experience for me, and I’m delighted to work on adding hospitality to my skillset. I’ve also been very lucky to meet other Students’ Union marketing managers, which is not only invaluable for my work now, but my future opportunities.

After joining BCUSU, I was interviewed for the Education Marketer website (Figure 5 Appendix 3) for my views on the difference between working for a university marketing team and a Students’ Union. The website is becoming a key marketing insight for members of the higher education sector, and the mailing list is followed by industry leaders within the field.

Figure 5 (Education Marketer, 2020)

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3. Where am I now?

3.2 Skills and knowledge Karpen (2018) argues that, when completing self-evaluation, people can be biased towards themselves and inflate their abilities, character, and future prospects. With that in mind, I have tried to be realistic around my knowledge and skill base. If anything, I can be overtly critical of myself and find myself striving for perfection and taking it personally when it doesn’t come to fruition.

During my decade in higher education, I have developed and refined key skills that will play a key role in progressing my career. I am always keen to investigate new opportunities to build these skills, and learn new ones that would be of wider benefit to my role and organisation. A good example of this is my new responsibility for hospitality marketing.

Very high • • • • • •

Relationship building Understanding the target market Communications planning and analytics Writing engaging copy Presenting Higher education marketing

High • • • • •

Line management Marketing processes Social media Art direction Project management

Medium • • • •

Budgetary planning SEO / PPC Staff disciplinary Hospitality marketing

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3. Where am I now?

3.3 Understanding who I am To get a better understanding of myself, I have undertaken multiple personality and psychometric profile tests. Although Karpen (2018) argued self-evaluation can be biased, reflections on traits and not abilities, leads to more contemplative results.

I began the process by undertaking the personality test (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved.

Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020) created by the Graduate+ team at Birmingham City University (Appendix 4). The results were extremely comprehensive, and combined a number of different personality theories and results.

I will be highlighting the common strengths and weaknesses in section 3.4, but the result of my Myers-Briggs personality as part of BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience.

Get Prepared., 2020 was:

Figure 6 (Pearson, 2020) Although I did learn a lot from the results, I did not connect with the personality spectrum element. The results suggested I was more calm than compassionate, which does not align with the results from other psychometric results, or how I feel. They expand to say calm is “unaffected by feelings, indifferent” (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020), yet my Carl Jung Personality Test (Jung, 2020– Appendix 5) results claim my feelings and emotions play a leading role because of my concern for other people. That is more in line with my other results, and how I feel myself.

Undertaking the Carl Jung personality test (Jung, 2020) and the 16 Personalities test (16Personalities, 2020 – Appendix 6) gave me exactly the same profile:

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Figure 7 (Pearson, 2020)

Although this result is in same area as the BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience.

Get Prepared., 2020 Myers-Briggs results, the key difference is the move from Judging to Perceiving. The perceiving personality element has a preference for flexibility and spontaneity, but means planning can be left behind (Rosenberg McKay, 2019). This is something that I have reflected upon in section 3.4.

Understanding the way I interpret data and act on it is another good reflection tool. I undertook the VARK model and found I was multimodal (Figure 8), which I believe gives me an excellent platform to work across multiple streams.

VARK Learning Preference Multimodal (VAK)

AURAL 11

VISUAL 9

READ/ WRITE 2

Multimodal ( VA K )

KINAESTHETIC 13

Figure 8 (Pearson, 2020)

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It’s acknowledged that the knowledge of yourself can be limited (Gallrien, et al. 2013).

Often, an outside perspective can contribute valuable information I couldn’t provide myself.

Designed by Luft and Ingham (1955), the framework contrasts the views of yourself, and views others have of you (Gallrien, et al. 2013). The framework is broken down into four areas, in two sub-sections to understand your own self-knowledge, and others knowledge of you.

At the beginning of the model, I chose six words from the list (Johari Window - Describe rareunity, 2020) that I felt best described myself. These were: accepting, caring, dependable, knowledgeable and trustworthy.

As I had just started at BCUSU at this point, I reached out to former Coventry and Nottingham Trent University colleagues, alongside the person who knows me best – my wife Rhea – to pick six words from the list provided to best describe me. They did not know the six words I’d chosen beforehand. The results can be found in Figure 9.

Known to Others

Johari Window Known to Self

Not Known to Self

ARENA

BLIND SPOT

accepting caring dependable knowledgeable responsive trustworthy

Not Known to Others

FAÇADE

bold cheerful clever energetic friendly giving helpful idealistic independent intelligent

kind logical loving modest observant reflective self-assertive sentimental witty

UNKNOWN able adaptable brave calm complex confident dignified extroverted happy ingenious introverted mature nervous organised patient powerful proud quiet relaxed religious searching self-conscious sensible shy silly spontaneous sympathetic tense warm wise

*Bold text means more than one person chose this word

Figure 9 (Luft and Ingham, 1955, adapted by Pearson, 2020)

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The first thing to note in these results is that the six words I’d chosen were selected, sometimes multiple times, by my former colleagues who filled in the survey, which means these words are known to myself, and to others. The blind spot section is where my former colleagues and Rhea picked words that I hadn’t. It’s interesting to see multiple selections of friendly, as that aligns with my Myers-Briggs results (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020).

The interesting element to focus on is the unknown section – words that weren’t picked by either myself or those who helped populate my Johari Window. For example, extroverted wasn’t picked by anyone – yet it was a key Myers-Briggs personality element. Organised was also an element that was unknown to myself and others, and this could be a potential weakness alongside other personality elements.

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3. Where am I now?

3.4 Strengths and weaknesses After undertaking my psychometric tests, alongside the Johari Window, I believe the results give me a good idea of my personality traits strengths and weaknesses. I’ve grouped the most common themes below.

Strenghts Creative, with a strong imagination (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020). | Curious – campaigners are imaginative and open minded, seeing all things as part of a big, mysterious puzzle called life (16Personalities, 2020) | Sees a world of possibilities where imagination runs free and every day is important (Jung, 2020) Able to find patterns and meanings behind the surface (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020) | Observant – campaigners try to notice everything and to never miss a moment (16Personalities, 2020) | See potential in everyone in every situation (Jung, 2020) Good at facilitating communication (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020) | Excellent communicators – enjoy both small talk and deep meaningful communication (16Personalities, 2020) | Intuition and flexibility to relate to others on their own level – to be on the same wavelength (Jung, 2020)

Weaknesses Becoming increasingly critical and finding fault with everything (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020) | Highly emotional – emotional bursts that are counterproductive at best (16Personalities, 2020) Become fixated on making sure they are well liked by everyone and gaining their approval (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020) | Get stressed easily – very sensitive, and care deeply about others’ feelings. (16Personalities, 2020) Can sometimes lose sight of practical issues” (BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared., 2020) | Poor practical skills (16Personalities, 2020) | Organised – unknown (Johari Window) I highlighted these as they were a common theme throughout the personality tests I undertook.

These are also strengths and weaknesses that I felt most connected to and felt best represented my personality. I’m possibly the type of person who focuses too much on the negative, but I’m keen to understand these weaknesses in order to grow and achieve my professional development goals.

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3. Where am I now?

3.5 What motivates me?

To achieve my professional development goals, I first need to understand my own motivation towards work. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is made up of five tiers, starting with basic needs at the bottom such as food, water, housing. The top tear is self-fulfilment needs, where you achieve your full potential including creative and professional activities (McLeod, 2020).

If self-fulfilment needs are the top tier, then Zhang, Zhang, Song and Gong (2016) argue the majority of theories have described motivation to reach that tier either as: • •

Extrinsic: motivated by external incentives or punishments (or) Intrinsic: motivated by personal interest.

Personally, I believe it’s hard to be defined by either. I would say my personality trait leans more towards intrinsic, but with an undercurrent of extrinsic motivations. For example, I am studying this MA for intrinsic reasons, yet I’m keen to receive the best grade possible – could that be argued as extrinsic motivation? I don’t believe it’s as simple as one or the other in most scenarios.

In terms of my career path, money is not a driving motivation for me. Berg (2015) argued some people choose a lower wage in order to work within the charity industry. That personal vision being aligned with an organisation’s is a key motivation tool. A company’s motivation has been key throughout my journey, which is why I’ve pursued a career within higher education.

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3. Where am I now?

3.6 Managing a team A key element to my progression within my career is understanding how I can develop as a manager. Although I’ve had experience of line management in my career, the role at BCUSU is the first time I’ve had chance to manage a full team. I am keen to understand how my management style works in conjunction with my personality type.

Pettinger (2016) argued that management activity cannot work in isolation from the team members and their expertise. The abilities of the team have to be harnessed to work together for the organisation, and be motivated to do so. The managers role is to engage, motivate, energise and harmonise the team for the objectives of the organisation.

Reflecting on my knowledge and personality tests, this is a role I enjoy undertaking. The results of my Jung personality test said I was “committed to the growth of people.” (Jung, 2020). My role as a Campaigner (16Personalities, 2020) tends to put emphasis on real friendships, and use this popularity to inspire and motive the team. Whilst BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared added that my personality type was full of charisma and can get people to follow my lead.

In the 1960s, Douglas McGregor developed contrasting theories on management. Theory X (authoritarian) and Theory Y (participative) (Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding People’s Motivations, 2016).

Reflecting on my personality traits, and my experience so far with my team at BCUSU, I definitely feel I am more a Theory Y manager (participative) rather than a Theory X (authoritarian). I also believe that this theory works up the hierarchy as well, as this is how my line manager works with me. Although Theory Y style encourages the team to be involved in the decision-making process and enjoy taking ownership of their work, it could also potentially give the team too much freedom meaning they lose focus (Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding People’s Motivations, 2016).

The potential negative element of my personality trait as a manager could lead to issues around having to reprimand a member of staff. My BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared results showed that my faith in people could potentially go too far and become a fault. In conjunction with my Theory Y management style, giving my team too much freedom could make it harder if things go wrong and reprimand is needed.

I do find reprimanding staff difficult. I place a large amount of trust in anyone I line manage, and am always keen to highlight the positive within their work. This is something I will have to work on if I’m going to follow my career path to become a CEO in the charity sector.

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One major element I have been acutely aware of since starting at BCUSU has been the pandemic. I’ve only met my team online via Teams, and whilst I have been extremely proud of the work they’ve undertaken, it’s been hard to get a sense of how they work in an office environment. This was compounded when the organisation went on 50% furlough in November of this year. I had less time to spend with the team, and work became a series of short-term priorities, rather than building a new team sense of belonging.

The team had been without a manager since July, so in regards to the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum Overview (Figure 10) adapted from (Chapman and Scouller, 2020), the team were already used to self-managing. Starting my job at this time and implementing my management style, whilst being online, is something that is taking longer than it would in person.

Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum 7 Levels G re a te r M a n a ger i a l Auth or i t y

G re a te r F re e d om f or Emp l oy e e s Employees allowed to function with no defined limits Manager defines limits; asks group to make decision Manager presents problem; takes suggestions Manager presents tentative decision; subject to change Manager presents ideas; invites questions Manager sells the decisions Manager makes and announces decisions

Figure 10 (Tanenbaum and Schmidt, 19585, adapted by Pearson, 2020)

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4. Where do I want to be?

4.1 My journey from here I’ve never felt more sure of the direction in which I’d like to take my career. After over a decade working in higher education, I’m looking to transition towards working for charities.

Joining BCUSU was the perfect first step for this, as it links my higher education knowledge and experience, and gives me the experience of working for a charity. It also gives me great experience of leading a marketing and communications team within a relatively small organisation, with a reach to thousands of students.

I feel my personality types, Johari Window and personal motivation leads me towards the charity sector. One of the most selected words in my Johari Window was caring, which I believe puts me in an excellent position to emphasise and create the best possible content when working with future organisations.

2021 will be a key year in my professional development. In November next year, my fixed-term contract finishes with BCUSU. Although this is quite daunting, it does give me a target to work towards. I am incredibly keen to stay at BCUSU for the long-term – I really feel I’ve found somewhere I can make an impact and feel a real sense of belonging.

However, this is currently the highest marketing position held in the organisation. There isn’t anywhere I can progress to after (hopefully) spending the next five years in my current role. Unless the structure changes in the short to medium term, it means I will need to move to a different organisation to take the next step in my career.

I’ve separated my journey from here into two different routes (Figure 11).

Option A This is my first choice, and it means that my role at BCUSU is extended or made permanent. I believe there is so much potential within this role to expand the scope of the Students’ Union and take the marketing and communications onto a whole new level.

If the structure does change, I’d be keen to stay here and move into a Head of Marketing and Communications role in the future. At that point in my career I’d be keen to move on to the next level and have more of an overarching role, and less of a hands-on planning one.

From there, I’d be keen to make the step up to becoming a Chief Executive Officer at a charity. Working with the current CEO of BCUSU has been really eye-opening.

Option B Although the steps in this plan are nearly identical to Option A, this is my planned career path if my contract at BCUSU is not extended, or if I’m not offered the permanent position.

I would love to stay within the world of Students’ Unions, but it is an incredibly sought after and limited industry. Therefore, it’s more likely that I will have to move out into a Marketing Manager role in a different charity sector. From there, I would still be aiming for a CEO position, and perhaps the time in a different sector beforehand will give me a wider skillset and knowledge base to achieve this goal.

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Where am I going?

10 Year Plan BCUSU Marketi ng & C o mmunic a tio ns Mana ger 20 20

O pti o n A:

BC US U Ma rket in g & C ommunic a t i o n s M a na ger 20 20 – 202 5

Option B: C ons i s tent , either with A or B: Fam ily S tud ent s’ Union / Chari t y Marketi ng Man a ger 202 1 – 202 5

C ha ri t y S e c to r He a d of Mar ke t i n g 2025

Charit y S ec tor He ad of Marketin g 20 2 5

C ha ri t y S e c to r CE O 20 3 0

Charit y S ec tor CEO 20 30 Figure 11 (Pearson, 2020)

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Constant As you will have seen throughout this report, my family are a key constant regardless of which option I end up following. I need to make sure that whatever my future role is, my family are cared for and supported. I want a job that makes a positive difference to lives, but not at the cost of time with my wife or my step-kids. My family are the key element, and they will always be my first priority.

Figure 12 (Akiro Tea, 2018)

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4. Where do I want to be?

4.2 2019 vs 2020 When I was completing this module in 2019 I had different ideas for my future. I was considering a career as an account manager in a design firm. I felt my experience as a marketing co-ordinator for the various Schools put me in an excellent position to move into this industry in the future.

As the module progressed, I was successful in an application to join Coventry University at a Marketing Manager for Student Engagement. I honestly feel partially completing this module in 2019 gave me the insight to move forward in interviews and application processes. I’d been unsuccessful in two internal job application processes, and felt unsure where my future lay in the university. The new understanding I’d gained gave me more confidence to step forward, and although it didn’t work out in the long term, it definitely took me out of my comfort zone and onto the next step of my career.

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4. Where do I want to be?

4.3 Target themes After reviewing the target themes from my 2019 submission, I feel they are still relevant towards where I am now and my journey for the future. The one element I’ve altered is around the size of my target organisation. I had originally stated I wanted to work in a large organisation, but seeing the possibilities of working in a small to medium sized enterprise (SME) gives me the chance to be more flexible and feel like I’m making more of an impact.

Senior leadership / team management Although I currently manage a team of four, my professional development path would eventually lead to managing the whole organisation. My current role gives me excellent experience, as I manage a communications co-ordinator, graphic designer, web developer, and income co-ordinator. This is a great mix of roles, and if I were to progress then these individuals could potentially be separate teams in themselves.

The charity sector As I stated previously, having the chance to work for an SME has opened my eyes to the possibilities for impact that comes with it. At the moment, BCUSU has the benefit of being connected to BCU, but separate enough to be more flexible and more in-line with my personal beliefs.

More autonomy / bigger impact I believe my current role gives me the most autonomy and opportunity for impact I’ve ever had in my career to date. However, this is something I’d like to retain as a target theme, as I’m keen not to lose track of it. Whilst I was proud of the work I completed at Coventry, I definitely don’t feel it flexed me creatively. It was more fire-fighting. If I had stayed, I could see that improving, but I already feel I’ve made a similar impact at the Students’ Union. I felt backed from day one, and it’s a large positive to me.

In conclusion, I want my future to continue to expand my autonomy and responsibility, working and completing a diverse range of innovative marketing campaigns to a wide range of stakeholders. I thrive in an environment of creativity and innovation. I want to work with new partners, clients and colleagues to deliver complex tasks at a higher level. I want the opportunity to travel, and have a job that includes that.

All of these links back to my personality results – I’m an extrovert, charismatic and a natural leader. By following this path, it would give me the chance to shine in an area I can contribute the most to and show what I can really do.

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4. Where do I want to be?

4.4 What are the potential barriers?

There are two main barriers to my future plans. As I mentioned earlier, working in charity is incredibly sought after. My time at BCUSU will help give me an advantage over those without charity experience, but there are still limited opportunities in an in-demand sector.

The other key barrier facing my journey and themes, is the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the charity sector. According to the Guardian (Butler, 2020), 1 in 10 charities are facing bankruptcy by the end of the year as they are struggling to cope with the additional demand for their services and loss of fundraising income due to the pandemic. This has seen Students’ Union teams across the country review their marketing teams, with a number of re-structures and job losses.

Hopefully once my fixed-term contract finishes in 2021, there will have been an upturn in the fight against coronavirus. Trying to remain positive with the news of the impending vaccines, there could be a return to campus and a sense of normality. In that case, I hope my position has either been extended or made permanent.

Moving forward, I feel I need to address and work on the potential weaknesses in my personality traits. If I were to manage a larger team, I need to work on my emotional side and any potential outbursts. I should aim to not take criticism too personally, and not lose sight of practical issues. However, I believe there has to be a balance within that. Will reducing my emotional side lose the charisma to lead and develop a team? I would rather work on developing these weaknesses, whilst not losing myself in the process.

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5. How will I get there?

5.1 What opportunities are out there?

As outlined in Figure 11, the next step in my career path would be a Head of Marketing and Communications within a charity. As this type of role doesn’t normally exist within a Students’ Union I’ve retrieved a Head of Communications & Marketing job description for Hospice (Appendix 7). This job description outlines some of key responsibilities needed for the role.

Even though I’ve only been at BCUSU since October, I can already see how the role has the potential to develop my skillset to be suitable to apply for this type of role in the future. I’ve highlighted one example of a key responsibility at Hospice that aligns with my current key responsibilities for BCUSU.

Hospice

BCUSU

Develop, implement and evaluate marketing and communications plans for campaigns and events across Shooting Star Children’s Hospices to drive audience engagement and participation.

To develop a marketing and communications strategy that fully meets the needs of BCUSU to increase engagement and awareness from our students.

My ultimate aim is to become a CEO in the charity sector, specifically for a Students’ Union. To that end, I found a current job listing for the CEO of the University of Bath Students’ Union (Appendix 8).

The most interesting element of this job listing is that is doesn’t list key requirements of the role in the standard format – it is more focused on finding the right kind of person. The opening line of the job listing shows they’re looking for someone with emotional intelligence, someone who is inspired by their mission. The insight this module has given me will be invaluable in progressing my career in this field. This sector values the right person, rather than just someone with the right qualifications.

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5. How will I get there?

5.2 How will my experience help me?

I firmly believe I’m on the correct path for my professional development. As stated, the key issue I face is in November 2021, and my fixed term contract finishing. I believe this module has given me extensive insight into my personality traits, and as seen with the University of Bath Students’ Union CEO job listing (Appendix 8) this understanding will be invaluable.

There is also a natural progression with the job description I’m currently doing, and the next steps in my career.

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5. How will I get there?

5.3 Mentor and networking My current line manager at BCUSU is the CEO; Richard Evans. Richard’s career has similarities to my own, after working as a Marketing Manager for a students’ union before becoming the CEO at BCUSU. Richard’s guidance and tutelage will be invaluable for me in my career progression.

Regardless of what happens to my role in November 2021, I am keen to keep in touch with Richard as a mentor and friend. I feel his personality type, management style and priorities mirror my own. Not only that, he has an extensive network within Students’ Unions, and would be an excellent person to help highlight future opportunities and be an insightful sounding board and reference.

As stated in my network (Appendix 2) I have connections with other Marketing Managers at Students’ Unions across the Midlands. This is an excellent platform to share best practice, discuss industry news and developments and build my own network. When it is safe to do so, I will be visiting the other Students’ Union campuses and expanding my knowledge base and establish my network with the other managers.

I’ve never had the chance to network with others outside of my current organisation on the same job roles, other than people I’ve worked with directly, before. As we’re not in competition as Students’ Unions, it’s an excellent chance to expand my experience and knowledge through key relationships.

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5. How will I get there?

5.4 How am I going to use the course?

“Design is a talismanic word, with nearly infinite meanings” (Gram, 2019).

MA Design Management isn’t simply about the management of design or designers, it provides the knowledge and skills to work with, and communicate effectively, across design and business disciplines.

It is a multidisciplinary course for ambitious designers and non-designers working in the creative industry and I’m keen to use the course to gain business and marketing insight. In 2019, I felt the experience on this course helped me secure my role at Coventry University.

In 2020, I can already see the connection with this module and an advertised CEO position at the University of Bath Students’ Union.

Whilst many of my peers decide to study a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) course, I knew I could stand out from the pack and advance my leadership skills, find out more about myself to progress my career in a field I was interested in. Design is shaping the way we live, from every-day projects to government initiatives. This course will be invaluable in helping me learn new skills, and develop myself professionally and personally.

Although my path may be a looping one, that circles around, I am sure I am on the right track.

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6. References 16Personalities. 2020. Free Personality Test | 16Personalities. [online] Available at: <https:// www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test> [Accessed 4 November 2020].

Berg, J., 2015. The role of personal purpose and personal goals in symbiotic visions. Frontiers in Psychology, 6.

Butler, P., 2020. Coronavirus Leaves One In 10 UK Charities Facing Bankruptcy This Year. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/09/ coronavirus-leaves-one-in-10-uk-charities-facing-bankruptcy-this-year> [Accessed 9 December 2020].

Campbell, K., 2020. “We’Re All Tired Of Zoom Quizzes, So It’S Key To Not Rest On Those Initial Lockdown Tropes.” — Education Marketer. [online] Education Marketer. Available at: <https://www.educationmarketer.co.uk/blog/ed-pearson> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Careers in Students’ Unions. 2020. Chief Executive Officer - Careers In Students’ Unions. [online] Available at: <https://su.careers/job/full-time-chief-executive-officer/> [Accessed 12 December 2020].

Carl, J., 2020. Jung Personality Test - Take This Free Jung Personality Test Online At 123Test.Com. [online] 123test.com. Available at: <https://www.123test.com/jung-personality-test/> [Accessed 4 November 2020].

Chapman, A. and Scouller, J., 2020. Tannenbaum And Schmidt’s Leadership Behaviour Continuum – Businessballs.Com. [online] Businessballs.com. Available at: <https:// www.businessballs.com/leadership-models/leadership-behaviour-continuum-tannenbaum-and-schmidt/> [Accessed 4 November 2020].

Charityjob.co.uk. 2020. Charityjob. [online] Available at: <https://www.charityjob.co.uk/ jobs/shooting-star-children-s-hospices/head-of-communications-marketing/720076?tsId=2> [Accessed 12 December 2020].

Gallrein, A., Carlson, E., Holstein, M. and Leising, D., 2013. You spy with your little eye: People are “blind” to some of the ways in which they are consensually seen by others.

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Graduateplus.bcu.ac.uk. 2020. BCU Graduate+ | Get Involved. Get Experience. Get Prepared.. [online] Available at: <https://graduateplus.bcu.ac.uk/information-and-resources/ potential.ly> [Accessed 28 October 2020].

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Gram, M., 2019. On Design Thinking. [online] n+1. Available at: <https://nplusonemag.com/ issue-35/reviews/on-design-thinking/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

Karpen, S., 2018. The Social Psychology of Biased Self-Assessment. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 82(5), p.6299.

Kevan.org. 2020. Johari Window - Describe Rareunity. [online] Available at: <http://kevan. org/jh/rareunity> [Accessed 29 October 2020].

Kleon, A., 2019. Keep Going. 1st ed. New York: Workman Publishing Company.

Mayer, J., Salovey, P., Caruso, D. and Cherkasskiy, L., 2011. Emotional Intelligence. The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence, pp.528-549.

McLeod, S., 2020. Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs. [online] Simplypsychology.org. Available at: <https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html> [Accessed 12 December 2020].

Mindtools.com. 2016. Theory X And Theory Y: Understanding People’s Motivations. [online] Available at: <https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_74.htm> [Accessed 12 December 2020].

Pettinger, R., 2016. Towards an Agreed Body of Knowledge, Understanding, Skills and Expertise for Managers: Managing in Turbulent Times. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 221, pp.1-10.

Rosenberg McKay, D., 2019. What Does It Mean If Your Myers Briggs Personality Type Is ENFP?. [online] The Balance Careers. Available at: <https://www.thebalancecareers.com/ enfp-myers-briggs-personality-type-525379#:~:text=ENFP%20stands%20for%20Extroversion%2C%20Intuition,Briggs%20Type%20Indicator%20(MBTI).> [Accessed 12 December 2020].

VARK - A Guide to Learning Preferences. 2020. VARK - A Guide To Learning Preferences. [online] Available at: <http://vark-learn.com/> [Accessed 4 November 2020].

Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., Song, Y. and Gong, Z., 2016. The different relations of extrinsic, introjected, identified regulation and intrinsic motivation on employees’ performance. Management Decision, 54(10), pp.2393-2412.

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7. Bibliography Başlevent, C. and Kirmanoğlu, H., 2012. Do Preferences for Job Attributes Provide Evidence of ‘Hierarchy of Needs’?. Social Indicators Research, 111(2), pp.549-560.

Belbin.com. 2019. The Nine Belbin Team Roles. [online] Available at: <https://www.belbin. com/about/belbin-team-roles/> [Accessed 4 November 2019].

Beygatt, J., 2018. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB SATISFACTION AND HERZBERG’S MOTIVATION AND HYGIENE FACTORS: AN EXPLANATORY STUDY. PhD. Capella University.

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Clayton, M., 2012. David Mcclelland’S Three Motivational Needs - Management Pocketbooks. [online] Management Pocketbooks. Available at: <https://www.pocketbook.co.uk/ blog/2012/11/20/david-mcclellands-three-motivational-needs/> [Accessed 8 November 2020].

Côté, S. and Miners, C., 2006. Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence, and Job Performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 51(1), pp.1-28.

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Deci, E. and Ryan, R., 2000. The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), pp.227-268.

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9. Appendix 1 BCUSU

Marketing & Communications Manager job descripton Principal purpose of job: • • •

To develop and deliver a successful marketing and communications strategy that aligns with BCUSU’s vision, and meets the organisations needs To know our members To develop the organisation’s image

Location and times of work: • •

Main office base at City Centre Campus with expectation to work at other campuses Some expectation to work outside of office hours

Responsible to: CEO Responsible for: • •

Line management responsibility for Marketing and Communications Team plus occasional student staff Budgetary and resource responsibility for MarComms and Welcome Week budgets and a number of project specific funding streams

Specific Duties: To develop and deliver a successful marketing and communications strategy • • • • • • • • • • •

To develop a marketing and communications strategy that fully meets the needs of BCUSU to increase engagement and awareness from our students To ensure all marketing activity fully aligns with BCUSU’s strategic plan which fully engage our members To work with the University’s Marketing Department and other external associates to explore collaboration opportunities in order to raise the profile of BCUSU and build a positive reputation To implement modifications to ensure that eff¬ective communication is the driving force behind our online / digital presence To be BCUSU’s primary lead contact for all University Applicant and Open Days To develop and co-ordinate all BCUSU communications material from initial brief to creative implementation and delivery To engage with department Managers to develop marketing ability and capacity and to establish marketing targets and marketing spend To source the most cost-effective marketing materials including print, promotional items etc.

To deliver Marketing plans to ensure they meet their targets.

To identify and develop new advertising and sponsorship opportunities To oversee BCUSU’s external advertising and income generation activities in line with budgetary expectations

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To know our members • • • • •

To plan and conduct comprehensive market research continually analysing our members needs and knowledge of our activities To provide data and information from the analysis and evaluation of activities, promotions and general marketing activity to inform strategy and development To develop and deliver research activity to track opinion and needs of students and other stakeholders, ensuring feedback informs future development of internal and external communications To support the evaluation and impact assessment of key services through their associated KPI and targets To provide regular reports for the Senior Management, Executive Team and Trustee Board on all Marketing and Communications activity and progress

To develop the organisation’s image • • • • • • •

To maintain the brand and visual identity of the organisation ensuring all staff are aware of brand guidelines and their impact To act as a consultancy to all staff as to the most effective way of achieving impact To lead where appropriate, key organisational and stakeholder events e.g. Welcome Week, Elections, Student Led Teaching Awards, Graduation Ball etc.

To liaise with external marketing agencies, University departments and student groups as to BCUSU’s brand and image requirements To coordinate organisational impact reporting including online data, press coverage and media outputs safeguarding the organisation’s reputation Liaise with third party providers to manage the maintenance and development of BCUSU’s website and content management system.

To coordinate and lead on public relations with specific focus on BCUSU’s relationship with external press and media organisations. Supporting the student officers in their preparation for interviews and press releases. Including the drafting of press releases to communicate BCUSU’s agreed position on various topics in line with agreed policy.

General Duties • • • • • • • • • •

To uphold and demonstrate the values and staff behaviours of BCUSU. To develop and deliver the departmental plan, in line with overall organisational priorities To manage the finances of the department, including preparing, monitoring and meeting all budgets and following procedures To continually develop the MarComms department so that all staff remain experts in their field and identify opportunities for personal and career development.

To effectively communicate with NUS, University Press and PR Office and Marketing and Communications To regularly make decisions that affect individuals, groups and MarComms team within constraints authorised by Senior Management To promote the BCUSU equal opportunities policy and equality and diversity agenda.

Ensuring BCUSU’s aspirations to reduce our environmental impact are delivered.

To attend all training and supervision sessions when required.

To undertake other duties that may be assigned by the employer, as might reasonably be expected within the grade of the post.

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8. Appendix 2 ALBINA SZELES

Network

MIDLA STUDENTS MARKE MANA

CO-DIRECTOR C E N T R E F O R G LO B A L E N G AG E M E N T COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

AC A D E M I C S

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

STEPHY WINN

I N F O R M AT I O N A N D C O M M U N I C AT I O N A D M I N I S T R AT O R – COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

SA GRA

NICHOLAS IRVIN

STUDENT AND C O M M U N I C AT I O BIRMINGHAM C

MA DESIGN M A N AG E M E N T

P O L LY JONES

STUDENT VOICE

NILESH PAT E L

VICE PRESIDENT BCUSU

BCUSU

TEAM-BCUS

GEORGE EVERETT

JINAL SHAH

TEAM-BCUSU

VICE PRESIDENT BCUSU

BECKY MORRIS

TEAM-BCUSU

ANDREW COONEY

GROUP DEPUTY DIRECTOR – COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

MERSHA A F TA B

AMIR IQBAL

MA DESIGN M A N AG E M E N T

VICE PRESIDENT BCUSU

ED PEAR

VICTO BENN S A LVA

UNION PR BCU

ANG LEFE

STUDENT HOMES

HEAD OF SERVICES

BCUSU

GARRY VA S S A L LO

FAC U LT Y M A R K E T I N G M A N AG E R – COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

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MA DESIGN M A M AG E M E N T COHORT

ANDS S’ UNION ETING GERS

VERONICA OMENI

CO-DIRECTOR – COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

THE SOCIAL KITCHEN

AM ANT

D G R A D U AT E O N S M A N AG E R ITY UNIVERSITY

SU

RAJEEV JOGIA

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY EVENT TEAMS

BCUSU

SARAH MOORE

P E O P L E & C U LT U R E M A N AG E R BCUSU

TEAM-BCUSU

D RSON

ORIA N E T TADOR

R E S I D E N TUSU

GIE EVRE

RICHARD E VA N S CEO-BCUSU

R OA R Y

HANNAH COPSON

JOHN MOORE HEAD OF MEMBER SERVICES BCUSU

E AG L E & BALL BCUSU

MASCOT -BCUSU

FAC U LT Y MARKETING M A N AG E R – COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM

MICHAEL GALE

HEAD OF E N G AG E M E N T BCUSU

CENTRAL S BCUSU

ADVICE TEAM BCUSU

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY C O M M U N I C AT I O N S TEAM

JOHN LEDGER

FAC U LT Y MARKETING M A N AG E R – COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

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10. Appendix 3 Interview with Education Marketer

36

37

11. Appendix 4 BCU Graduate+ test results

38

39

40

41

42

43

12. Appendix 5

Carl Jung test results (via 123tests.com)

44

45

13. Appendix 6 16Personalities test results

46

47

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14. Appendix 7 Shooting Star Children’s Hospice Head of Communications and Marketing job description Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, we’re looking for someone who can lead the Communications & Marketing team and work collaboratively with teams across the hospice, senior leaders and trustees to help meet the goals of our new strategy. You will be passionate about all areas of marketing and communications and will have a proven track record in delivering successful communication and marketing plans.

Key responsibilities: • • • • •

Effectively lead, inspire, develop and manage the Communications & Marketing team enabling them to achieve key digital marketing, PR, brand and communication objectives Set the agenda for the strategic direction and delivery of all aspects of communications and marketing for the charity Develop, implement and evaluate marketing and communications plans for campaigns and events across Shooting Star Children’s Hospices to drive audience engagement and participation Bring the hospice to life through stories that will engage existing and new supporters into taking an action Bring new ideas for raising the profile of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices to potential supporters living within the area we serve

Requirements: To be considered for this fantastic opportunity you should have a strong track record of working at a senior level leading a successful, high-performing Communications & Marketing team. You must have proven experience of delivering and evaluating compelling communication and marketing plans that reach set KPIs, and extensive experience of both digital platforms and more traditional press and print.

Strong storytelling skills are essential, and you should be able to use insights and analytics to inform ideas and plans. You will be expected to join leadership team meetings as and when required, so you must have experience of working with senior members of staff and be able to contribute to the charity at a strategic level. Strong interpersonal skills are paramount, and you must have the ability to manage multiple work-streams. Given the current climate, you will need excellent knowledge of the digital landscape and have the confidence to be innovative.

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15. Appendix 8 University of Bath Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union CEO job listing Our ideal Chief Executive is someone with has high levels of emotional intelligence, who role models inclusive leadership and can thrive when working with multiple stakeholders to solve complex challenges.

We currently benefit from a good financial position but, like most charities, we could benefit from further diversifying our income streams and looking for more efficient ways to deliver our KPIs. It will be important that you have strong financial acumen and experience in income generation and leading sizeable budgets.

We are developing an action plan to help us deliver a structured approach to bringing together all equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives in one place; this includes us working towards Investors in Diversity accreditation. We strongly encourage any candidate who has a track record of demonstrating inclusive leadership to consider this opportunity, and especially welcome candidates from underrepresented communities to apply.

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