Melchor P.

Dioso Master in Public Administration

PERSONAL MASTERY
The discipline of personal growth and learning

Current Reality Personal Vision

The individuals growth and Creating a desired future and

development at present. moving towards it.

Results you have now. Results you want to create.

Creative Tension

The gap between the current reality

and vision. It propels them forward.

Seeks resolution and helps facilitate

creativity and change.

Personal Mastery, according to Peter Senge, is the discipline of personal growth and
learning. It is one of the disciplines of Learning Organizations which focuses on realizing the
current potential as well as its limitations in order for you to make room for improvement. That
improvement you desire will be your personal vision and in order for your current reality to meet
that vision, you need to seek resolutions to your limitations and propose significant changes to
achieve it.

A person with a high level of personal mastery can easily be recognized because he is
skilled at using creative tension to inspire their forward progress. He is also a systematic thinker,
that is, he sees himself as a significant part of the system and is aware that his contribution is
vital for its operation without forgetting that it is also composed of a complex structure including
his co-employees, people outside the organization, and other external factors. Furthermore, he
sees individual greatness as an important factor for the performance of the organization as a
whole without compromising harmonious relationship and connections with others. Most
importantly, he is well aware of his own capacity as well as the need for improvement; he always
see change as an opportunity to change for the better in order to create and meet a desirable
future.

How Do Individuals Develop Personal Mastery?

Think Systemically. It is related with Systems Thinking which is one of the disciplines
of the Learning Organization. This particular method to develop personal mastery will
enable you to look at the whole system and the relationships of the individual parts
among it. An example would be when dealing with issues regarding the system as a
whole. In order for you to better understand that issue in the whole system, you might
need to consult with the individual parts that contributed to it and apply necessary
corrective or preventive actions.
Balancing Advocacy with Inquiry. Before we engage in any discussion, its just normal
that we have our own personal view about the topic that may be similar or a contradiction
of others. By balancing advocacy with inquiry, we need to consider the views and
opinions of others as we do in explaining ours. This will enable us to explore more
opportunities in shaping our own point of view.
Creating Shared Meaning. Creating shared meaning involves integrating all ideas,
finding the common ground of those ideas and broaden the understanding of the factors
involved. An organization is a complex structure because it involves people, places,
systems etc. It will not operate efficiently and effectively without the smooth flow of
transactions and processes of those factors.

Reference:
Jacobs, Marty (2007). Personal Mastery: The First Discipline of Learning Organizations.
Retrieved January 2017. Vermont Business Magazine. www.systemsinsync.com