Nick Portfolio by nick dowd

Critical Incident

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:13:24 UTC

The most significant incident I experienced in Internship B was running my first-ever Flight Centre training session with more than 15 travel agents present. I had prepared slides and product sheets explaining all of Oz Snows' package offerings, but when the session started, the agents began to ask a lot of questions about inclusions, terms and policies, competitors, and commission. At first, I felt overwhelmed because I worried I might get caught out on details, as I am still new to the role and still learning. I relied on my notes at first, but gradually adapted my responses and engaged directly with the agents questions. By the end of the session, my confidence had grown significantly compared to when I began. What made this a critical incident is not that it was dramatic, but that it challenged my self-image as ‘an intern’ and made me realise I could represent the company professionally (Tripp, 2012).

To analyze this event, I applied Brookfield's (1990) Critical Incident Technique, which asks important reflective questions such as, “Why do I see this as significant?, What assumptions did I have?, What might I do differently next time?” Initially, I assumed that only experienced sales reps could handle client-facing training sessions. Afterwards, I realized that preparation, adaptability, and authenticity mattered more than experience.

Impact On Professional Identity

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:22:45 UTC

Cognitively, it expanded my view of my role. I shifted from seeing myself only as background support to recognizing that I could act as a front-facing representative with the capacity to influence business partners. Research by Kılıç and Cinkara (2019) suggests that critical incidents help students reconstruct professional identity by forcing them to rethink assumptions.
Intrapersonally, it gave me confidence. Standing in front of experienced agents and handling their questions made me feel capable in a way that routine tasks don't. This aligns with Baxter Magolda's (2007) idea of moving towards self-authorship by trusting your own judgement and voice.
Interpersonally, the session changed how others viewed me. After the training, my supervisor commented that I had “controlled the room well,” which boosted my credibility within the work team. This fits with Tan, Van der Molen and Schmidt's (2015) view of professional identity as being built through recognition by a professional community.

Continuing Professional Development Options

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:24:27 UTC

Presentation skills for professionals (Australian Institute of Management)

The focus is on advanced communication, structuring training sessions, and handling audience questions
The course is a 1-day training, either in person or online
It costs roughly $500 (Australian Institute of Management 2015)

Sales and Negotiation in Tourism (Australian Institute of Travel & Tourism)

The focus is on client engagement, objection handling, and communication skills within the tourism industry
The course spans 6 weeks online
It costs $550 (Australian Institute of Technology 2025)

Toastmasters

The focus is on developing public speaking, leadership, and confidence
It is a monthly paid club
It costs $90 every 6 months (Toastmasters International 2018)

Conclusion

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:24:59 UTC

My training session with a large group of Flight Centre travel agents was a turning point in my Internship. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, tested my communication skills, and showed me that I could perform professionally, which is usually reserved for more senior staff. Reflecting on Brookfield's model helped me see how this incident reshaped my identity from a passive learner to an active contributor. The CPD options I have researched and chosen will allow me to keep developing the presentation, sales, and confidence skills that are critical for my future career in snow tourism and events.

Introduction

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:25:16 UTC

During my Internship A & B with Oz Snow, I've observed my supervisor balancing both operational and people-focused relations in a high-pressure tourism environment. Reflecting on these experiences has helped me identify the management skills and qualities that are essential for success in this sector. Theories of management emphasise not just technical competence but also relational and adaptive skills that shape employee motivation, guest satisfaction, and organisational performance. In this section, I acknowledge my supervisor's skills and qualities and evaluate how they have supported my learning and my professional identity.

Technical and Organizational skills

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:25:39 UTC

One of the clearest strengths I observed was technical and organizational understanding. My supervisor has strong knowledge of logistic systems, booking and marketing platforms, and snow operations, which enables the planning and running of weekend bus trips despite weather/supplier disruptions. For example, when a bus company reduced passenger numbers due to safety concerns, my supervisor quickly reorganised another bus to accommodate the changes. This aligns with research that shows technical competence is a foundation for credibility and trust, especially in tourism services where errors directly affect customer experiences (Tsaur & Lin 2004). My supervisor showed me that credibility builds trust, and I realised that as a future manager, I will need to develop the same level of technical knowledge to establish reliability with both staff and clients.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:26:28 UTC

Tourism and events rely heavily on teamwork across seasonal staff, suppliers, and agents, which means clear and precise communication is essential to succeed in this industry (Walsh & Taylor 2007). I noticed my supervisor making the time to check in with the entire team during peak season stress periods, offering quick feedback and encouragement. This was motivating and created a sense of psychological safety for me to raise small issues, such as proposing to change business marketing strategies. Studies highlight that managers who encourage open communication and feedback improve both staff morale and service quality (Chiang & Hsieh 2012). Observing this helped me develop confidence in organisational communication, and I now see communication not just as passing on information but as a leadership tool that builds psychological safety.

Adaptive and Problem-solving Skills

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:26:42 UTC

Another major skill that is important to succeed in the tourism industry is adaptability. Snow tourism is unpredictable due to weather, cancellations, and variable demand. My supervisor uses adaptive thinking by using setbacks as opportunities to improve processes. For instance, when repeated booking errors occurred with Travel Agents, he created a travel agent system and a booking guide, which was given to sales representatives to distribute and educate them with. Studies show that adaptive leadership is critical in sporadic industries like tourism, where managers must respond quickly to uncertainty and align short-term fixes with long-term improvement (Iršič 2017). Seeing adaptability in practice showed me that being reactive is not enough; effective managers anticipate challenges and design systems that reduce future risks.

Coaching and Development Qualities

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:27:17 UTC

The final quality I appreciated is my supervisor's willingness to treat interns as contributors rather than just assistants. By delegating responsibilities like training Flight Centre agents or coordinating apres events, he gave me autonomy while still providing guidelines along the way. This approach reflects research on empowering leadership, where managers build capability by involving employees in meaningful tasks (Amundsen & Martinsen 2014). It positively influenced my professional identity by showing me that my input had value and that managers can encourage learning by trusting new staff with real responsibility.

Areas for Growth

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:27:31 UTC

Despite these strengths, one area for improvement is workload management. During peak weeks, my academic deadlines coincided with operational booms, and there was limited awareness of how the pressure added and combined for interns. Research shows that managers in Work Integrated Learning play a crucial role in supporting student wellbeing and ensuring workloads are realistic (Ramgoolam-Atchiamith et al. 2022). While I developed resilience through this challenge, more structured dialogue between supervisors and the university could have helped balance academic and professional expectations. This insight highlighted for me that managers must not only meet organisational goals but also support the developmental needs of their staff.

Conclusion

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:27:45 UTC

Overall, my supervisor displayed strong technical competence, interpersonal skills, adaptability, and a mentor mindset. These qualities enhanced my learning and shaped my view of what effective management looks like in tourism. At the same time, the challenge of workload awareness revealed how managerial skills also involve thoughtfulness towards broader contexts like staff development and external commitments. Observing these qualities and reflecting on their impact has helped me clarify the type of manager I aspire to become, technically capable, communicative, adaptable, and committed to supporting others' growth.

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:28:45 UTC

I updated my LinkedIn profile to include my current role as a National Sales Representative at Oz Snow, highlighting my responsibilities such as coordinating weekend ski trips and liaising with Flight Centre Agents. I also joined professional associations, including the Australian Institute of Travel & Tourism (AITT), to help strengthen my industry networks. I drafted a professional recommendation, highlighting my duties and skills, and sent a formal request to my supervisor to provide a LinkedIn recommendation. Refer to Images A and B to see the new current profile updates.

Image A

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:29:13 UTC

Image B

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:29:32 UTC

ndowd10 — 2025-09-22 14:33:03 UTC

-Amundsen, S & Martinsen, ØL 2014, ‘Empowering leadership: Construct clarification, conceptualization, and validation of a new scale’, The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 487–511.

-Australian Institute of Management 2015, AIM Education & Training, AIM Education & Training.

-Australian Institute of Technology 2025, Sales and Negotiation in Tourism, AITT - RTO 50834, viewed 19 September 2025, <https://aitt.com.au/>.

-Baxter Magolda, MB 2007, ‘Self-authorship: The foundation for twenty-first-century education’, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, vol. 2007, no. 109, pp. 69–83.

-Brookfield, S 1990, ‘Using critical incidents to explore learner’s assumptions, in J Mezirow (ed.), Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning’, pp. 177–193.

-Chiang, C-F & Hsieh, T-S 2012, ‘The impacts of perceived organizational support and psychological empowerment on job performance: The mediating effects of organizational citizenship behavior’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 180–190.

-Iršič, M 2017, ‘The effect of adaptation and trust on positional advantage of companies in B2B relationships: the moderating role of relationship value’, Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 76–90.

-Karlovic, LN 1992, ‘Fostering Critical Reflection in Adulthood: A Guide to Transformative and Emancipatory Learning. Jack Mezirow. 1990. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.’, Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 86–89.

-Kılıç, M & Cinkara, E 2019, ‘Critical incidents in pre-service EFL teachers’ identity construction process’, Asia Pacific Journal of Education, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 182–196.

-Ramgoolam-Atchiamith, A, Khan, A, Rodrigues, C & Wardle, KM 2022, ‘Stress during work placement – examining positive outcomes for hospitality students in a work-integrated learning programme’, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning.

-Smith, C 2014, ‘The impact of work integrated learning on student work-readiness’.

-Tan, CP, Van der Molen, HT & Schmidt, HG 2015, ‘A measure of professional identity development for professional education’, Studies in Higher Education, vol. 42, no. 8, pp. 1504–1519.

-Toastmasters International 2018, Toastmasters International -Home, Toastmasters.org, IP.

-Tripp, D 2012, Critical incidents in teaching : Developing professional judgement., Routledge, London.

-Tsaur, S-H & Lin, Y-C 2004, ‘Promoting service quality in tourist hotels: the role of HRM practices and service behavior’, Tourism Management, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 471–481.

-Walsh, K & Taylor, MS 2007, ‘Developing In-House Careers and Retaining Management Talent’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 163–182.