Serious about Development?

One of the first things I ask someone, when they say they want to focus on their, or their organisations development is whether or not they have actually thought about it; and when I say ‘thought about it’, I really mean actually thought about it…

There are many different ways to look at this, but I always say why not start with the basics.

This doesn’t mean jump straight in to setting objectives, key milestones or completing a quick online course. This means complete a basic personal SWOT analysis. Many complete these in an hour, or over the course of a week, but I think if you’re really going to do this properly, it needs to be done over the course of weeks, reviewing over and over again until you’re comfortable, and also having close friends, family and colleagues involved.

Once you’re satisfied, you can then start planning your development!

So, what is a personal SWOT analysis?

You just need to think about 4 things:

Your Strengths, Your Weaknesses, Your Opportunities and Your Threats

Strengths

Use the following questions to help you to identify what your strengths are:

What have you been praised for in the last 12 months?
What strengths have been identified in feedback from your colleagues?
What makes you stand out from other people?
What qualities are you particularly proud of?
What successes have you had in the last year?
What unique skills/knowledge do you have that a workplace would need?
With this list you are trying to identify what sets you apart from everyone else.

If you find it difficult to think about your strengths, you may want to ask a trusted friend or family member to help you.

Weaknesses

Use the following questions to help you come up with a list of weaknesses:

What gaps have you got in your skills/knowledge?
Do you have any bad habits that are holding you back?
When have you failed to meet expectations?
What has been identified as a weakness to you in feedback from your line manager and others?
What complaints have you received about your work in the last 12 months?
What things do you find most difficult?
What internal factors are holding you back?

At this stage of the SWOT analysis you need to get the balance right between being honest with yourself and not being overly harsh on yourself!

Opportunities

Opportunities are things that are external to you, that could help you to achieve your objectives.

Use these questions to identify the opportunities that are available to you:

What resources are available for you that would help you to achieve your objectives?
Do you know the specific direction you want to take?
Who do you know that could help to support you achieving your objectives?
What courses could you attend that might help you to achieve your objectives?
Have you found any vacancies recently that might be of interest to you?

Threats

Threats include anything external to you, that could prevent you from achieving your objectives.

Use the following questions to find out what threats you face:

What challenges do you face?
Are you in competition with anyone else?
Who might stand in the way of you achieving your objectives and why?
Are there any qualification barriers to impact you continuing on your chosen path?