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Jacky Tustain 113 Pershore Road, Basingstoke, Hants RG24 9BG UK 07961 666113
What are my strengths?
What makes me unique?
What personal resources (ability, confidence) do I have?
Of these strengths what do I have that other's do not?
What do I do better than anyone else?
What do other people see as my strengths?
What are my weaknesses?
What parts of my personality let me down?
What should I avoid doing?
Are there certain things people are always pointing out to me as being weaknesses?
As with your strengths, try to be objective and balanced in your viewpoint. It may help to ask those close to you, take
what they say as helpful feedback. Bear in mind that you can work on these weaknesses once you are aware of
them and having an awareness of them can only help you develop yourself to be better in the future and even to
overcome them.
Having an awareness of weaknesses in a situation can help you to see potential risks and to plan around them or
make plans for what to do should they occur.
What opportunities are open to me?
Has identifying my strengths or weaknesses helped me to see any opportunities?
Has something new come along or a change in my life given my any opportunities?
Who or what do I know that could open up opportunities for me?
Opportunities are external strengths. A positive mindset may identify opportunities where others see challenges or
problems. Successful people, or those who class themselves as lucky, often spot opportunities where others miss
them. It is not always that they are in the right place at the right time or happen to know the right people - they either
stay on the look out for possible opportunities that they can seize or spot the possibility of a chance and then work
on it. Sometimes it may come to nothing or even turn out to be a mistake or a failure - the difference is that they
learn from this, move on and continue to look for further opportunities.
What problems do I face?
What could prevent me from succeeding?
Do my weaknesses pose a threat?
Has a change in circumstances threatened my situation?
Am I keeping up with the competition?
In the same way that opportunities are external strengths, threats are external weaknesses. Gain as much
awareness of all threats as you can, stay objective and look for ways to manage the risks. Competition is potentially
also a threat, but it is also a sign of strength of demand. The issue is to ensure you can deliver something unique.
Once again objectivity and balance are key. Having an awareness of weaknesses in a situation can help you to see
potential risks and to plan around them or make plans for what to do should they occur.
As Sun Tzu is attributed to saying 'If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.' It is
therefore wise to ensure you get as complete a picture of both yourself and the world in relation to what you are
considering, be it building a business, making life changing decisions or just applying for a promotion and a SWOT
analysis is an ideal tool to help you get there.
