This document discusses conducting a personal SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. It provides examples of questions to consider for each category to better understand oneself. The aim is to help individuals and employees identify areas for improvement, take advantage of opportunities, and reduce threats to better succeed in their jobs and careers. Key areas of focus include identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities in one's industry or role, and potential threats to job security.

1. Ken Barnes DBA
Barnes Training and Consulting

2.  Do you like your Job?
 Do you need your job?
 Do you want to be better employee?
 Note that Unemployment is still high-7.3% (Aug
2013). Was below 5% during Bill Clinton
 Someone is ready to get your job.
 Yes unemployment in health care is 4.9 as at Aug
2013, but employers want experience.
 Your family depends on your job
 Employees don’t want an employee who jumps from
job to job.
 So resolve to be a better employee.
 Resolve to improve on your strength, weaknesses
and reduce the treats which face your job security.

3.  You are most likely to succeed in life if you
use
Your talent to the fullest.
 Similarly, you will suffer very few problems if
you know what your weaknesses are and if
you manage those weaknesses so that they
don’t matter in what you do.

4.  At the hospital the first thing the doctors asks is
“what is wrong with you?”
 When your kids are fighting you stop to ask
“what happened?”
 When solving any problem, you want to know
what led to the problem
 The first step in solving a problem is to
understand the problem.

5.  The challenge is as individuals, we are usually
reluctant to do self assessment to identify our
weaknesses, strengths threats and
opportunities. For fear we might be called
vulnerable and WEAK.
 In many instances our Ego doesn’t allow us to
accept the reality and strive to improve.
 Sometimes ignorance on our part is to
blame- but “an unexamined life is not worth
living”
 Fear of victimization

6.  The aim of this class is to seek and fix
 It is to help us know ourselves well as never
before and in so doing discover ourselves.
 It is to equip us for the best customer service
one can get in our industry.
 It is to make us a better people for our
spouses', children, siblings and good
employees

7.  A SWOT matrix is a framework for analyzing
your strengths and weaknesses as well as the
opportunities and threats that you face.
 This helps you focus on your strengths.
 Minimize your weaknesses,
 Take the greatest possible advantage of
opportunities available to you.

9. Aimed at helping you to understand your
Strengths
 What sets you apart?-What do YOU do well?
 If you were a product, what will make people
buy you?
 What unique resources can you draw on?
 What do others see as your strengths?

10.  What advantages do you have that others don't have
(for example, skills, certifications, education, or
connections)?
 What do you do better than anyone else?
 What personal resources can you access?
 What do other people (and your boss, in particular)
see as your strengths?
 Which of your achievements are you most proud of?
 What values do you believe in that others fail to
exhibit?
 Are you part of a network that no one else is
involved in? If so, what connections do you have with
influential people -

11.  Good customer service skills
 Ability to work with people
 Ability to tolerate people
 Patient
 Wise
 Good work ethics
 Team Player
 Creative
 Non –Complaining
 Ability to put down fire at work place

12.  A personal weakness is a liability or an area of opportunity for
growth
 These are characteristics you could improve upon to increase
future job opportunities and your net worth.
 What tasks do you usually avoid because you don't feel confident
doing them?
 What will the people around you see as your weaknesses?
 Are you completely confident in your education and skills
training? If not, where are you weakest?
 What are your negative work habits (for example, are you often
late, are you disorganized, do you have a short temper, or are
you poor at handling stress)?
 Do you have personality traits that hold you back in your field?
For instance, if you have to conduct meetings on a regular basis,
a fear of public speaking would be a major weakness
 Where do you have fewer resources than others?
 What are others likely to see as weaknesses?

13.  Disorganized
 Uncomfortable speaking in front of groups,
 Tendency to procrastinate
 Poor listener
 Short tempered
 Emotional
 Not able to work with people
 Not able to tolerate people
 Always late to appointments
 Not able to explain things well
 Trash talker
 Not a morning person

14.  What new technology can help you?
 can you get help from others or from people via the Internet?
 Is your industry growing? If so, how can you take advantage of the
current market?
 Do you have a network of strategic contacts to help you, or offer good
advice?
 What trends (management or otherwise) do you see in your company,
and how can you take advantage of them?
 Are any of your competitors failing to do something important? If so,
can you take advantage of their mistakes?
 Is there a need in your company or industry that no one is filling?
 Do your customers or vendors complain about something in your
company? If so, could you create an opportunity by offering a solution
 What opportunities are open to you?
 What trends could you take advantage of?
 How can you turn your strengths into opportunities?

15.  What obstacles do you currently face at work?
 Could you lose your position if you don’t improve
upon your performance
 Could any of your colleagues be competing with
you for projects or roles if you don’t sit up?
 Is your job (or the demand for the things you do)
changing?
 Does changing technology threaten your
position?
 Could any of your weaknesses lead to threats? –

16. Now that we know what is causing our ailment What cure do you
prescribe?
Which medications could we take?
 Change of Mind set- eg “ me I cant change mentality” “Me I am not
a people’s person mentality”
 Change of attitudes-eg “ the Whatever syndrome” “It is what it is
cancer”
 Resolving to change-It’s a personal decision my friends! It is!
 Training-Availing your self to what we are doing.
 Reading.
 Learning from people and friends.
 Practicing what you are taught.

17.  Discussion of Personal SWOT Anaysis