Personal Self Analysis For Strengths And Opportunities | SWOT Analysis

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses as a Manager

Discuss about the Personal Self Analysis for Strengths and Opportunities.

Just like an organization individuals are required to carry out their personal self-analysis to determine their strengths and opportunities as well as threats and opportunities which might accrue to them. Raelin (2002), defined personal self-analysis as a systematic process by an individual to determine his or her personality. This can also be achieved with the individual seeking the opinions and observations of other people close to him or her. According to Leise (2012), personal self-assessment is very critical in helping people excel in life. Studies show that someone is like to be successful if he or she uses his or her talents to the maximum.  Similarly, someone is deemed to experience few problems if he or she knows his or her weaknesses as he will be able to manage the weaknesses. Eaton1 (2013) noted that self-assessment would not be effective if it is not carried out in relation to a particular object. He noted that personal self-analysis can be undertaken comparing someone strengths and weaknesses in relation to his or her profession career. This helps in matching individual strengths and weakness features with the requirements of the profession Ross (2006). This paper has been designed to carry out my personal self-analysis as a manager and a change agent in the organization. Additionally, it addresses my potential and capability as a leader of the team. The paper goes further and develops my future development plan as a leader.  For effective and comprehensive self-analysis, the essay has used SWOT Analysis.

Manager as a leader has been endowed with a position of authority and therefore cannot afford to be termed as an ineffective Aguinis (2011). However, it cannot be disputed that as human beings managers have weaknesses (James, 2013). Even though a manager can acquire the right people equipped with the required skills and knowledge to compensate for his her weaknesses, the studies indicate that his or her weaknesses will still make him or her less effective. Therefore, this calls for the manager to understand his or weaknesses fully and at the same time be able to avoid them as they can hamper his or her performance level. The most common known tools of analyzing people strengths and weaknesses are SWOT Analysis and Johari. This essay opts to use SWOT analysis in analyzing my personal assessment.

Self-Reflective SWOT Analysis

 SWOT Analysis is the most simple to prepare and interpret and understand. Additionally, SWOT Analysis help an individual to identify the opportunities and threats that may come across. Suresh & Rajini, (2013) noted that SWOT analysis can help someone uncover the potential opportunities that otherwise he or she could not have identified. Besides helping the individuals realize the available opportunities, SWOT Analysis is also critical in helping the understanding of the personal weaknesses and how to manage the threats that can derail the potential of the person to move forward (Singh, 2010). Robbins & Coulter (2007) argued that if someone analyzes herself or himself using the SWOT framework he or she will be able to isolate himself from the peers. This well help in developing the special abilities and talents necessary to advance the personal profession and help in achieving the personal goals. Upon using SWOT analysis tool my personal strengths and weaknesses are as follows:

The attributes of being innovated and creative are not only associated with me because I am a manager but are naturally acquired features. Despite having applied them in my current working organization, I started exhibiting the same since my school days. In one of the school scenario, I was selected as one of the team members in helping the school plan for the event management. In the work context, I have helped the company maintain their market share in the market as well as penetrate into the new markets through products development and diversification. Besides, I have greatly impressed the organization clients by the continuous provision of new brands.

I have been a successful manager by being determined and self-motivated. This in support of the Cole (2006) you said that without self-motivation, it would be difficult even for the best company employees to achieve any success. 

Success Oriented:

I can say the main reason why was promoted to a managerial position is because of my self-drive. In my organization, I don't just wait for the top management to request for the new ideas but I always provide them at the appropriate time and when they are much needed.

Team Player:

Apart from being a team leader, I am also a team player. Rubin, Munz, & Bommer (2005) argued that even being a leader of the team; you should act in a manner that makes the team members perceive that you are also part of the team. I have learned that in the modern business world a person needs a group of individuals who can help him achieve the established objectives.

Innovative and Creative

Hardworking:

Any successful employee or a manager is a hardworking person (Ommani, 2011).  To maintain this, I have held to the notion that "success is ninety percent hard work and ten percent thinking." The reflection of hard work in my personality has portrayed through commitment and dedication to the task at hand.

My simple, practical and logical knowledge has been very crucial in helping me manage the team properly. However, I have learned that being intelligent does not necessarily require you to be a person who can accomplish a big complicated task but be able to execute the assignment at hand systematically and effectively.

Weaknesses

A lot of Commitments:

Sometimes I find it difficult to make promises and be able to uphold to them all. This has been due to a lot of commitments, and as a result, I have not been able to address some of the employees’ question within the required time frame.

Ability to Focus:

I am the kind of the manager who believes in concentrating on many projects at hand at once. This reduces my ability to focus on a specific project at a time. My multi-tasking trait has resulted in the failure of the projects as well as inefficiency and ineffectiveness in the completion of some projects.

Sensitive Person:

Most of the times I take things personally and I usually feel so bad and become disappointed when things are done in a wrong way.

Too Helpful:

This may fall either as the strength or a weakness depending on the context being applied. For the managerial position, this would be a weaknesses. I am too helpful that sometimes I find myself going beyond the operational boundaries to help my teammates.  

Opportunities

• The industry I am working in is growing very first, and thus there is a possibility of finding a new job.
• I have an opportunity to go back to school and advance my knowledge level so that I may become more competitive.
• The economy has started booming and therefore avails me a great opportunity of quit the employment and starting my own business.

Threats

• Company top management decision makers do not like supporting me.
• The professional standards are changing rapidly, and I may find my skills obsolete.
• The demand for my skills is declining at a higher rate.

The achievement of the plans and goals requires an individual to be equipped with the right skills and knowledge to be able to accomplish the future tasks (Rainer, Turban, & Potter, 2007). Upon evaluating my, SWOT Analysis results it is evident that I possess some weakness and threats. These threats need to be gotten rid of to avoid jeopardy of my future roles as a manager. To overcome the threats and weaknesses, I will focus more on my opportunities as well as some of my strengths. Al-Busaidi (2010) argued that for someone to be able to execute his future roles effectively, he or she has to define himself or herself regarding strengths and the weaknesses. The evaluation should be able to tell whether someone possesses the required competencies needed in the future tasks or not. Three to five years from now corporations will be totally different. The business operates in an ever changing environment, characterized by the rapid change in technology. Therefore, this demands that as a manager I should have a future personal development plan that will aid me in executing my future managerial roles.

Determined and Self-Motivated

Information Communication Technology (ICT) Knowledge: Bearing in mind how technology is rapidly changing as a future manager I should be endowed with ICT skills and knowledge capable of executing risk management tasks, mobile commerce and knowledge of the social media.

Organizing Skills: The future organizations are likely to be filled by few people and may professionals. Alternatively, they are expected to be large and flexible. As a manager I will require organizing skills to be able to network in the economy, outsource the services and be able to manage with flexibility and efficiently.

Global Awareness: The world is becoming very transparent hence requiring any business minded person to be aware of what is happening across the globe. This is because a manager activities and operations will also be visible by other organizations.

International Minded Citizen: The world is turning into a global village. Therefore, as a future manager, I should perceive things not from the point of view of my organization but with a wider perception of the whole world.

Cooperation and Networking Skills. The organizations and businesses are turning to more of an association of persons than a separate legal entities ( Northouse & Peter, 2010).  For this to be achieved I as a manager I should be ready to cooperate with other organization having similar objectives.

Description of Team Dynamics in my department

The behavioral relationships among the member in a particular group affect the responsibilities and roles of the team. According to Nicolescu (2013), team dynamics are very vital elements of the working life. They positively or negatively affect the profitability of the organization; company reputation; individual and team performance and job satisfaction. From the evaluation of the team under my department, I can advocate that my team has the following descriptions;

Open Communication: The main aspect that has glued my team together is open communication. Effective communication has enabled by the department to listen to each other attentively, to provide updates often, seek for clarification on unclear issues and provide constructive feedback.

Full Participation: In my department, all the team members provide their efforts and time to the project at hand. To ensure that they have the perception that they are part of the project, as a leader, I usually include them in the decision-making process.

Trust: My department team relationship is built on trust. Therefore, everybody contributes towards the project without any suspicion.

My team is majorly built on the above three dynamics. The team members always argue that this has been achievable due to my unique approaches as a leader. Even though my team argues that being involved in a decision-making process is a motivation, it only lasts for a short while. Therefore, through the dynamism of open communication my team has challenged me to look for long lasting motivation way.

Success Oriented

Conclusion

Carrying out regular personal self-analysis is very fundamental in determining whether someone is meeting his or her professional or personal goals. From the above-discussed issues, it has been clear that self-analysis should be a continuous process. When done continuously it enables individuals to develop a list of priorities which will help them pursuing their goals. Alternatively, it helps the professionals and employees to stay within the confines of the industry and organization requirements. Employees will always ensure they are equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge or else they will be eliminated out of the labor market.

References

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