An evaluation of one’s own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can be a difficult thing to assess. In the world marketplace it can be extremely beneficial to identify these characteristics, capitalize on the positive attributes and work to overcome or accept the negative stressors. According to Gallup business journal data, “People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job”. (Sorenson, 2014) To be engaged on the job or really in any environment where your strengths are utilized can overshadow or eliminate weaknesses. This in-turn can open opportunities which decreases the likelihood of potential threats to influence your goals and destroy plans for the future.
Strengths
Personally, I consider my ability to balance pragmatic approaches with theoretical conclusions in addition to my leadership skills to be the best representations of my strengths. Having a pragmatic approach is extremely beneficial in the field of business. Businesses tend to operate logically and practically, preferring proven solutions to issues over theoretical ones. In contrast to the business realm, the field of technology often finds itself having to draw theoretical conclusions. Trial and error are a I.T. specialists’ best friend. Having the balance that I do in both these areas gives me and edge against my competition. Leadership can be a hard trait to grasp a hold of but, my time as a manager for a local business, in addition to the qualities I adopted from my military service increases the advantage I have over my peers.
Weaknesses
It goes without saying that there has not been a person, that has been immune to weakness. I believe the biggest weaknesses I have are, large scale social engagement and a lack of empathy. I would say public speaking is a common weakness that people possess. This weakness does not affect my interactions with single individuals or small groups. However, when it comes to speaking in front of large audiences I have a disposition to not be able to communicate in many different avenues of direction. The second area comes from the double-edged sword from my military service. Distancing yourself from empathy is the only way to cope in some scenarios. Unfortunately, this attribute does not transfer well into the business world.
Opportunities
“Opportunities are uncontrollable external events that you can potentially leverage.” (Christie, 2019) This definition reminds me of something my parents used to tell me, “If one door closes another door will always open, don’t ever get discouraged and take advantage of every open door”. We often forget that people can operate at their best when pushed into desperation. The biggest opportunities I have at my disposal right now are the position I have at my current job and the ability to continue my education. I’m currently a systems administrator at my place of work. This position is normally only available for people who possess a bachelor’s degree but, I’m currently getting on the job training that can open more doors in the future. This leads me into the second opportunity, my education. Furthering my degree affords me the tools to work on my weaknesses. My degree plan forces me to take a speech class which directly combats both of my biggest weaknesses forcing me to build relationships with the people in the class as well as walk through the “door” of speaking to large groups.
Threats
I view threats as the things that stand in between me and my goals. In the next five years the biggest things I see getting in the way of my goals are money and transportation. The first issue involves the scholarship money I receive for school is running out. Currently, I have some contingency plans in place to rectify this situation. As with any plan it is always subject to change. The second issue is that of transportation. At the end of last year, A microburst storm came into town and blew a tree over and destroyed my truck. Getting to work, class, and preforming day to day tasks has been overwhelming difficult. Having barely enough money to pay for school has made acquiring another vehicle very difficult.
Conclusion
I’ve talked about the strengths I’ve had over pragmatic problems and theoretical deduction and the opportunities afforded to me from college and work. I’ve also discussed the weakness in speech and empathy, as well as the threats of money and transportation. Using the strengths and the experience I already have, in the next five-years I’d like to finish my degree and obtain a job in the career field I love. In order to obtain this goal my five-year action plan is to capitalize on my weaknesses in speech and understanding to grow into a more appealing candidate among my peers and to stand above them. As said in a famous movie “never tell me the odds.”. (Kershner, 1980) I refuse to allow chance to dictate the future I want to open the door to not just find something that is among the goals I’ve set but embodies them entirely.
