In our last BLOG, we introduced you to IWCC’s personal SWOT Analysis approach. You focused on your strengths in Step one, now you need to identify the weaknesses that are getting in the way of your success and diminishing the brand called YOU.

S trengths
W eaknesses
O pportunities &
T hreats

If you accept your weaknesses as hopeless personal traits, you are limiting your potential. Do you know what weaknesses are sabotaging your personal brand? If your boss should ask you what you are doing to improve your skills for promotion, do you have a plan? How many of your weaknesses are simply excess strengths?

By SWOTing your weaknesses, you will begin to understand them. Then for each weakness you will chose if you want to eliminate it or turn it into a strength. Once again, you can get input from others, but you must be honest with yourself.

In this second BLOG of the series, your task is to develop a list of your weaknesses. Here’s what you need to do:

Weaknesses

1. List the skills, abilities and attitudes that you would like to improve.  What are the things you feel you are weaker at?  Remember, everyone has things they don’t feel comfortable or confident doing.  Those things are your weaknesses.  Perhaps you have had constructive feedback from a former employer, co-workers or friends about things you could be more effective at, or it may just be a gut feeling you have.
2. Brainstorm your weaknesses.  Do not condemn, criticize or complain at this point.
3. Verify each item to be correct, by going over your list again.
4. Develop a plan of action.  How will you eliminate the weakness, or turn it into a strength?  (Example:  I am not good at presenting, so to eliminate that weakness, I ask people to present for me.  If I want to turn this weakness into a strength, I would sign up for a presentation skills course.  I would then feel more confident presenting and wouldn’t consider it a weakness.)

Now you have a plan if anyone asks you, “What are you doing about your weaknesses?” Tune in April 12 for IWCC’s next BLOG when you will complete the third and final step of SWOTing yourself.

Do you really know what differentiates you from others? When someone asks you what strengths you have or what weaknesses you would like to improve, do you even know where to begin? Let IWCC help. Over the next three BLOGs, we will guide you through the steps to complete a SWOT Analysis on yourself:

Strengths    
Weaknesses
Opportunities &
Threats

Most people are aware of the SWOT model for identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  At IWCC, we use the model quite regularly for our business and in our workshops – sometimes with a little artistic license.

By SWOTing yourself, you will begin to understand what differentiates you from others. You will end up with a plan that takes advantage of every opportunity to build and/or support the brand you want to represent YOU. You can go to others for ideas and input, but only you can truly SWOT yourself.

The good news is that SWOTing is a simple process. The tough news is that each task in the process can be quite difficult and will require some soul searching. Are you ready? Good! Grab your laptop, or any other writing device and let’s get started.

In this BLOG, your task is to develop a list of your greatest strengths. Here’s what you need to do:

Strengths

1. List the skills, abilities and attitudes that you feel really good about; things you are confident that you do well.  This is your opportunity to brag about yourself, to yourself.  What experience do you have that adds to your strengths?  Perhaps you have had feedback from a former employer, co-workers or friends about things you excel at.
2. Brainstorm your strengths.  Important: Do not condemn, criticize or complain or prioritze at this point - dump your brain frivolously.
3. Verify each item on your list to be correct.
4. Identify the strengths you feel truly support the brand you want people to associate with YOU.
5. Choose three of the strengths you chose in Step 4 that you want to further enhance this year.
6. Develop a plan of action you can implement to enhance the strengths you chose in Step 5. (Training, practice, reinforcement, etc.).  Be specific with your plan of action.  For example, whenever possible site specific dates or courses you would take.

That will be plenty of work for this BLOG. Tune in March 29 for IWCC’s next BLOG where you will move to Step 2 of SWOTing yourself.

In IWCC’s communication skills workshops, participants can easily tell us how good communication skills can have a positive impact on their careers. They also tell us what they don’t like as a reader and/or as a listener. What they are really telling us is that they know what they need to do to communicate effectively with people and why it matters. That’s right, they already know – just like you do! Why then do you keep making excuses to justify doing to your readers and listeners what you don’t like done to you?

You probably have a long list of excuses you use to rationalize doing things the way you have always done them even though you know you could communicate more effectively. Why do we let our old habits rule our lives? The simple answer…because it’s easier. Here are the top three excuses we hear from participants over and over again:

1. I don’t have time to plan – I have to get it done.
2. People don’t do it that way in this organization.
3. I’m very busy right now and applying new skills takes too much conscious effort.

Do you ever use these excuses? Of course you do…we all do. And, you accept some negative consequences when you write a poor e-mail, report, proposal or procedure. And what about making a less than effective presentation…what can come of that?

Before you let your old habits guide your communication choices today, answer these questions. Maybe you will choose to replace those old habits with some better ones.

• Do you have time to rewrite your presentation or your documents more than once today?
• Do you have time to communicate the same message over and over again?
• Do you have time to redo tasks because someone misinterpreted what you want?
• Do you want your proposal win rate to go up or down?
• Do you have time to write out an accident or incident report because someone misunderstood your procedure?
• Do you have time to rebuild a relationship you injured with a short, curt e-mail?
• Do you want to tell your boss your presentation bombed because you did not have time to prepare?
• Do you want to  choose the “traditional way”, even when you know you could do it better?
• Do you want your professional image to suffer because you did not take time to replace a bad habit with a good one?

Here are two sayings to ponder before you make your communication choices today:

1. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
2. A fool is someone who keeps doing something the same way and expects different results.

As communication training experts, we would love to wave a magic wand and turn old habits into better new ones. We can’t do that. But you can! Would you rather spend some time growing new and better communication habits, or do damage control? When you don’t take time to do things right, you usually have to react and recover. Make some good choices today. Communicate with others the way you would like them to communicate with you. You’ll be glad you did.