In our first two BLOGs of this series we introduced you to IWCC’s personal SWOT Analysis approach. You focused on your strengths in Step one and your weaknesses in Step two. In Step three, you need to open your mind to all the Opportunities and Threats that lie in wait for you every day.

S trengths
W eaknesses
O pportunities &
T hreats

You must manage your personal Opportunities and Threats!  Have opportunities to build your brand slipped away because you didn’t see them?  Has a threat ever sabotaged you – a threat that you could have eliminated if you had only paid attention earlier? Stop now and take full control of you…so that you can make choices rather than react to consequences.

Here’s what you need to do:

Opportunities

1. List the opportunities you see for yourself where you could make use of your strengths and weaknesses.  Include opportunities you see from the trends that are going on around you.  What can you take advantage of now and in the future to work toward your goals?  Remember, don’t analyze as you think.
2. Brainstorm!  Do not condemn criticize or complain at this point.  (Opportunities may be hidden behind something you are looking at negatively.)
3. Verify each opportunity by going back over your list.
4. Develop a plan of action.  What will you actively do to pursue each opportunity on your list?  Be specific with your plans.

Threats

1. List the things that pose a threat to you reaching your goals.  In particular, what threats can get in the way of you growing your brand and furthering your career? These threats can be self-imposed (i.e. some of your weaknesses), or they may be issues rising from the culture or environment in your organization and other factors external to you.
2. Brainstorm!  Do not condemn, criticize or complain at this point.
3. Verify that each threat is really there, by going back over your list.
4. Develop a plan of action. What specific steps will you take to either eliminate or minimize the threat?  (Remember, some threats when turned around become opportunities.)

Now What?

Now when people ask you what your strengths are, you can speak with confidence and strategy. When they ask you about your weaknesses, you can explain what they are and proudly present the plan you have in place to deal with them. Most importantly, you will capitalize on your opportunities and evade threats to keep that brand called YOU front and center.  

Now you have completely SWOTed yourself. Feels good doesn’t it!

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.

Did you interact with anyone in anyway today? Did you choose to avoid anyone today? Did you:
•    Cut someone off on the highway this morning?
•    Not bother to hold the elevator for a stranger because you were in a rush?
•    Ignore the people around you on whatever public transit you took to work today?
•    Forget to change your voice mail this morning?
•    Smile at anyone today?

All these situations are touchpoints that you encounter every day and you can choose to ignore them, bungle them or take advantage of them. It’s all up to you.

What is a Touchpoint?
Here is a textbook definition of a touchpoint:
“the point of contact, especially when products or services come into contact with a customer”

At IWCC, we think a touchpoint is every opportunity you have to interact with – touch - another human being through thoughts, words and deeds.  Examples include phone calls, video conference calls, voice mail messages, feedback to a colleague, how you behave in a meeting, how you conduct yourself during a training workshop/webinar, e-mails, passing a stranger in the hall at work, volunteering (or not) to help.

In our communication skills training workshops, we help people make the most of every possible opportunity to strengthen their personal brand through their interactions with others every day.

The textbook definition above sounds cold and impersonal. IWCC believes that touchpoints are anything but impersonal. When you think about touchpoints in relation to your own personal brand…the Brand called YOU…you need to dig a little deeper into the human psyche to understand why touchpoints are so overwhelmingly important and PERSONAL. 

Just how powerful are “touchpoints” in establishing or strengthening your personal brand? Every interaction or lack of interaction you have creates an emotional reaction in other people. These emotional reactions can be positive or negative and they are seared into our memory. For example, have you ever disliked someone just because they had a bad habit that reminded you of someone you’re not fond of?

Touchpoints are so powerful that they happen whether you want them to or not…whether you are aware of them or not…whether you choose to ignore them or take advantage of them. Through touchpoints, you leave an imprint of who you are every time you communicate, or choose not to communicate with others. Remember that short, curt, angry e-mail you wrote…touchpoint! This BLOG is a “touchpoint” for IWCC with you.

Again we ask you: “How many opportunities have you ignored already today that could have established or strengthened the Brand called  YOU?"

Time to stop ignoring! Here is an exercise out of one of IWCC’s Communication Skills workshops that can help you start capitalizing on the “touchpoints” in your world.

Identifying Your Branding Touchpoints
Your Individual Task — Identify as many communication “touchpoints” as possible where you have the opportunity to establish or strengthen your desired brand.

The Brand called YOU is up to YOU! You can choose it or ignore it, but you are always building it. As Tom Peters says:
 “Everything you do — and everything you choose NOT to do — communicates the value and character of the Brand called You!”

We make New Year’s resolutions about things we feel are important…losing weight, exercising, saving money, planning effectively, etc. What about communication? In order to accomplish anything, we have to be good communicators. Have you made resolutions about that? Maybe you should. Here are some ideas to get you started.

”I vow to stop taking communication for granted and give it the respect it deserves. I will no longer make excuses that I don’t have time to apply the techniques that I know will help my readers, my listeners and me – no matter how busy I am.”

Some “I will stop” Resolutions…
Here are three habits you can vow to stop in 2012:
•    I will stop frivolously sending e-mail without thought or planning.
•    I will stop thinking about what I want and consider what my readers and listeners need.
•    I will stop allowing meetings to just happen without thought or planning.

Some “I will start” Resolutions…
Below are suggestions of habits you can vow to start in 2012:

For Writing E-mail

• I will write descriptive subject lines that tell my reader the topic and the urgency (or non-urgency) so they can decide when to open and read.
• I will take the time to change the subject line of an e-mail as I forward or reply, as the subject changes.
• I will tell the reader exactly what I want them to do, feel, learn, understand or know – in the first paragraph.

For Presenting/Speaking

• I will take care to keep my words, voice & tone and body language in sync so they are all sending the same message.
• I will plan questions ahead of time to ensure I involve my audience.
• I will listen respectfully and actively to others - even when I don’t agree with them.

For Facilitating Meetings

• I will only have a meeting when it is necessary and always ask myself: “Is a meeting the best way to accomplish this task and spend the time we have?”
• I will prepare for every meeting by creating an agenda and sharing it with the meeting members.
• I will ask for help to keep the meeting on time by assigning a timekeeper – and respecting their input.

Let’s make 2012 the year of clear communication. You know what you need to do to improve your communications at work. So stop procrastinating and do it! Or stop doing it!