16 BE AN EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE Continued from previous page or three points in answer to each question. That is fine. It is the weight of the answers and not the number that is the most helpful. APPLICATION OF THE ANALYSIS A Self-SWOC can be very valuable if you are truly honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable for making positive changes in a targeted timeframe afterwards. In that regard you should commit to monitoring your progress. You might be the only one who can do that since you are the only one that might know your “change goals”. Think about the following: Using Strengths to take advantage of emerging Opportunities Making a determined effort to overcome Challenges with your Strengths Taking advantage of a major Opportunity to minimise a Weakness Working to minimise the effects of minor Weaknesses and Challenges to prevent them becoming major ones SUGGESTED FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS 1. Commit to creating YOUR self-improvement plan within a month after the analysis 2. Decide on a small number of specific areas that you will work on to improve in a reasonable time frame like a year. Consider three areas in the world of work and three in your personal life. That is because people who are unhappy in life are seldom sustainably productive at work and people who are unhappy at work are seldom genuinely happy away from work. Use milestones or incremental targets with dates. Keep a copy of the plan readily available for your regular inspection like in your briefcase or work bag. Set Objectives for improvement within you BSACK – your Behaviour, Skills, Attitude, Commitment, Knowledge Examples of Objectives for improvements might be: Read at least one new book on Leadership/ Management each month Lose a pound per month for weight loss Revise and update your Strategic Plan (organisational) in line with the budget Complete and submit monthly reports the day before the deadline Hold at least six staff meetings in the next year Stop crossing my arms over my chest when I am standing and speaking with anyone Listen without interrupting for at least two minutes at the start of every conversation “Manage by walking around” at least once per week Create a new, more appealing format for reports Spend at least an hour each evening socialising with my family and/or friends Do a total of 30 minutes of exercise each day Reduce my salt intake by an average of 500 milligrams per day Complete all staff assessments on schedule 3. Complete Self-Assessments online or in print regularly. Keep the results in personal and very private files if possible (physical and electronic). Review them before your next self-assessment 4. Create the habit of daily introspection about your life and your work. Do it even if all you can spare is five minutes. Ideally, at the start of the workday focus on what you plan not only to do but to ACHIEVE during the day. This means you should be clear on what your priorities are for each day. When you have completed work at the end of each day make it a habit to ask yourself: What did I do really well today? What did I accomplish today? What am I hoping to do better in this coming week? How can I make myself a better person and leader during the next week? Continues on next page
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