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"That the impact of your army may be like a
grindstone dashed against an egg, use the science of weak points and
strong." The very first line in Sun Tzu's chapter on weak points
and strong emphasizes the impact that an understanding of our weakness
and strengths can have on our organization, or on our professional
development. A contemporary tool that many organizations use to this
end is the SWOT Analysis. Google SWOT and you'll find that it was
developed by Albert Humphrey, a Stanford business professor in the
1960s, and it stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats.
The basic purpose of the SWOT analysis in business is
strategic planning. For example, if an organization is considering a
new major objective, careful analysis of internal factors, strengths
and weaknesses, and external factors, opportunities and threats, can
be the stepping stone for further planning. Processes for taking
advantage of strengths can be developed and strategies for overcoming
weaknesses can also be considered. In this way, the SWOT can help
ensure the achievement of the objective being considered. As Sun Tzu
stated, "You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you
only attack places that are undefended. You can ensure the safety of
your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be
attacked."
In most organizations, weak points and strong usually
fall into one of six categories:
- Knowledge
- Motives
- Resources
- Structure
and process
- Information
- Health
For each category, there are myriad interventions and
strategies available to help overcome weaknesses and capitalize on
strengths. Sometimes the biggest challenge is deciding on the most
appropriate intervention for the circumstances. There are several
criteria that should be considered prior to choosing the best path.
Say, for example, that you believe the best course of action for your
organization is to work to improve the knowledge level of the
workforce. When choosing an intervention some questions you may want
to ask are: Are you training a large group or a series of
individuals? You should also consider how much you can budget for
training. Finally, you need to determine if your trainees are
concentrated in one area or geographically separated.
Interventions such as coaching and on-the-job training
are relatively inexpensive, work well with an expansive workforce,
and are focused on individual employees. Conversely, if you have the
resources to bring your workforce together and train a large number
of people on the same material, classroom training may be a better
choice. Sometimes, the best choice is a combination of interventions.
Sun Tzu taught us that a real key to success is to remain responsive
to changing conditions and environments when he wrote, "...just
as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no
constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his
opponent, and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born
captain."
Analysis of our own individual weak points and strong
is an effective tactic that also can be used to foster our personal
professional development. Columnist Joyce C. Lock once said that
if you build on your strengths, your weaknesses will gradually take care
of themselves. It has also been said that sometimes our greatest
weaknesses are our strengths overdone. In regards to our
personalities, there is usually a direct correlation between the
character traits that we consider strengths and weaknesses.
Often, as leaders, we are effectively blind to our
weaknesses because we consider them to be strengths; and we exist
blissfully oblivious to the fact that those around us consider those
same traits as character flaws, or weaknesses. For example, we may
see ourselves as great communicators and others may feel that we talk
too much. We may believe that we are thorough in our work and others
may see us as perfectionists. We may see ourselves as decisive while
others may feel we are rigid and refuse to consider creative
alternatives. So how can we determine what is a strength and what is
a weakness?
Sometimes those we lead have the best perspective of
our leadership skills. Great leaders will make efforts to gather some
feedback from the very people they are trying to lead. Do not be
afraid to ask staff questions such as:
- How
well do I communicate to you what I expect from you?
- How
would you describe my involvement level in your work (i.e. too
involved, involved too little, or a comfortable level of
involvement)?
- Do
you feel comfortable asking me for explanations or
clarification?
- What
is one thing you wish I would do differently?
Chinese philosopher Toa Te Ching wrote that
"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true
wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true
power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich."
Maybe now is a good time to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses
of your organization and yourself. Scan your environment for
opportunities and threats and gather some feedback from the people
that count on you most. Take Sun Tzu's advice and use the science of
weak points and
strong.
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