Assignment: Personal SWOT Analysis

As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you-the first time around.

-Oprah Winfrey, The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey: A Portrait in Her Own Words

As part of furthering your exploration to understand your "why," you will analyze yourself at present using a SWOT analysis to guide your thinking. A SWOT analysis is a tool commonly used as part of the strategic planning process when starting a new business or project. Business owners carefully examine the strengths and weakness of their proposed venture and the opportunities and threats posed by the internal and external environments. In doing so, they can pinpoint those areas in which they may have a natural advantage and can identify current gaps between the skills and resources that they and their business currently possess.

In your case, completing a SWOT analysis exercise can help you focus on what you want to achieve, the areas in which you want to continue to grow, and the potential obstacles that you plan to overcome so that you can meet challenges with confidence and take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. This week's Assignment is the first of several you will complete in this course that will help you leverage the resources you have at your disposal to create a roadmap for how you will achieve your goals.

To prepare for this Assignment, review the Learning Resources for the week, including the "Introduction to the Doctoral Journey" media, and consider the various aspects of your life, including your professional and personal commitments, your goals and reasons for pursuing your DBA degree, how you manage your time, how you handle stress and change, how prepared you feel to begin your doctoral journey, etc. Use the Personal SWOT Analysis Worksheet Template within the Learning Resources to complete this self-assessment. Consider using the tips mentioned in the "Managing from the Inside Out" video prior to the completion of your Self-Assessment paper.

Submit a 3- to 5-page Self-Assessment in which you do the following:

• Explain why you are pursuing a doctoral degree.

• Briefly describe the results of your SWOT analysis.

• Formulate three goals you plan to accomplish as a result of (or in conjunction with) completion of your DBA degree.

• Compose at least three personal or professional strengths that will aid you in achieving your goals and at least three challenges that might prevent you from reaching your goals.

• Assess how prepared you are to overcome these challenges, including any strategies you have developed or resources you may draw on to help you achieve your goals.

• Conclude why earning your DBA degree can not only help you to achieve your goals but can create opportunities for you as a global change agent to devise solutions to complex business problems and to effect positive social change in the world and/or your community.