KNOWING YOURSELF Lecture 3 October 2007 Rositsa Milyankova

THE SELF-AUDIT: SWOT Advises: Work on paper Do it at least once per year List as many possibilities as you can Be honest!!

SWOT – Strengths What are my positive aspects of myself and my present situation What qualifications have I got How many kinds of work have I done and for how long What special knowledge and experience have I got What skills (including manual and artistic) do I possess What financial and property resources do I have How wide is my reputation and in what areas What support do I have from family and friends Do I have good health What are the strong points of my character and personality In so far as I have succeeded, what has helped me to do so Have I any strong, specific interest at work or outside work Do I possess patents or any other intellectual property What are the resources of my motivation and drive Have I any other strengths I have not listed

SWOT – Weaknesses What are my negative aspects of myself and my present situation What limits me Are there important gaps in my qualifications, experience or knowledge Do I have financial difficulties or pressure Have I any enemies Am I held in low esteem, and if so by whom Do my domestic or family circumstances present problems, and if so, what are they Have I or those close to me health problems or disabilities, what are they and what are their effects on my life What are the weak points of my character and personality In so far as I have done less well than I would have liked, what has held me back Under what circumstances have I felt most frustrated and unhappy Am I vulnerable in any way: financially, legally, physically, emotionally Have I any other limitations I have not listed

SWOT – Opportunities What aspects of the present or the foreseeable future situation could I use as advantage? Suitable job-vacancies available or coming up Reorganizations or relocations that might offer openings Difficulties, weaknesses or failures by rivals or opponents New industries or organizations being set up Relatives or friends looking for business partners Consultancy openings Writing, speaking or media opportunities Prizes, scholarships, bursaries available Sponsorships for research etc. on offer or which might be made available Gaps in local services. Consider the effects of changes in local conditions: new buildings, new industries, new infrastructure, social mix, age structure etc. Investment opportunities Inventions or ideas which I could put to use Assets (e.g. land, buildings) ripe for development

SWOT – Threats What aspects of the present or the foreseeable future situation may operate as my disadvantage? Potential financial problems Possible family break up Illness – self or others Rivalry or opposition from other individuals or organizations Changes in demand for what I or my organization offer Legal battles over assets Physical deterioration of property or assets Tax or benefit changes

Locus of control Locus of Control refers to the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events that affect them. - High internal locus of control - people believe that events result primarily from their own behavior and actions. They have better control of their behaviour and tend to exhibit more political behaviors. They are more likely to attempt to influence other people to assume that their efforts will be successful. They are more active in seeking information and knowledge concerning their situation - High external locus of control – people believe that powerful others, fate, or chance primarily determine events. - The propensity to engage in political behavior is stronger for individuals who have a high internal locus of control than for those who have a high external locus of control.

Locus of control – who defines my life path Internal locus of control – 30 % of all people -Men preliminary -Active, initiative, well oriented, result-oriented, all energy for attaining objectives External locus of control – 15 % of all people -Women and people with low social position -Life is destiny, fortune -These people are more religious or superstitious Locus in the middle – 55 %

Left-right orientation Left – logical, analytical, step-by step thinking, verbal and numerical information, engineers, architects, economists Right – intuitive, holistic, jumping imagination, fantasy, symbols, artists, teachers

Results of the tests Locus of control 1. Score one point for each of the following (Rotter): 2.a, 3.b, 4.b, 5.b, 6.a, 7.a, 9.a, 10.b, 11.b, 12.b, 13.b, 15.b, 16.a, 17.a, 18.a, 20.a, 21.a, 22.b, 23.a, 25.a, 26.b, 28.b, 29.a. A high score = External Locus of Control / A low score = Internal Locus of Control for Rotter scale 2. Score one point for each of the following (M.Paunov): 1Y, 2N, 3Y, 4N, 5Y, 6N, 7Y, 8Y, 9N, 10Y, 11Y, 12Y, 13N, 14Y, 15N, 16Y, 17Y, 18Y, 19Y, 20N, 21Y, 22N, 23Y, 24Y, 25N, 26N, 27Y, 28N, 29Y, 30N, 31Y, 32N, 33Y, 34N, 35Y, 36Y, 37Y, 38N, 39Y, 40N. 0-8 internal locus of control 9-16 – interim – external locus of control

References pagoolka/LC.html y11.mhtmlwww.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch11/surve y11.mhtml Paunov, Marin, “Motivation”, 2001, p. 172

Assignments: Assignment 2: Prepare your personal SWOT analysis, discussing your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Assignment 3: Fill in the Locus of Control tests and discuss the results