SWOT (analysis) stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths involve aspects of leadership that the leader is currently good at. Weaknesses are current limitations of the leader. Opportunities and threats do not refer to current advantages or disadvantages. Instead opportunities refer to what could be positive outcomes for the leader’s actions in the future. Conversely, threats refer to what could be negative outcomes or challenges for the organization based on a leader’s actions (or inactions) in the future. Arguably it is harder for an organization to figure out its leader’s opportunities and threats than it is to figure out its leader’s strengths and weaknesses. The reason for this is that while strengths and weaknesses are current and can be known, opportunities and threats are in the future and can only be imagined and planned for. At this point in the course you should not only have a general understanding of leadership, decision-making and motivation, but an understanding of what key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats confront you as someone who would want to become a leader- or a more influential one- in the years ahead:

1. Tell us three strengths of yourself as a leader and tell us how your inclusion onto your chosen organization’s staff as a top-level manager would add to at least one of these strengths;

2. Tell us at least one key weakness of yourself as a leader; explain what actions you would take as a manager to minimize or eliminate this weakness, and possibly turn this weakness into strength. For (3) and (4) use your imaginations:

3. Tell us what is the most significant opportunity for you as a leader over the next five years? As a manager, what would you do to ensure that this opportunity is realized?

4. Tell us what is the most significant threat that could confront your leadership ability within the next five years? What can you do as a top manager to avoid this threat- or even turn this threat into strength? Do you consider yourself a transformational leader? Why or why not?