Stand Out

prettttAccording to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of thebr /professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But manybr /preschoolers got several correct answers. Andersen Consulting saysbr /this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals havebr /the brains of a four year old.br /br //tt/ttttttThe following short quiz consists of 4 questions and tells whetherbr /you are truly a “professional”. The questions are not that difficult.br /br /Think each question through before reading further because the answers are just beneath each questionbr /br /Have fun!br /br //tt/tttttt1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?br /br /The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe andbr /close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simplebr /things in an overly complicated way.br /br /2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?br /br /Wrong Answer : Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and closebr /the refrigerator. Correct Answer : Open the refrigerator, take outbr /the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests yourbr /ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.br /br /3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference, all the animalsbr / attend except one. Which animal does not attend?br /br /Correct Answer : The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator.br /This tests your memory.br /br /OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly,br /you still have one more chance to show your abilities.br /br /4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles.br / How do you manage it?br /br /Correct Answer: You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending thebr /Animal conference! This tests whether you learn quickly from yourbr /mistakes.br /br /br /hahahahabr /Cheersbr /@biola.combr //tt/tt/prediv class=”blogger-post-footer”A life worth living is that lived for others/div

ttThe following I have observed to be very true and so I decided to share with all. It’s thebr /difference between me and my boss that makes me even more despirate to be my own boss soon.br /br /The Differences Between You and Your Bossbr /br /When you take a long time, you’re slow.br /When your boss takes a long time, he’s thorough.br /When you don’t do it, you’re lazy.br /When your boss doesn’t do it, he’s too busy.br /When you make a mistake, you’re an idiot.br /When your boss makes a mistake, he’s only human.br /When doing something without being told, you’re overstepping the mark.br /When your boss does the same thing, that’s initiative.br /When you take a stand, you’re being bull-headed.br /When your boss does it, he’s being firm.br /When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you’re being rude.br /When your boss skips a few rules, he’s being original.br /When you please your boss, you’re apple polishing.br /When your boss pleases his boss, he’s being co-operative.br /When you’re out of the office, you’re wandering around.br /When your boss is out of the office, he’s on business.br /When you’re on a day off sick, you’re always sick.br /When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.br /When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview.br /When your boss applies for leave, it’s because he’s overworked.br /br /Please be encouraged to have an entrepreneural mindset, work everyday like It’s only preparingbr /you for the challenges of being your own boss. Plan your way out of being someone’s employee especiallybr /when you know you have all it take to be an employer.br /br /cheersbr /@biola.combr //ttdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”A life worth living is that lived for others/div

“Radical idea is not a bad idea”br /br /Enemies of the ordinarybr /(My interpretation)br /br /Eccentric is the word that people have (are/will) always used to describe me. The word eccentric (in case you’ve never heard of it) is often associated with genius, giftedness, extreme creativity or display of dismissible (common) lunacy. “There has always been a method to my madness”. My eccentric behaviour is perceived by many to be the outward expression of my unique intelligence or creative impulse. My eccentric attributes are incomprehensible as some would agree not because they are illogical or the result of madness, but because they stem from a mind so original that it cannot be conformed to societal norms. For crying out loud, “I am not mad!”br /br /When faced with life issues, be it at home, work or play I seek special methods and tools to go about them. I never hesitate to ask questions (as many as necessary). I try to restate problems sometimes by changing the wordings take different viewpoints and try it in graphical forms (I am primarily a graphic artist). Transforming one issue into another by the describing the problem to both laymen and experts in the field often helps to get new insights. By explaining it to others I get to hear myself and see the loopholes. I never try to learn all the details before deciding on a first approach. I keep the tools unlocked, I work quickly, whenever, wherever. Failure is not a fear, if I can’t make it better, I make it worse and analyze what happens. I turn to Mother Nature (the originator of serendipity) for assistance. I meditate out in/under a tree or in an open field, play with combinations of ideas and concepts. I keep my eyes open and my imaginations turned on. For me nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one I have. The first solution found is usually inadequate. I initiate brainstorming sessions, mostly informal, where participants are encouraged to suggest any idea that comes to mind. I am particularly stubborn about solving a problem. I sometimes spend time trying things I know won’t work or don’t know how they will work. I value experimentation, play, exaggeration and persistence. I am flexible about problem definition and problem solution. “Wow! Don’t you wanna grow up to be just like me?”br /Many individuals manifest eccentricity consciouslyand deliberately in attempting to differentiate themselves from societal norms or enhance a sense of inimitable identity: given the overwhelming possible\nstereotypes often associated with eccentricity. Using the above, “judge for yourself, am I truly eccentric…?”br /Whether you think I pass as eccentric or not, one thing as certain I’m an “enemy of the ordinary” because my habits make me achieve unique (extraordinary) results. You just have to be like me to cope with me otherwiseyou would tag me “crazy”. Cope with me (be like me) if you can otherwise, lay off. “The world cannot contain too many of us”. Mind you “I’ll be 28 mynext birthday” (11th June). “,br /br /– @a onclick=”return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)” href=”http://biola.com/” target=”_blank”biola.com/adiv class=”blogger-post-footer”A life worth living is that lived for others/div

p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: center;font-family:arial;” align=”center”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUESo:p/o:p/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"uo:pspan style=”text-decoration: none;” /span/o:p/u/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0in 1in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”i style=”"span style=”color:black;”"We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down.” (Aneurin Bevan)/span/ib style=”"i style=”"uo:p/o:p/u/i/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Problem solving and decision-making are important skills for business and life. Problem-solving often involves decision-making, and decision-making is especially important for management and leadership. There are processes and techniques to improve decision-making and the quality of decisions. Decision-making is more natural to certain personalities, so these people should focus more on improving the quality of their decisions. People that are less natural decision-makers are often able to make quality assessments, but then need to be more decisive in acting upon the assessments made. Problem-solving and decision-making are closely linked, and each requires creativity in identifying and developing options, for which the b style=”"i style=”"brainstorming/i/b technique is particularly useful.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/p h2 style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:red;” Decision-making process/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:red;” o:p/o:p/span/h2 ol start=”1″ type=”1″ style=”font-family:arial;”li class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Define and clarify the issue – does it warrant action? If so, now? Is the matter urgent, important or both. See the a href=”http://www.businessballs.com/quotes.htm#pareto_principle_pareto%27s_law”Pareto Principle/a./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Gather all the facts and understand their causes./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Think about or brainstorm possible options and solutions. (See a href=”http://www.businessballs.com/brainstorming.htm” target=”content”brainstorming/a process)/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Consider and compare the pros and cons of each option – consult if necessary – it probably will be./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Select the best option – avoid vagueness or ‘foot in both camps’ compromise./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Explain your decision to those involved and affected, and follow up to ensure proper and effective implementation./span/li/ol p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Decision-making maxims will help to reinforce the above decision-making process whether related to problem-solving or not.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” o:p /o:p/span/p p style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”bspan style=”color:red;”Brainstorming process/span/b/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:red;” o:p/o:p/span/p h2 style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Brainstorming technique for problem-solving, team-building and creative process/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/h2 p style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Brainstorming with a group of people is a powerful technique. Brainstorming creates new ideas, solves problems, motivates and develops teams. Brainstorming motivates because it involves members of a team in bigger management issues, and it gets a team working together. However, brainstorming is not simply a random activity. Brainstorming needs to be structured and it follows brainstorming rules. The brainstorming process is described below, for which you will need a flip-chart or alternative. This is crucial as Brainstorming needs to involve the team, which means that everyone must be able to see what’s happening. Brainstorming places a significant burden on the facilitator to manage the process, people’s involvement and sensitivities, and then to manage the follow up actions. Use Brainstorming well and you will see excellent results in improving the organization, performance, and developing the team.o:p/o:p/span/p h2 style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Brainstorming process/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/h2 ol start=”1″ type=”1″ style=”font-family:arial;”li class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Define and agree the objective./spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Brainstorm ideas and suggestions having agreed a time limit./spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Categorise/condense/combine/refine./spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Assess/analyse effects or results./spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Prioritise options/rank list as appropriate./spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Agree action and timescale./spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Control and monitor follow-up./spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/li/ol h2 style=”text-align: justify; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;” In other wordso:p/o:p/span/h2 h2 style=”text-align: justify; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Plan and agree the brainstorming aim: /spanspan style=”font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;color:black;” Ensure everyone participating in the brainstorm session understands and agrees the aim of the session (e.g. to suggest ways of improving cooperation between the sales and service departments;). Keep the brainstorming objective simple. Allocate a time limit. /spanspan style=”font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;” o:p/o:p/span/h2 h2 style=”text-align: justify; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Manage the actual brainstorming activity:/spanspan style=”font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;” span style=”color:black;”Brainstorming enables people to suggest ideas at random. Your job as facilitator is to encourage everyone to participate, to dismiss nothing, and to prevent others from pouring scorn on the wilder suggestions (some of the best ideas are initially the daftest ones – added to which people won’t participate if their suggestions are criticized). During the random collection of ideas the facilitator must record ievery/i suggestion on the flip-chart. Use sticky tape to hang the sheets around the walls. At the end of the time limit or when ideas have been exhausted, use different coloured pens to categorize, group, connect and link the random ideas. Condense and refine the ideas by making new headings or lists. You can diplomatically combine or include the weaker ideas within other themes to avoid dismissing or rejecting contributions (remember brainstorming is about team building and motivation too – you don’t want it to have the reverse effect on some people). With the group, assess, evaluate and analyze the effects and validity of the ideas or the list. Develop and prioritize the ideas into a more finished list or set of actions or options.o:p/o:p/span/span/h2 h2 style=”font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”Implement the actions agreed from the brainstorming:/spanspan style=”font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;” span style=”color:black;”Agree what the next actions will be. Agree a timescale, who’s responsible. After the session circulate notes, monitor and give feedback. It’s crucial to develop a clear and positive outcome, so that people feel their effort and contribution was worthwhile. When people see that their efforts have resulted in action and change, they will be motivated and keen to help again./span/spanspan style=”font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;” o:p/o:p/span/h2 h2 style=”font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/h2 h2 style=”font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;color:red;” Pro’s and Con’s decision-making method/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:red;” o:p/o:p/span/h2 p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Another simple process for decision-making is the pro’s and con’s list./span/p p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Some decisions are a simple matter of whether to make a change or not, such as moving, taking a new job, or buying something, selling something, replacing something, etc. Other decisions involve number of options, and are concerned more with how to do something, involving a number of choices. Use the a href=”http://www.businessballs.com/brainstorming.htm” target=”content”brainstorming/a process to identify and develop options for decision-making and problem-solving./span/p ol start=”1″ type=”1″ style=”font-family:arial;”li class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” First you will need a separate sheet for each identified option. /span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” On each sheet write clearly the option concerned, and then beneath it the headings ‘pro’s’ and ‘con’s’ (or ‘advantages’ and disadvantages’, or simply ‘for’ and ‘against’). Many decisions simply involve the choice of whether to go ahead or not, to change or not; in these cases you need only one sheet./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Then write down as many effects and implications of the particular option that you (and others if appropriate) can think of, placing each in the relevant column./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” If helpful ‘weight’ each factor, by giving it a score out of three or five points (eg., 5 being extremely significant, and 1 being of minor significance)./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” When you have listed all the points you can think of for the option concerned compare the number or total score of the items/effects/factors between the two columns./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” This will provide a reflection and indication as to the overall attractiveness and benefit of the option concerned. If you have scored each item you will actually be able to arrive at a total score, being the difference between the pro’s and con’s column totals. The bigger the difference between the total pro’s and total con’s then the more attractive the option is./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” If you have a number of options and have complete a pro’s and con’s sheet for each option, compare the attractiveness – points difference between pro’s and con’s – for each option. The biggest positive difference between pro’s and con’s is the most attractive option./span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”N.B. If you don’t like the answer that the decision-making sheet(s) reflect back to you, it means you haven’t included all the con’s – especially the emotional ones, or you haven’t scored the factors consistently, so re-visit the sheet(s) concerned./span/li/ol p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” You will find that writing things down in this way will help you to see things more clearly, become more objective and detached, which will help you to make clearer decisions./span/p h2 style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”a name=”pro’s_and_con’s_list_decision-making_tem”Example Pro’s and Con’s weighted decision-making sheet/a/spanspan style=”font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;” o:p/o:p/span/h2 table class=”MsoNormalTable” style=”width: 100%;font-family:arial;” border=”1″ cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”5″ width=”100%” tbodytr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt;” p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: center;” align=”center”span style=”font-size:100%;” Decision option: should I buy a new car?/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/p /td /tr /tbody/table p class=”MsoNormal” style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”display: none;font-size:14;” o:p /o:p/span/p table class=”MsoNormalTable” style=”width: 100%;font-family:arial;” border=”1″ cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”5″ width=”100%” tbodytr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: center;” align=”center”span style=”font-size:100%;”pro’s/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: center;” align=”center”span style=”font-size:100%;”con’s/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”o:p/o:p/span/p /td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”better comfort (3)/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”cost outlay will mean making sacrifices (5)/span/p /td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”lower fuel costs (3)/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”higher insurance (3)/span/p /td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”lower servicing costs (4)/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”time and hassle to choose and buy it (2)/span/p /td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”better for family use (3)/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”disposal or sale of old car (2)/span/p /td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”better reliability (5)/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”big decisions like this scare and upset me (4) /span/p /td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;”it’ll be a load off my mind (2)/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;” /span/pspan style=”font-size:100%;”br //span/td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;” /span/pspan style=”font-size:100%;”br //span/td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:100%;” /span/pspan style=”font-size:100%;”br //span/td /tr tr style=”" td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 346.5pt;” width=”462″ p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: center;” align=”center”span style=”font-size:100%;”b total 6 pro’s, total score 20/b/span/p /td td style=”padding: 3.75pt; width: 348pt;” width=”464″ p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: center;” align=”center”span style=”font-size:100%;”b total 5 con’s, total score 16/b/span/p /td /tr /tbody/table p class=”MsoNormal” style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”display: none;”o:p /o:p/span/p p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”On the basis of the pro’s and con’s, and the weighting applied, in the above example there’s a clear overall quantifiable benefit attached to the decision to go ahead and buy a new car. Notice that it’s even possible to include ‘intangible’ emotional issues in the pro’s and con’s comparison, for example ‘it’ll be a load off my mind’, and ‘decisions scare and upset me’. A decision-making pro’s and con’s list like this helps remove the emotion which blocks clear thinking and decision-making – you can now see the wood for the trees again, and make a confident decision.o:p/o:p/span/p p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"span style=”color:red;”SWOT PEST analysis method of decision-making/span/bb style=”"span style=”color:red;”o:p/o:p/span/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"i style=”"SWOT analysis/i/b/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;” helps assess the strength of a company, a business proposition or idea; /spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placeb style=”"i style=”"PEST/i/b/st1:placeb style=”"i style=”" analysis/i/b/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;” helps to assess the potential and suitability of a market. Good decision-making requires a mixture of skills: creative development and identification of options, clarity of judgement, firmness of decision, and effective implementation. For group problem-solving and decision-making, or when a consensus is required, b style=”"i style=”"workshops /i/bhelp, within which you can incorporate these tools and process as appropriate. Here are some useful methods for effective decision-making and problem-solving: First a simple step-by-step process for effective decision-making and problem-solving.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"span style=”color:red;”SWOT analysis overviewo:p/o:p/span/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"span style=”color:red;”o:p /o:p/span/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” A SWOT analysis is a subjective assessment of data which is organized by the SWOT format into a logical order that helps understanding, presentation, discussion and decision-making. The four dimensions (b style=”"S/btrengths, b style=”"W/beaknesses, b style=”"O/bpportunities and b style=”"T/bhreats) are a useful extension of a basic two heading list of pro’s and con’s. SWOT analysis can be used for all sorts of decision-making, and the SWOT template enables proactive thinking, rather than relying on habitual or instinctive reactions.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” Translating SWOT analysis into actionso:p/o:p/span/p ol start=”1″ type=”1″ style=”font-family:arial;”li class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”bspan style=”color:black;”Product/span/b/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” (what are we selling?)/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”bspan style=”color:black;”Process/span/b/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” (how are we selling it?)/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”bspan style=”color:black;”Customer/span/b/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” (to whom are we selling it?)/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”bspan style=”color:black;”Distribution/span/b/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” (how does it reach them?)/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”bspan style=”color:black;”Finance/span/b/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” (what are the prices, costs and investments?)/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”bspan style=”color:black;”Administration/span/b/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” (and how do we manage all this?)/span/li/ol p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”If it’s a business, and the aim is to improve it, then work on translating: into actions (each within one of the six categories) that can be agreed and owned by a team or number of teams.span style=”" /span/span/p p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”bStrengths: /b/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”maintain, build and leverage/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”, bbr /Opportunities: /bspan style=”"prioritize and optimize/span, bbr /Weaknesses: /bspan style=”"remedy or exit/span, bbr /Threats: /bspan style=”"counter/span /span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"span style=”color:red;”o:p /o:p/span/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placeb style=”"span style=”color:red;”PEST/span/b/st1:placeb style=”"span style=”color:red;” analysis overviewo:p/o:p/span/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” The /spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placespan style=”color:black;”PEST/span/st1:place/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business. A /spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placespan style=”color:black;”PEST/span/st1:place/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” analysis is a business measurement tool. /spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placespan style=”color:black;”PEST/span/st1:place/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors, which are used to assess the market for a business or organizational unit.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” More confusingly (and some would say unnecessarily) /spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placespan style=”color:black;”PEST/span/st1:place/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” is also extended to seven or even more factors, by adding Ecological (or Environmental), Legislative (or Legal), and Industry Analysis, which produces the PESTELI model. Other variations on the theme include STEEP and PESTLE, which allow for a dedicated Ethical section. STEEPLED is another interpretation which includes pretty well everything except the kitchen sink: Political, Economic, Social and Technological – plus Ecological or Environmental, Ethical, Demographic and Legal.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”All businesses benefit from a SWOT analysis, and all businesses benefit from completing a SWOT analysis of their main competitors, which interestingly can then provide some feed back into the economic aspects of the /spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placePEST/st1:place/spanspan style=”font-size:100%;” analysis.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”PEST becomes more useful and relevant the larger and more complex the business or proposition, but even for a very small local businesses a PEST analysis can still throw up one or two very significant issues that might otherwise be missed.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/p p style=”font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” The /spanspan style=”font-size:100%;”st1:placespan style=”color:black;”PEST/span/st1:place/spanspan style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” subject should be a clear definition of the market being addressed, which might be from any of the following standpoints:/span/p ul type=”disc” style=”font-family:arial;”li class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” a company looking at its market/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” a product looking at its market/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” a brand in relation to its market/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” a local business unit/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” a strategic option, such as entering a new market or launching a new product/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” a potential acquisition/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” a potential partnership/span/lili class=”MsoNormal” style=”"span style=”font-size:100%;”an investment opportunity/span/li/ul p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"o:p /o:p/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"o:p /o:p/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"o:p /o:p/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"Whatever the techniqueo:p/o:p/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”b style=”"o:p /o:p/b/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0in 1in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”i style=”"span style=”color:black;”"In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” (attributed to Theodore Roosevelt)/spano:p/o:p/i/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”;font-size:100%;color:black;” JFDI – Just Frigging Do it (polite version). The decision-maker’s motto. There are usually several right answers when you are faced with a complex decision. When you’ve found the best solution you can find, get on with it, make it work, and it most probably will.o:p/o:p/span/p p class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: justify;font-family:arial;”span style=”font-size:100%;”o:p /o:p/span/pdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”A life worth living is that lived for others/div