I wrote the original version of this post in April 2020, when I was in the 40+ days of lockdown here in France. The lockdown ceased after 55 days and this first ‘traumatic’ experience for many people triggered various changes, for me too.
I was thinking then, as many, about the post-COVID period, assuming it is a one time crisis and then it’s over. One and half year after, we are now in the 5th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are all learning the Greek alphabet along with the discovery of new COVID variants.
While some businesses adapted to this permanent state of uncertainties, others are more at stake. So do employees. For all of those facing COVID career uncertainties, I recommend: SWOT yourself!
SWOT yourself
Did you already SWOT yourself? is the title of my July 28th, 2017 blog post in which I suggested to use the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to get clarity about one’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, before a job interview or when facing an important decision.
Be prepared to whatever may happen
What lays ahead is impossible to tell. Maybe greater good will come out of the pandemic chaos, but the best isn’t always certain. Therefore it is wise to be prepared for whatever may happen. Time is ripe to give SWOT oneself a try.
As a reminder, Strengths and Weaknesses are very self-centered. It’s all about individual traits and how they compare to others. Of course, Strengths and Weaknesses are relative to the circumstances and the self-assessment should be done with a specific “use case” in mind, or in our case, with the uncertainties that lay ahead.
Chris HOHMANN 