How to take care of external issues~SWOT for not-for-profit~

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When we work on SWOT analysis for not-for-profit organizations/businesses, or even for for-profit organizations/businesses,we'll be able to find plenty of Strengths and Weaknesses, compared to the amount of Opportunities and Threats sometimes.

I imagine that these kinds of situations are not welcome always.

Why this happens and how we overcome it?

This is my question that I'm going to talk about for this time.

The case when the stuff at organizations can hardly find Opportunities and Threats compared to Strengths and Weaknesses,it probably means, they are struggling hard to deal with internal administrative tasks so that they can't put their eye on external situation properly.

I think this happens especially for busy organizations i.e.starting ups, stuff-less organizations.
Because, they tends not to be able to have enough time to observe and research external issues.
I know how they are busy and how it is important to manage internal issues.
This is one reason why it is difficult to take care of external stuffs.

I think there is another reason.
It stems from lack of the attitude or capability, to do it.

Yes, I also know that the question "Who are we?" should come first, when we think about management of each one's organizations, including marketing and communication.
But, hereby I'd like to suggest that we'll be able to discover how to make use of our Strengths and to overcome our Weaknesses, by GOING OUT and LEARNING EXTERNAL SITUATION, as well as asking "Who are we?".

I would say,it becomes hard for not-for-profit workers and social entrepreneurs to be "out-going" generally, even though I'm not sure that my experience is enough long to point out this issue or not.
But, I feel that social entrepreneurs lose their EYES usually, because of internal tasks/problems, and the attitude to persist on themselves overwhelmingly.

So, what's the solution?
I think one solution is to involve the outsiders or people who can keep observing the external situation carefully, or maybe in very professional way, and connecting organizations with outsiders, such as other social entrepreneurs, businesses, governments, and citizens.
(I can understand it's not easy because we usually tends to like similar minded people rather than outsiders, or people who are in opposite position.
But, it is significant to have them when we think about organizational growth.)

By the way, "DIG DEEP ENOUGH" is very important, when we try to consider about external issues.
What I mean is, for example,let's imagine the case we assume that "Recession is an opportunity".

Then, we need to make perspectives and points clear.
By asking the question starts from W or H, such as;

"What kind of situation caused by recession will be an opportunity for us?"
"How we can approach to the job-less people generated by recession?"
"What will the students gave up to be volunteering overseas because of recession do? How can we try to get them involved by providing alternative opportunities?"


Try to involve the people who can be OUT-GOING in professional manner for our organization,and DIG DEEP ENOUGH about external cause.
Then we'll be able to get benefit from our opportunities and to overcome threats properly.

Oops.I forgot to write one thing.

Believe our strong points and possibility, potential, with keeping our brain cool, and without being egoistic.
This is one of the most important thing.

Because people may start to feel empathy on services/products that we producers can believe that enough excellent to be the change.
Don't be pessimistic too much, take our strength properly too.

Thank you very much for reading.
If you are interested in interviewed by this weblog,or suggesting someone else, please contact to motoi.ysej[at]gmail.com, with putting "ATTN:cms project" into the title.

How we co-exist? Attitude is the fundamental factor.

Thank you for visiting this weblog.

Please check this link out to figure out what the Change makers stories project is.

What engages　and inspires young people?How can we engage young people?

I dedicate much of my time to think about/take action,because this is one of my important question for my life.

By the way,it is usual that tips for our questions come out without notice.

Last week, I was having chat with a Canadian lady who seems like 50s or 60s in my volunteer site.

Then, she asked a question that says "what part of Canada do you like the most?" to me.

The question didn't mean any specific place but certain characteristic aspect of Canada.

My answer was, "Diversity of people".

Because,I feel Canada is like small print of the globe...especially when it comes to Toronto.

There are people from all over the world, and they have been living together so far.

The situation is totally different from the one in Japan, what I mean is there is almost sole ethnicity in Japan, even though it is gradually changing.

But in Toronto, we can get in touch with so many nationality in city and we can easily see that younger people and older people, and people with different culture work in same place.

I can hardly find this kind of situation in Japan.

Then, her answer was "Women can have freedom for life.".

Her answer was quite interesting because Japan is still hard place for women to be free,in terms of work and life, whatever.

I asked her that "What enables women to be free in Canada?" because I'm conscious about current situation surrounds women in Japan,as well as I have interested in youth issues.

Her answer was really easy.

She just said that "People's attitude." to me, right after I asked the question.

I was kind of fascinated because I have thought that we tend to focus on policy of government/companies when we talk about women's rights.

Yes, she is right and I think this perspective can be applied to the way how we deal with diversity.

As long as we have the attitude to recognize and respect diverse of age, nationality, gender, we can exist together and light each one's strong points.

Thank you very much for reading.
If you are interested in interviewed by this weblog,or suggesting someone else, please contact to motoi.ysej[at]gmail.com, with putting "ATTN:cms project" into the title.