An unexamined life is not worth living

Personal Reflection Memo

 

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

~ Socrates

One of the key skills needed to become a successful professional is developing the ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ – the ability to manage uncertainty and simplify complexity in order to exploit new opportunities. It is a process that requires developing a vision, identifying possibilities that may not be perceived by others and thinking beyond the constraints of immediately available resources. Self-knowledge and knowledge of potential resources are key factors that enable this development. This process is as applicable to your career as it is to starting a company. In this assignment, you will identify where you want to be and how you will get there based on some specific prompts. Your personal reflection memo is a way to tap into and formulate for yourself a long-term vision statement, the “external” opportunities that exist, your “internal” (personal) strengths, and a strategy for yourself and your life over the next two to three years. In addition, I request you to share one “failure” from your past and what you learned from it about yourself.

Deliverables: The assignment should consist of a 2-4 page write-up (in bullet points or prose) that summarizes EACH of the areas discussed below:

1. Vision and Opportunity

a. What are your goals (career and/or educational) after you leave WSU?

b. How do you define success in life?

c. How has this class and the tools you have learnt influenced the way you view strategy and business in general? How have the insights gleaned from these tools shaped your view and aspirations for your own life?

 

STRENGTHS · What achievements are you most proud of? · What would those closest to you say are your strengths?	WEAKNESSES · What would those closest to you say are your weaknesses? · Give an example of one “failure” you experienced in your life so far. What did you learn about yourself from that experience?
OPPORTUNITIES · What are some need/problems that you can help solve that aligns with the vision you have identified above?	THREATS · What external obstacles would keep you from achieving your goals? · Is demand for the activities your find most fulfilling changing?

 

2. Personal SWOT analysis

 

 

 

3. Values

At this point, you’re probably making important decisions about your future— deciding where to focus your time and effort. If you’re able to pursue activities and interests that are in line with your values and what’s important to you at a core level, you will be less stressed. Go through this list of values and identify the ones most important to you.

After identifying your values from those above, consider all the values you have listed as most important to you. Please identity the top 3 of values (out of these) that you think are most important for you as an anchor or lodestar for your professional career. Then for each of these values, please write about:

1. Why or in what ways is this value important to you in your professional life?

1. In what ways (in terms of actual behaviors in the workplace or during your remaining college career), would you like to be true to each value?

 

4. Personal “Board of Directors”

If you could assemble any 3 people to advise and mentor you, who would they be? They may be alive or dead, family or world leaders, friends or strangers. Why would you choose each?