Having completed Module 3, and therefore armed with the first draft of your transition story, Module 4 begins to pick out themes contained in your story which might provide the basis for a much more personal transition plan.
Aim
The aim of this module is to identify key situational, self, support and strategic assets and liabilities across the ‘4S’ transition spectrum that might motivate and help transition more effectively and inspirationally.
Process
Using the boxes on the next page, try and fill in the Strengths (Assets), Weaknesses (Liabilities), Opportunities (Assets) and Threats (Liabilities) that you see across your current and future transition situation.
As part of this transition situation, you should also consider what your ‘self’ strengths/opportunities (assets) and weaknesses/threats (liabilities) might be, as this analysis ought to indicate areas of personal experience and characteristics that you might harness and focus on when you develop your transition plan in the next module. By also considering ‘weaknesses’ and ‘threats’, these might reveal to you areas in which you need support. If nothing else, acknowledging these areas can enable you to work around or avoid any perceived weakness and threats.
You can also identify what support is or could be available to you under the strengths and opportunities boxes, along with what strategies might be available to help you too. Any available support and strategies are transition assets (strengths) you can use to counteract any liabilities (obstacles, threats etc); therefore, they can be a crucial feature of your forthcoming transition plan.
Don’t worry if the above sounds complicated, there are hints to help you in the boxes on the following page (please use a separate sheet if you run out of space). Also, don’t feel that you have to stick rigidly to the hints. Ultimately, this process has to work, so you can put what you want, where you want in the boxes on the following two pages. Drawing on your draft story written as part of the last module, the purpose is to identify what motivates you, what might hinder you, what support you can elicit and to develop a plan based on them as you transition. This is a plan that has to work for you though, so you’re in charge of the process!