Self-evaluation is a systematic approach by which we can improve how we work and how we see problems and opportunities as they arise, as well as how we can maximise the opportunities they raise and minimise their harm.

Self-evaluation is one of the most important soft-skills which is often neglected in our education systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Consider the tremendous impact we could have gained had we been taught self-evaluation from a very young age in order to maximize our potential. Obviously, the big question is: Why are these things not revealed to us sooner or implemented early on? The reason could stem from indifference, ignorance, or the challenge in teaching such a skill in a way that is appropriate to students with diverse backgrounds and talents.

Self-evaluation is a lifelong process of continuous improvement, and qualities that were once viewed as strengths may not remain so forever; conversely, values that were once regarded as weaknesses may become strengths over time. Very limited research has been conducted to assess the effectiveness of self-appraisal in different stages of life, however existing literature shows that self-evaluation can be influenced by personal traits, age, gender, socioeconomic status. Therefore, neither the teacher nor the student can arrive at a completely accurate, unbiased evaluation that closely coincides with the externalities under consideration. Personal evaluation may be hampered by overestimation or self-halo, in which one can overestimate their performance by pursuing a long list of studies in which they test highly, however this may be unconnected to other aspects of personal growth such as social competence. Furthermore, a child’s socioeconomic status might influence not only her academic performance but also the judgments of her peers and teachers regarding accomplishments and personality. According to a study conducted by Davis and Havighurst, social status has an impact on personality development, such as correlating with aggression, bad behaviour, or conformation. The same elements may have an impact on teachers’ assessments of pupils. Self-assessment promotes independent planning, execution, and evaluation, which is regrettably not often implemented at an early age.

Since most Sub-Saharan educational systems lack a defined structure, the ultimate assessment of good performance or evaluation frequently relies exclusively on the immediate teacher, who is often biased and may not correlate with actual life. Many individuals end up in career and academic ruts, due to a lack of well-thought-out and curated strategies for dealing with diverse challenges and forecasting future prospects early on. At best, many people may acquire a few tidbits from people who have had great professions, which is not always personalised or thorough. Some individuals benefit and thrive on improvisation. However, overcoming hurdles in a variety of contexts necessitates a well-thought-out approach or plan. 

For far too long, I have been guilty of flitting from one commitment to the next, all in the name of convenience. My propensity, like many others, was fuelled in part by a lack of strong tools to guide me through my personal development and self-evaluation during my prime years. Following a series of missteps and inconsistencies, unlike other individuals who thrive on improvisation, I came to the painful realisation that my approach to learning new things requires structure. In the past, I tried to embrace other people’s learning models, but it never worked well. If I am to maintain consistency in my performance and track my progress, preparation and strategy have become essential tools for me at the outset of a challenge. As a result, I have to put in time and energy to identify and learn appropriate methods to track and evaluate my progress. Obviously, this requires a lot of effort at the beginning but greater outputs in the end. Through this method, I have been able to celebrate tiny victories along the way and receive reassurances to keep me motivated and eliminate problems that might hamper my progress.

With SWOT (Strength Weakness Opportunity and Threat) analysis, unlike other self-assessment tools, one has to consider both personal and external factors that pose challenges, as well as how to adjust and progress based on where one is in their career.  Many businesses employ the SWOT analysis approach of self-analysis to aid in decision-making, opportunity identification, and threat mitigation. SWOT calls for ongoing review of each of these factors. This method can be used on an individual basis, or on a project basis. The method entails a series of important actions that can be used to evaluate and compare yourself to your peers or competitors in order to identify chances for career progression.

• The first step is to list your strengths, which are the traits that set you apart from others. It involves identifying all of the personal resources that can be leveraged to enhance your personal performance. It also considers what others may consider to be your strength or values that others lack.
• The second step is to pinpoint your flaws. Knowing your flaws can aid you in devising strategies to overcome them. A flaw could be a result of poor habits, traits that need to be developed in order for you to be more efficient, or skills that you lack. Asking for and receiving honest feedback from others is the easiest way to discover your weaknesses.
• Identifying external risks is the third phase. You must determine which obstacles are most likely to prevent you from achieving your goals. Identifying one’s threats and whether or not they exist in the system is the best way to begin to mitigate them.
• Aligning internal strengths with external opportunities is the fourth step. Putting your strengths in sync with your opportunities ensures that both are achievable and well-maintained throughout time.
• The fifth step is aligning your internal strength to external threats. This means that you must assess yourself in comparison to others. This can provide you a competitive advantage over your competitors, as you will be able to build a strategy to outperform them.
• Matching your internal inadequacies with external opportunities is the sixth step. This technique will aid in the remedy or adjustment of any flaws that may jeopardise your opportunity, and will assist you in not squandering otherwise excellent prospects.
• The final step is examining your internal weaknesses to external threats. By implementing this strategy, you can choose to completely eliminate or minimise your internal weaknesses, thereby managing your external threats.

The primary goal of the SWOT analysis is to maximise strengths and opportunities while minimising threats and weaknesses. Identifying Opportunities and Threats in the context of a business could entail looking for new markets to offer your services to, or recognising when a competitor is likely to poach one of your clients; you want to maximise one while mitigating the other. The parallels in your academic life could be when you have the opportunity to take a new class and the threat of looming exams to progress you to the next phase can stand as a threat. The strategies we employ to mitigate threats and maximise opportunities will always be influenced by the circumstances at hand, but the approach for identifying and analysing them can be universal and tailored to your specific requirements.

We are more likely to find better approaches to tackle our difficulties if we apply the same technique in our daily activities, as then it becomes second nature. I believe we can all benefit from this method, and the approach can be very personalised, as it incorporates our unique strengths and weaknesses as individuals. It is critical to determine whether your personality traits are inhibiting your career development or generating problems in your personal endeavours. You can opt to eliminate those flaws at this point or to reduce their severity.

The SWOT method works well if we do not have any self-defeating notions about our unique traits. We cannot make beneficial changes with an attitude that segregates certain natural abilities from others, especially in academic settings where we are supposed to be learning. We tend to value and nurture children gifted in perceived hard-core areas like mathematics more than those with weaker academic aptitudes. Creating generations of people who can accept and exploit their differences to their full potential will never be possible if we discriminate against them based on their talents. Any attribute, whether it’s a strength or a flaw, may be moulded into potential with the correct guidance. The fact that we each have unique abilities reveals that we were created to connect and complement one another. In my opinion, the existing systems are the flawed product of our results-oriented educational system. Things would be different if we instead valued a more process-oriented education. It solely recognises exceptional achievers rather than focusing on the development of any skills that would allow everyone to achieve a comparable level of success. Even the people at the top of their fields cannot always pinpoint exactly what they did to achieve their goals. Finally, we are producing a society of fundamentalists who will blindly follow the system as it has always been, rather than making the most of their true strengths.

To thine own self be good, to thine own self be sure, to thine own self be true, and to thine own self be better.

Constantine Sedikides and Michael J.Strube

If you would like to learn more, I would recommend reading this article.