1.3 Opportunities

This is where all your knowledge about your sector can come into play, as it will inform your perspective on potential opportunities and, later on, threats. From the different elements of the course so far you should be able to address some of the following questions to help identify potential opportunities in your sector.

• Are there technological advances on the horizon that might help your sector, or offer opportunities for new ways of working (home-based or hybrid working for example)?
• Are there political decisions in the offing that might affect your sector?
• What is happening in the world economy that might influence events in your sector?
• Is the world changing in other ways? Are social developments opening up new opportunities or markets, for example?
• Are your customers (or clients or patients) telling you anything about your industry that might provide you with an insight leading to change?
• What about your competitors? Are they developing new approaches that you can learn from? Are their shortcomings instructive in some way?
• Are there staffing changes – or shortages, perhaps – within your organisation that provide an opportunity for you to develop your skills or raise your profile?
• Is your organisation moving in new directions that open up possibilities for you to develop a new role or take on new responsibilities?
• Are there events that you could attend or people that you could network with about any of the above or about possible developments?