Opportunity Areas: What They Are, What They Are For And What Types There Are
Opportunity areas are aspects on which we can work to improve. In this article we will learn about its main characteristics and see the areas where we can find aspects to improve and enhance, within companies.
The opportunity areas are groups of skills and competencies linked to contexts with goals to achieve, and that can be developed to reach those objectives more effectively. There are fundamentally two types of opportunity areas: personal and business. Let’s see in detail what each of them consists of.
Personal opportunity areas
Areas of opportunity at the personal level consist of certain aspects of our way of being, personality and behavior that can be improved. Through them, we come out stronger and discover facets of our personality that we did not know ; Furthermore, they show us that we can achieve many more things than we thought, and that we are stronger than we thought.
That is, they focus on “weaker” aspects of ourselves; If we work on them, we can increase our potential and progress in different areas (especially on a personal level).
Many times, If we do not know how to detect these areas of opportunity, problems may appear that harm us in some area of our lives. However, if, on the contrary, we work on them, our quality of life can improve.
Thus, the first step that we will need to apply is knowing how to detect these areas of opportunity that allow us to improve as people. Once identified, we will begin to work on them, either individually or with the help of a professional (psychologist, coach…). To start working on them, it will be important to design the steps to implement to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.
Personal areas of opportunity have a lot to do with our weaknesses, but also with limitations that we have placed on ourselves, with unresolved frustrations, fears, insecurities, etc. Identify these small weak points or “potholes” that prevent us from developing our potential to the fullest It will allow us to feel safer and better about ourselves.
Why take advantage of our areas of opportunity? Doing so will allow us to obtain individual changes and in turn be successful in what we propose. These improvements can be translated, for example, into higher levels of individual responsibility, more commitment, perseverance, etc.
Steps to develop them
There are some steps that Patricia Behisa, SEO and digital marketing specialist, proposes to take advantage of the areas of personal opportunity that we propose. She specifies 7 steps, which are interrelated.
1. Know ourselves
The first step is essential to know what areas of opportunity we have. The fact of knowing ourselves will make it easier to detect these areas, and will allow us to start working on them.
2. Analyze our past experiences
Our past as individuals defines us; This does not mean that it limits us, it simply means that what we have done or experienced in the past says in part how we are. Sometimes By analyzing these experiences we can find answers that allow us to strengthen our areas of opportunity.
3. Highlight the virtues
The third step involves highlighting our virtues, our strengths. Just as we must know our weaknesses, our strengths and potentials too. This can give us clues about how to work to increase our personal security and enhance our capabilities.
4. Target our skills
The fourth step that Patricia Behisa proposes is that we write down our skills, what we know how to do. This also encompasses our interests and capabilities, and can guide us when it comes to improving our areas of opportunity.
We must be able to organize the previous skills; That is, make a list that orders them according to the degree of dominance we have.
6. Select the best skills
After writing the list, we will proceed to select those skills that we are best at, or of which we have a more advanced level of knowledge or practice. This will allow us to know which one (or which ones) it is better to put into practice first.
7. Let yourself go
The last step that Behisa proposes is “letting go”, the flow. Now we know what we are best at, what skills we have; It is just a matter of putting them into practice based on our areas of opportunity.
Business opportunity areas
The second type of opportunity areas are business; that is to say, those that we can detect and work on in the workplace. The line of work will be similar to the previous one; We must first detect our weak points to start working on them.
Thus, the business opportunity areas are actually similar to the previous ones but in the labor field. They consist of “gaps” that we can observe in our business, opportunities for improvement. In this way, these are not only “errors”, but aspects that we can enhance. For example, competitiveness, initiative, effectiveness, profitability, etc.
Once these areas of opportunity are detected, we can work on them. But for what? Fundamentally, to improve our company or organization, obtain greater benefits, etc. Furthermore, many times these areas are sources of losses (for example economic) for the company; If we identify them correctly, we can achieve the opposite effect (earn more, improve certain conditions or aspects of the company, etc.).
We propose 4 large areas (or areas, facets) where we can find areas of opportunity in our business (although there are many more):
1. Innovation
The field of innovation allows us to create new, fresh and creative ideas that add value to our company. These ideas can refer to processes, products, services, etc. Finding areas of opportunity in this area or sector will allow you to create original and unpublished ideas.
2. Customer service
This area refers to how customers are served and cared for. Within it we can find many areas of opportunity that improve the consumer experience, increase the quality of the service offered by our company, etc.
3. Human Resources
Human resources They are another key piece within any company, and refers to human capital, people. Being able to identify, attract and hire talent, that is, people who add value to the company, can improve many aspects of it. Having good workers is always a positive aspect.
4. Image
On the other hand, The image of the company, its reputation and its references can lead to more or fewer clients that people are more or less satisfied, etc.
As in the previous areas, in this one you can also find good areas of opportunity, which allow you to improve the image of the company both externally and internally (the workers themselves). This can also enhance customer loyalty.
