How To Conduct Your Own Personal SWOT Analysis

Doing an honest, self-reflective personal SWOT analysis is useful for anyone at any stage of their career.

Photo by Christopher Ott on Unsplash

One of the most basic lessons you learn in first year business school is the SWOT analysis - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. And it's a great framework to apply to your business to understand what you do well, what you can improve on, and where the greatest threats to your company lie.

But how about a SWOT analysis on ourselves? Where are your blind spots? What do you struggle with? Here's a simple framework to give it a go:

Strengths: What are your strengths as a professional? What do you do well? Or what, in the words of investor Chris Sacca, is your "unfair advantage?" For example, maybe you're great with product design. Or perhaps you can work a room like nobody's business. Knowing your strengths tells you what added value you can uniquely bring to your business - and to the world.

Weaknesses: You might be a terrible planner. Or you might dread making sales. There’s no problem having weaknesses. We all have them. But unacknowledged weaknesses can be a problem. They can cause you to avoid opportunities that could be critical for your business and career. So pay particular attention to your weaknesses - and be as honest and humble as you do.

Opportunities: Opportunities are chances to build on your strengths and rectify your weaknesses—either through self-improvement or by adding additional members to the team with complementary skills. But of course, opportunities can only be leveraged if weaknesses are acknowledged—another reason honesty is the personal SWOT process.

Threats: Your skills may no longer fit the needs of the business you're in. Or you simply might lack the self-awareness or courage to look yourself in the mirror and conduct a honest, self-reflective SWOT analysis in the first place. Threats can come from multiple places and it's critical to acknowledge them as you proceed on your journey.

Have you conducted a personal SWOT analysis? If not, what's holding you back?