Personal SWOT matrix: what it is, parts, and how it's done

The SWOT or SWOT matrix It is a tool used in the business environment that allows to know more in depth the state of the companies and to elaborate an intervention plan when problems are found.

Thanks to its effectiveness in the business world, this technique has been transferred to the personal sphere, with the aim of help people better understand their reality, in addition to helping to develop strategies to achieve their goals vital.

In this article we are going to see what this technique consists of, what are its components and how to apply it in our lives to achieve everything we set out to do.

• Related article: "What is personality according to psychology?"

What is a personal SWOT matrix?

The SWOT matrix, in its most general sense, is a tool that allows us to analyze the current and real state of a company, an organization or a person.

Thanks to this, and by detecting the strengths and weaknesses, it is possible to develop strategies whose purpose is to achieve goals or make a diagnosis of the organization, with the intention of intervening and improve it.

The personal SWOT matrix is ​​a variant that focuses on the characteristics of an individual. It makes it easier to meet both personal and professional goals that we set ourselves, and in recent years it has been gaining popularity due to the emergence and rise of personal brands.

This tool allows us to know ourselves in more depth, in addition to detecting those aspects both personal and of the environment that will help us to improve our lives.

With SWOT matrices, we can find and solve problems that hinder our path to success, whether they are related to our work lives or to more personal aspects. By this it can be improved both professionally and psychologically, since the foundations are laid to enhance self-esteem and relationships with others, in addition to discover what it is about our personality that can make it difficult for us to achieve what we have proposed.

The fact that it has been used in the business environment does not mean that it is a difficult tool to apply. Quite the contrary. It is enough to have a sheet of paper, a pen and half an hour to prepare a personal SWOT matrix, in addition to not requiring much imagination to detect what influences us when reaching our objective.

What elements compose it?

The personal SWOT matrix has four elements, which are grouped into two types: internal analysis components and external analysis components.

The components of internal analysis are those that are related to the characteristics of the individual himself, and have a certain degree of control over them. These characteristics can be fundamental when it comes to understanding our success or failure. The positive personal aspects are the strengths, and the negative are the weaknesses.

On the other hand, the external analysis components are those that are determined by the characteristics of the environment, such as the professional environment. These aspects can hardly be controlled, and they come in the form of opportunities and threats.

Below we explain in more detail each of the four components of the SWOT matrix.

1. Strengths

These are the internal characteristics that help to achieve the proposed objective. They can be different types of qualities, such as positive feelings, traits of favorable personalities, academic degrees, professional experience or technical knowledge, to say a few.

Analyzing these aspects facilitate modifying the vital objective in such a way that it is plausible to achieve it, in addition to being able to see what it is that brings you closer to your vital goal.

2. Weaknesses

Are all those characteristics of ourselves that take us away from our goal. They can be defects, fears or simply knowledge that we must expand.

It is very important to be aware of what limits us, since this way we can know what We must improve and be able to get rid of any impediment in which we have a certain degree of control.

3. Opportunities

They are the environmental conditions that act as facilitators to reach the proposed goal. Through them we can take advantage and be able to quickly approach our goal.

4. Threats

They represent the characteristics of the environment that can hinder the process to reach the goal. They are conditions external to us, such as politics, social problems or family dynamics, which can negatively influence us.

How is a personal SWOT analysis performed?

First of all, you must be clear about the objective you want to achieve. This goal must be concrete. It is very important to be clear about this, since otherwise it can affect the decision-making that will be carried out throughout the process.

1. Preparation of the personal SWOT matrix

On a sheet of paper we make the matrix, drawing a square divided into four smaller squares. Each of them will be one of the four SWOT components, and they will be placed according to whether they are positive and negative components and whether they are internal or external.

2. Internal analysis: strengths and weaknesses

It consists of analyzing those aspects of us, that is, everything that is related to our personality, knowledge, skills and others, that influence the achievement of the proposed goal and that we ourselves can Modify.

It begins by analyzing the strengths, that is, everything positive that helps to achieve the objective. During this step, we can ask ourselves some questions and try to answer them:

• What skills do I have?
• What am I good at?
• What do I like to do?
• Do I have a reputation for something?
• What titles do I have?
• How do others flatter me?

Once the strengths are detected, we move on to the weaknesses. It is very important to take into account the negative things about ourselves that can be an obstacle on our way to success. This can be personality traits, such as being an introvert in a job where you have to have social skills.

The analysis of weaknesses is not simply to detect them and that's it. It is necessary to develop a strategic plan to correct those aspects that weigh us down.

Some questions that may arise at this point are:

• What should I improve about my personality?
• What habits are detrimental to reaching my goal?
• What are my fears?
• They criticize me? In what?
• What titles am I missing?
• In what procrastination? What makes me waste my time?

3. External analysis: opportunities and threats

Once we have self-evaluated, seeing the positive and the negative, it is necessary to see what characteristics of the environment help and hinder being able to reach our goal.

First, we will analyze the opportunities, that is, everything in the environment that can give us some kind of advantage. We can ask ourselves the following questions:

• What changes are happening in society that can benefit me?
• Is there a change in my life that could be momentous?
• Is there a problem in society that I can help solve?
• Am I part of an important network or an influential circle?
• What training is offered that allows me to recycle?

Then, we will analyze those aspects of the environment that may be hostile to us, and that directly or indirectly threaten our path to success. The goal of this part of the analysis is see what we can do to minimize these dangers or how to learn to overcome them.

Thus, we can ask ourselves the following questions:

• Is something happening in society that could harm me?
• Is there a problem in my life?
• How much competition do I have?
• What aspects of my professional or work environment prevent me from achieving what I want?

Once the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats has been achieved, we will be able to know what situation we are in and plan a strategy that will lead us to success.

Bibliographic references:

• Dyson, R. G. (2004). Strategic development and SWOT analysis at the University of Warwick. European Journal of Operational Research, 152 (3), 631-640.
• Hill, T. and Westbrook, R. (1997). SWOT analysis: It's time for a product recall. Long Range Planning, 30 (1), 46-52.
• Jackson, S. E., Joshi, A. and Erhardt, N. L. (2003). Recent Research on Team and Organizational Diversity: SWOT Analysis and Implications. Journal of Management, 29 (6), 801-830.