Personal SWOT Matrix: what it is, parts, and how it is done

How to use a personal SWOT matrix to estimate our chances of reaching a goal?

The SWOT (SWOT) matrix is a tool used in the business world to gain a deeper understanding of the state of a company and to develop an intervention plan when problems are encountered.

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

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

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 through the detection of 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 improving it.

The personal SWOT matrix is a variant that focuses on the characteristics of an individual.. It facilitates the achievement of both personal and professional goals that we propose, and in recent years 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 environmental, that will help us improve our lives.

With the SWOT matrices we can look for and solve problems that hinder our path to success, whether they are related to our working lives or to more personal aspects. Through this can be improved both professionally and psychologically, as it lays the foundations for self-esteemThe basis is laid to enhance self-esteem and relationships with others, in addition to discovering what it is in our personality that can hinder us from achieving what we have set out to do.

The fact that it has been used in the business field does not mean that it is a difficult tool to apply. Quite the contrary. All you need is a sheet of paper, a pen and half an hour to draw up a personal SWOT matrix, and it does not require much imagination to detect what influences us when it comes to reaching our goal.

What are the elements that make it up?

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

The internal analysis components are those that are related to the individual's own characteristics, and one has a certain degree of control over them. These characteristics can be fundamental in understanding our success or failure. The positive personal aspects are the strengths, and the negative ones 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 are difficult to control, and come in the form of opportunities and threats.

Each of the four components of the SWOT matrix is explained in more detail below.

Strengths

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

Analyzing these aspects makes it easier to modify the life goal in such a way that it is plausible to achieve it, in addition to being able to see what brings you closer to your life goal.

2. Weaknesses

Weaknesses are all those characteristics of ourselves that keep 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 it is that limits us, so we can know what we must improve and be able to get rid of any impediment in which we have some degree of control.

3. Opportunities

These are the environmental conditions that act as facilitators to reach the proposed goal. Through them we can take advantage of them and get closer to our goal quickly..

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 assuch as politics, social problems or family dynamics, which can have a negative influence on us.

How do you perform a personal SWOT analysis?

First of all, you must be clear about the goal you want to achieve.. This goal must be concrete. It is very important to be clear about this, since otherwise it can be detrimental to the decision making that will take place during the whole process.

1. Elaboration of the personal SWOT matrix

On a sheet of paper we draw the matrix, drawing a square divided into four smaller squares. Each of these will be one of the four SWOT components, and will be positioned 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 ourselves, that is, everything related to our personality, knowledge, skills and others, that influence the achievement of the proposed goal and that we ourselves can modify.

We start by analyzing our strengths, i.e., everything positive that helps us to achieve the goal. 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 anything?
• What titles do I have?
• What do others compliment me on?

Once the strengths have been detected, 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 traitssuch as being introverted 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 elaborate a strategic plan to correct those aspects that hinder us.

Some questions that may arise at this point are:

• What should I improve in my personality?
• What habits are detrimental to reach my goal?
• What are my fears?
• Am I criticized on what?
• What qualifications am I lacking?
• What do I procrastinate on? What wastes my time?

3. External analysis: opportunities and threats

Once we have evaluated ourselves, looking at the positive and the negative, it is necessary to look at what characteristics of the environment help and hinder us to reach our goal..

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

• What changes are occurring in society that can benefit me?
• Are there any changes in my life that could be transcendental?
• Is there a problem in society that I can help solve?
• Am I part of an important network or influential circle?
• What training is available that will enable me to retrain?

Next, 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 objective of this part of the analysis is to to see what we can do to minimize these dangers or how we can learn to overcome them..

Thus, we can ask ourselves the following questions:

• Is there anything going on in society that could harm me?
• Are there any problems 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 we have analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, we will be able to know where we stand and plan a strategy that will lead us to success.