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What is a personal SWOT analysis?
SWOT is an analysis tool that organises a situation into four quadrants: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It was born in business strategy, but in coaching it is widely used for personal and professional decisions: changing jobs, starting a business, choosing a course or launching a project.
The key is separating the internal from the external. Strengths and weaknesses depend on the person; opportunities and threats come from the environment. Mixing them up is the most common mistake.
The four quadrants
Strengths
What the person does well: their resources, experience and qualities. They are internal and can be used to their advantage.
Weaknesses
What they lack or what holds them back: skills to develop, scarce resources, unhelpful habits. They are also internal, which is why they can be worked on.
Opportunities
What the environment offers: trends, contacts, demand, favourable timing. They are external: they do not depend on the person, but they can be seized.
Threats
What in the environment puts the goal at risk: competition, market changes, lack of support. They do not depend on the person either, but they can be prepared for.
From snapshot to strategy: the crosses
A SWOT without crosses is just a snapshot. The step that turns it into a plan is combining each internal factor with an external one. This idea is known as the TOWS matrix, proposed by Heinz Weihrich in 1982, and it yields four types of strategy:
- Leverage (S + O): use a strength to seize an opportunity.
- Defend (S + T): use a strength to face a threat.
- Reinforce (W + O): fix a weakness in order to seize an opportunity.
- Protect (W + T): reduce a weakness so a threat does not hit.
How to do a personal SWOT, step by step
- Define the decision. A SWOT works for something concrete, not for “my life in general”.
- Fill the quadrants. 3 to 5 specific points per quadrant.
- Weigh each point. Not everything matters equally: mark what has most influence.
- Look at the balance. Does what works for you or against you weigh more, inside and outside?
- Cross. Combine internal and external factors to draw strategies.
- Choose one. The strategy to start with this week.
Powerful questions for each quadrant
Strengths
- What comes easily to you?
- Why do people come to you?
- Which achievements make you proud?
Weaknesses
- What do you avoid doing?
- What are you missing to take the next step?
- What do others say you could improve?
Opportunities
- What is changing in your favour?
- Which contacts could you activate?
- Which need is not being met?
Threats
- What could hold you back from outside?
- What are others doing that worries you?
- What would happen if you changed nothing?
Common mistakes
- Confusing internal and external. “There is a lot of competition” is a threat, not a weakness.
- Vague points. “I am hard-working” says little; “I meet deadlines even under pressure” says more.
- Stopping at the list. Without crosses and a strategy, a SWOT changes nothing.
- Not prioritising. Giving everything the same weight hides what really matters.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between internal and external factors?
Strengths and weaknesses depend on the person; opportunities and threats come from the environment.
How many points should each quadrant have?
3 to 5 is usually enough. A few well-thought-out points beat a long list.
What is the TOWS matrix?
It is the way of crossing SWOT factors to draw strategies: strengths with opportunities, strengths with threats, weaknesses with opportunities and weaknesses with threats.
How often should you repeat it?
When the situation changes or before an important decision. The environment moves, and so do opportunities and threats.
Can I use it in online sessions?
Yes. Share it on screen and complete the quadrants and crosses together as you talk.