We’ve all heard of a SWOT analysis. One of the most popular ways to analyze a business or when project planning. Some of us may have been exposed to our first professional SWOT analysis in a college course or early into our careers. The whole concept was derived from being able to dig deep into areas of a plan and pinpoint the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This technique can be used in almost any type of business.
Originated in the 1960s by management consultant, Albert Humphrey, he worked at the Stanford Research Institute and developed this approach specifically for corporate planning. It’s straightforward framework accesses what an organization can and cannot do as well as its potential opportunities and threats.
Just like you would use this tool professionally to determine an outcome, a personal SWOT analysis can help evaluate your goals. It’s all about how you perceive the exercise too. Portraying your personal goals into a business model can seem a bit off-putting, but it works.
First things first, before you can test this method with a goal, you should try it on your personal self. Define your SWOT challenges. What are your own personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats? This may become a bit hard since we are all bias to ourselves. Ask a friend or a family member to help assist! But the goal is to challenge yourself and identify the things you feel you bring to the table and areas for improvement.
Although we may be bias about ourselves, we usually know when something is true even if we deny it. You may want to assess these a bit deeper to understand and be able to learn from the activity. This is going to help you in your next job interview or the next time you need to make a big decision.
The takeaways you’ll learn by doing this exercise are going to help you understand your situation better and generate a definitive view of expectations within yourself and future outcomes. Although it may become difficult to see certain aspects, this will ultimately help you when pitching yourself, your goals, and your potential.
As people evolve, so do their strengths and weaknesses. These can change over time, so, just because in this moment the outcome may read one way doesn’t mean it determines it for the next time. But also, knowing now what you may not agree on can help you develop both personally and professionally. Challenge yourself to do a personal SWOT analysis and see for yourself whether it’s something that will provide a clearer picture into future goals!
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