- Leadership Pulse
- Posts
- Use SWOT to Lead Yourself Before You Lead Others
Use SWOT to Lead Yourself Before You Lead Others
Ikechukwu Okoh
January 19, 2026
In partnership with
Welcome To The Leadership Pulse
Welcome to practical insights at the crossroads of leadership, strategy, and growth.
Every week, Dr Ikechukwu Okoh presents MBA-level frameworks, real-world stories, and timeless lessons to help you lead clearly, inspire purposefully, and execute effectively.
Let’s develop leaders who shape the future.
Use SWOT to Lead Yourself Before You Lead Others
Most leaders know SWOT as a business tool.
Strengths.
Weaknesses.
Opportunities.
Threats.
We use it for companies, products, and markets.
But the most powerful use of SWOT, applying it to yourself, is often ignored:
Because leadership does not fail at the strategy level first.
It fails at the self-awareness level.
Why Self-Awareness Is the First Leadership Advantage
Many leaders are busy optimising systems…
But rarely pause to understand themselves.
They know their KPIs.
They know their market.
They know their competitors.
But they don’t always know:
Their real strengths
Their blind spots
Their energy drains
Their emotional triggers
Their growth edges
And yet, these are what shapes their decisions the most.
Hiring in 8 countries shouldn't require 8 different processes
This guide from Deel breaks down how to build one global hiring system. You’ll learn about assessment frameworks that scale, how to do headcount planning across regions, and even intake processes that work everywhere. As HR pros know, hiring in one country is hard enough. So let this free global hiring guide give you the tools you need to avoid global hiring headaches.
Reframing SWOT for Leadership Growth
Let’s reimagine SWOT as a personal leadership framework:
S - Strengths: What Gives You Leverage?
Not what you’re good at.
What gives you an unfair advantage?
Ask yourself:
What do people consistently rely on me for?
What comes naturally to me that feels hard for others?
What do I do that creates momentum around me?
Your strengths are not just skills.
They are sources of trust.
Great leaders don’t hide their strengths.
They build systems around them.
W - Weaknesses: What Quietly Limits You?
Weaknesses are not moral failures.
They are unaddressed patterns.
Ask:
What do I avoid because it’s uncomfortable?
What feedback keeps repeating?
Where do I overcompensate?
Strong leaders don’t pretend to be complete.
They design around their gaps.
O - Opportunities: Where Can You Grow?
Opportunities are not only external.
Some are internal.
Ask:
What skill would change my leadership if I mastered it?
What relationship could stretch my thinking?
What responsibility am I ready to grow into?
Growth doesn’t come from pressure.
It comes from intentional exposure.
T - Threats: What Could Derail You?
Threats are not always enemies.
Sometimes they are habits.
Ask:
What patterns drain my energy?
What environments weaken my clarity?
What behaviours sabotage my long-term goals?
Leadership maturity is learning what to protect yourself from.
A Simple Practice for This Week
Take 20 minutes.
Draw four boxes: S, W, O, T.
Fill them honestly.
Then ask:
What one decision would a wiser version of me make this week?
That’s your leadership work.
Most people use SWOT to analyse companies.
Exceptional leaders use it to analyse themselves.
Before you build better teams, strategies, and systems, you must become a better leader.
And that starts with self-awareness.
The Latest From The Fireplace Conversations
Entrepreneurship is mostly grit, not glamour: The public highlights hide the private battles: rejections, long nights, pivots, and uncertainty.
Resilience is the real competitive edge: Founders who adapt quickly, stay grounded, and keep moving despite setbacks are the ones who survive.
The journey demands emotional fitness: Managing doubt, fear, and pressure is just as significant as strategy or funding, and often determines longevity.
 |  |
I appreciate your Support
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who sent messages, made calls, and offered kind words last week after I was awarded Membership of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
Your support, encouragement, and goodwill mean more than I can express.
This milestone is a reminder that no journey is ever walked alone.
Thank you for being part of my story🙏
Gratitude is a Leadership Discipline, Not a Seasonal Gesture.
Most leaders assume their teams know they’re appreciated, but silence renders them invisible.
The truth is, modern teams seek psychological safety and recognition, and specific gratitude enhances retention and discretionary effort.
Ikechukwu’s Journal
 | The world wants innovative leaders. But the world follows safe leaders. If you want to win as a modern leader: Don’t fight for dominance. Fight for relevance. Fight for trust. That is your real competitive advantage. |
If you enjoyed this week’s Leadership Pulse, all previous editions are available, along with bonus insights, frameworks, and templates that you can apply immediately.
“Subscribe to the Leadership Pulse Newsletter. It is amazing.”- Tolu Ekwe.
Please stay connected with me:
Ikechukwu Okoh
Author of the Leadership Pulse
Modern executives succeed by navigating complexity, not certainty.
The guide below explains why the Cynefin Framework is essential for leaders in a world where patterns emerge after action.
It shows how to design quick, safe experiments that foster innovation and avoid the trap of applying old instincts to new problems, mistakes that harm organisational agility.
If you’re ready to lead in an unfolding future, this is your playbook.
Join Premium below to read the guide.
Subscribe to the Pulse Premium to read the rest.
For leaders who want more than inspiration.
Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.
Unlock Exclusive Access to:
- • Tools & templates to lead with clarity
- • Monthly behind-the-scenes audio reflections
- • Live member-only Q&As and growth calls
- • First access to books, coaching offers, and training
- • Strategy deep dives & private case studies
Reply