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End-of-Year Planning: The 15-Minute SWOT Strategy Every Leadership Team Needs

You can’t build a strategy on wishful thinking.
Most year-end planning starts with “What do we want to achieve?” The better question to start with is: “What’s actually true about our business right now?”
That’s where SWOT analysis comes in.

SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats


Developed at Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s. Every Fortune 500 company uses it. Why? It works.
Two buckets:

  • Internal: Strengths & Weaknesses (what you control)
  • External: Opportunities & Threats (what you don’t)

15 minutes. Done honestly, infinite value.

The 4 SWOT Quadrants

STRENGTHS: What You Do Better
Internal advantages that set you apart.
Examples:

  • Faster turnaround than competitors
  • Specialized expertise (Delaware corporate filings)
  • 5+ year client relationships
  • Remote work capability
  • Strong margins

Key question: “Why do clients choose us?”
Be specific. “Good service” is generic. “24-hour status response” is a strength.

WEAKNESSES: What’s Holding You Back
Internal limitations competitors exploit.
Examples:

  • Work relies on in-office steps (limited remote work)
  • Reliance on 1-2 key employees
  • Email as a filing system
  • No standardized processes or document nomenclature
  • Can’t scale without hiring proportionally

Key question: “What do we complain about that clients might notice?”
Be brutally honest. Sugar-coating helps no one.

OPPORTUNITIES: What You Could Capture
External factors you could leverage.
Examples:

  • Competitors stuck with outdated systems
  • Remote work enabling geographic expansion
  • New service lines clients are requesting
  • Technology enabling efficiency gains
  • Market segments you’re not serving

Key question: “What’s changing that we could capitalize on?”
Think 6-12 months out. Not “someday” dreams.

THREATS: What Could Hurt You
External factors that could damage business.
Examples:

  • Competitors automating faster
  • Key clients consolidating vendors
  • Talent shortage in your market
  • Price pressure from larger players
  • Technology making services obsolete

Key question: “What keeps me up at night?”
Be realistic, not paranoid.

Your 15-Minute SWOT Exercise – use a whiteboard, set your timer, and go!

Minutes 1-3: STRENGTHS – What you genuinely do well (5-10 items)

Minutes 4-6: WEAKNESSES – What’s broken or limiting (5-10 items)

Minutes 7-10: OPPORTUNITIES – What’s out there to capture (5-10 items)

Minutes 11-15: THREATS – What could go wrong (5-10 items)

Turn SWOT Into Action

SWOT creates clarity. Now connect it to Start-Stop-Continue:

STOP activities that:

  • Reinforce weaknesses (e.g., manual data entry)
  • Miss opportunities (e.g., going into the office when you could go remote)
  • Leave you vulnerable (e.g., ignoring competitor automation)

START activities that:

  • Leverage strengths (e.g., expand specialized services)
  • Capture opportunities (e.g., automate to scale)
  • Defend against threats (e.g., differentiate on value vs. price)

CONTINUE activities that:

  • Build on strengths
  • Position for opportunities
  • Mitigate threats

The SWOT → Strategy Formula

  1. Strength + Opportunity = Growth Strategy
    • “Remote capability + nationwide talent shortage = Hire anywhere”
  2. Weakness + Threat = Urgent Priority
    • “Manual processes + competitors automating = Must automate now”
  3. Strength + Threat = Competitive Defense
    • “Deep expertise + price pressure = Emphasize value over price”
  4. Weakness + Opportunity = Transformation Need
    • “Can’t scale + market growing 30% = Fix operations first”

Your 2-Week Action Plan

Week 1:

  • Day 1: 15-minute SWOT
  • Day 2: 30-minute Start-Stop-Continue
  • Day 3: Connect them (SWOT informs what to Start/Stop/Continue)

Week 2:

  • Share with team
  • Assign owners
  • Set Quarterly milestones

Result: Enter 2026 knowing what’s true (SWOT), what to change (Start-Stop-Continue), and how to allocate resources.

The Bottom Line

SWOT answers: “What’s actually true?”
Start-Stop-Continue answers: “What should we do about it?”

Most leadership teams skip the honesty and jump to goals. Then wonder why nothing changes.

Smart teams do 15 minutes of brutal honesty first. Then build plans grounded in reality.

Which team are you?

Your Turn

Block 15 minutes this week. Do your SWOT.

Then do Start-Stop-Continue. Connect them.

Enter 2026 with a plan grounded in reality, not wishful thinking.

Keywords: SWOT analysis, strategic planning, business strategy, competitive analysis, year-end planning, operational planning, business assessment, strategic framework, strengths weaknesses opportunities threats, strategic decision making

Source: SWOT analysis developed at Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s (Business Strategy Hub; Strategic Management Insight)

Related: End-of-Year Planning: The Start-Stop-Continue Framework

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