[8/26/26] The Fight Way | LEADERSHIP: How to Run a SWOT Session with the Team

In this call, Micah Miller details a step-by-step framework for leading interactive, team-wide SWOT analysis sessions to confront operational reality, align company culture, and systematically resolve bottlenecks using a rolling “Top 5” action plan.

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Deep Dive

Micah Miller outlines how business leaders can run annual SWOT analysis meetings by bringing the entire team together for structured sticky-note brainstorming and AI-assisted theme grouping. Once the team identifies core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, they vote on the most critical themes and develop targeted action steps. Rather than attempting to tackle every issue at once, the company commits to a strict, rolling “Top 5” list to ensure solutions are thoroughly implemented and tested before moving on.

Key Action Items & Takeaways

  • Inclusive Team Participation: Host annual SWOT sessions that include all layers of the company—including field labor and key vendors—to eliminate blind spots and build genuine team buy-in.

  • Timed Sticky-Note Brainstorming: Kick off with a brief “State of the Union” overview, followed by three 15-minute rounds where team members write S, W, O, or T notes and discuss their insights without leadership pushback.

  • AI-Assisted Theme Grouping: Input all raw notes into a spreadsheet and use AI tools like Claude to consolidate individual feedback into distinct, overarching organizational themes.

  • Democratic Theme Voting: Have the team vote on which themes represent the most urgent priorities to build alignment around key strengths to protect and weaknesses to fix.

  • The “Top 5” Execution Strategy: Limit active projects to a focused list of five key action items, relentlessly addressing the top priority before retiring it or cycling new initiatives up.

  • Operational Automation: Address complex recurring weaknesses—such as inventory tracking—by leveraging tech integrations and specialized AI agents to streamline day-to-day workflow.

  • Constructive Problem Ownership: When staff bring up grievances, avoid defensiveness by pairing them with leadership to co-design and take responsibility for practical solutions.

  • Uncompromising Culture Standards: Use team alignment calls to maintain operational clarity, protect company culture, and enforce clear organizational hierarchy.