Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? It seems like a simple enough question — pretty straightforward. We all know where we excel and where we come up short. Don’t we? Of course most of us can make at least a short list of a few things we do well, but we tend to dwell on our shortcomings. We are obsessed with self-help books, programs, blogs and webinars. We put on a brave face, but deep inside chide ourselves, “If I could just get better at __ everything would be different.” Don’t believe it? Look at the size of the self-help bookshelves compared to the maximizing your strengths shelf at your local bookstore. There’s money in our insecurities. There’s also recurring revenue because our weaknesses usually remain weaknesses. Yet, we persist.
To make the most of your strengths you need to accept your weaknesses. Not just acknowledge them under your breath, alone, in the dark. You need to truly accept them and let them go, preferably to someone who enjoys strength in that area. This frees you to capitalize on your strengths — the stuff that got you where you are, the stuff behind all of your success. It also puts somebody on your wing to cover your shortcomings. Together you will be formidable. Alone you will continue avoiding eye contact with one another in the self-help aisle at Barnes & Noble.
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too true and most likely, many don’t realize the power of the acceptance you speak of Dave..i also tend to view this acknowledging your limits. we all have them. and it’s nor only normal but actually quite healthy to identify our limits and work around them, so we’re able to do a better job at enhancing our strengths
always gr8 to swing by n say hello
a
Yes, acknowledging your limits is exactly it. Acknowledging the strengths of others is the next step. There’s great power in numbers. Especially when they are working to their full potential!
Thanks Autom!
I never realized how fortunate I was to work with people who balanced my weaknesses until we all moved on to other opportunities. Right now I mostly work alone and have discovered I am not nearly as effective. Your blog post started me thinking again about how I might outsource some of my areas of weakness so I can focus on what I am good at. Thanks Dave!
Thanks Nancy. That’s a good point. You don’t really know the value of the people you work with until they’re gone. I think outsourcing is a great way to gain efficiency.