Should you focus on your strengths or weaknesses? Because the answer, depending on the circumstances, is probably both. If you are fairly good at golf but want to be a pro, then focusing on your strength would be a good thing. If you can’t swim and spend a lot of time on the water, that might be important to focus on too.
It is important for leaders who want to achieve greater results to know when to focus on building strengths or remediating weaknesses. Look at both the tangible skills and the human or soft skills. Who do you consider to be your best team member? Is there an expert in a specific field who doesn’t communicate well? A person with only adequate technical skills but amazing communication skills? Or someone who engages everyone on the team?
Strengths or Weaknesses?
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- Does it matter if the skills aren’t as strong as long as the individual understands the concepts, the desired end result, and knows how to ask the right questions of others?
- Can you ignore a weakness – is it necessary to the success of the job? The famous book, First Break all the Rules, shares some interesting research on this topic.
- Is the person fairly new in the role and therefore still relatively unskilled? Is he/she able to develop?
- Can you outsource the skills if you don’t have them?
- Is lack of skills a big impediment to success?
- How strong is the person’s desire to develop the specific skill?
- Are the human or soft skills a bigger influence on success?
- Have the roles and responsibilities been clearly defined?
- Do you believe the person is capable of changing?
You want to have a better understanding of a person’s strengths and weaknesses. Can we get them to a more acceptable level, or can we ignore those issues? We always strive to ensure that the skills are adequate and the other strengths can be utilized.
The results can be impressive if you turn a weakness into a strength or further leverage a strength. It takes focus, desire and a change in behaviour.
Contact us for help improving your strengths.