You’ve probably taken a test or assessment that identified your strengths and weaknesses. Do you remember the first thing you did when you read the results?
If you’re like most people, you probably jumped straight to the weaknesses and thought, “okay, what can I do about these?” Then, you put together a plan to focus on your weaknesses and turn them into strengths.
Sound familiar?
Focusing on your weaknesses is an easy trap to fall into! What if you found a way to do less of what you’re not as naturally good at, and focused instead on your strengths?
Focus on your strengths
It sounds simple, but we are all most effective when we do the work that naturally comes easy to us. By focusing on the things that come more naturally to you, you can begin to make a name for yourself.
What happens when you don’t play to your strengths? In short, you aren’t going to work at your highest potential, and you’re likely hurting your team as well.
Make the most of the strengths you have, and find ways to leverage them further. When you leverage your strengths, you’ll find your work comes easier and is more effective.
Manage your weaknesses
There are two kinds of weaknesses that we all have: low-impact and high-impact. For the low-impact weaknesses, I’d recommend eliminating these from your task list. As the business owner, you have the ability to structure the organization to leverage your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses. You can choose to either delegate them, negotiate shifting the responsibilities, eliminate the tasks altogether, or purchase a tool or hire someone to do those tasks.
The high-impact weaknesses are different. These are the weaknesses that can derail your ability to lead your company if you don’t do anything about them. You may not have any weakness so bad that it could derail you but a good way to find out is to ask a trusted friend or family member. If you think you might have one, here are a few ideas you can take to develop the skill (from CIO).
- Learn it – Look into training courses or books on the topic
- Practice it – Find ways to practice the skill little by little
- Review it – Get continual feedback from others on your progress
- Nurture it – Work with a coach or mentor
Focusing on your strengths and managing your weaknesses can give you more confidence in your work, and cause others to have more confidence in you. This simple tactic can be your key to doing better work and reaching your full potential.
