Last week over lunch at home with my wife (I can do that now that I’m retired), the discussion of weaknesses came up. She had been watching a talk show and one of the panelist stated that every interview should ask the following question:
What are your weaknesses?
I’m not convinced that asking that question is necessary in an interview, but I do believe it is essential for leaders to know their own weaknesses and strengths. This becomes critical when you are in the process of building a team.
Let’s begin with strengths. Most leaders (unless they are really arrogant) have a difficult time expressing their strengths. They find it to be almost bragging. I can accept that, especially if the individual is humble in nature. However, while the leader may not want to highlight her own strengths, there is no excuse for not knowing them or at the very least seeking them out from others. A leader needs to be very clear at what she does exceptionally well or better than most.
Equally important is for leaders to know their own weaknesses and limits. This is not always easy, because it requires a very honest review of self and sometimes constructive reflection from others. In my life, I’ve been around many individuals who had an inflated version of themselves and have missed a great opportunity to fully disclose their weaknesses. Without that honest reflection around weaknesses, many people miss a golden opportunity to improve.
Let’s be clear about being honest about your weaknesses. This is not a time to flog yourself but rather demonstrate a willingness to learn and improve. Not only is this a positive step in any leadership journey but it sets a great example for team members. Your team members need to be fully aware that you acknowledge your own weaknesses and are willing to work on them. When I think about knowing and ultimately working on one’s weaknesses, I’m reminded of something one of my colleagues always says, “When you know better, you do better!”
“KNOW THY SELF”
So let’s return to the conversation with my wife which resulted in me having to answer the question around weaknesses.
One of my known strengths has always been around relationships. Whether it was as a classroom teacher, professor or chief learning leader, I’ve always been able to foster effective relationships. But every strength has a corresponding weakness and given my attention to relationships, I sometimes would shy away from conflict and not address poor behaviour as quickly as I should. I always enjoyed robust discussions with team members but became uncomfortable when conflict among team members presented itself. My relational slant tended to want to fix rather than allow the process to organically evolve or simply address as required.
This was more prevalent early in my leadership career but it was something that I needed to work on up until my retirement. Don’t get me wrong, I developed the ability to have some tough conversations around poor behaviour (always in private, never in public) but it was and still is difficult to confront. I also made sure that I had people in the organization who could role model for me the ability to move a little quicker when required just as I role modeled some extended patience when needed.
Leadership, or maybe I should say good/great leadership is not an easy task. But, without a solid understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses and more importantly a dedication to improve upon both, leaders can never achieve the level that organizations require to truly move forward. So, take some time to self reflect and talk to those critical friends to ensure you understand your own strengths and weaknesses and then set goals for improvement. It will definitely be worth it for you and your team!
