How to most highly effective leaders turn weakness into strength
You would be really good at everything you need to have a successful business and a successful life. Then again, in an ideal world, you'd also have fantastic hair, abs of steel, and a winning lottery ticket in your pocket.
We each have our weaknesses, but that doesn’t make us weak. Don’t despair. Don’t give up. There are ways to turn each weakness into a strength. First, you have to be honest with yourself about what your weaknesses are. Then you can begin working on them. You'll be all the stronger because of it.
So what can you do? Find ways to turn your biggest weaknesses into strengths. Here i'm discuss some point with you, so these point help you to improve yourself.
1. Recognize and accept your weaknesses.
You can't turn a weakness into a strength if you're busy denying the weakness exists. So your first assignment is to recognize that you have weaknesses and determine what they are.
Take me. I'm not good at confrontation. Or rather, I'm very good at avoiding confrontation. This has sometimes stood me in good stead but others times caused unnecessary trouble. Too many times, I've let a bad situation last way too long because of my reluctance to have an unpleasant encounter. I'm not proud of this, but admitting it to myself is helpful. It means I can take this tendency into account when making decisions about what to do.
2. Get guidance from someone you trust.
About a year ago, I learned that two people I trusted were actively working to undermine me. I felt hurt and betrayed, and while I discussed the matter with them privately, I followed my longstanding--and conflict-avoiding--practice of keeping the dispute under wraps.
But I also asked for advice from a very smart friend who fears unpleasantness much less than I do. She advised me firmly to bring the matter into the open for discussion. Knowing that my reluctance to initiate a confrontation might be working against me, I gave it some thought and then followed her advice.
It was the right decision. Bringing the conflict into the open put an end to the backroom dealings and helped me gain control of the situation. I wish I could have seen that necessity for myself. But knowing I needed guidance and getting it from someone smarter than me worked just as well.
3. Be very prepared.
Sometimes the best defense against a weakness is to overcompensate with excellent preparation. For instance, I have a very poor sense of direction and I tend to get lost, even when finding my way would be a simple matter for anyone else. It's an unfortunate weakness for someone who likes to travel as much as I do. So I use technology to save me, with a GPS in my car, another one on my phone, and a third one on my tablet, where I also download local maps for offline use. In some places, I carry a detailed paper map as well.
Similar techniques can apply in other situations. About to negotiate a contract with unfamiliar terms? Read up ahead of time. Need to pitch a customer or investor for the first time? Learn all you can about the person you're pitching and then practice your pitch a few times on your colleagues or friends.
4. Appreciate your vulnerabilities.
Oftentimes, one's vulnerabilities are seen as shortcomings or soft spots, but that is not necessarily the case. It’s true that vulnerabilities are raw, messy, and often full of emotion. Where there are vulnerabilities, however, there is also depth and truth. There is openness and honesty. There is opportunity. Let the opportunity in!
5. Face your fears.
Be honest with yourself. Admit that you are afraid. That is the first step. Then, decide how you can and will deal with that fear. In doing so, you are making a plan. You are being proactive. Instead of letting your fears take over you, take a leap of faith and take over your fears. You will likely find out you can do more than you had ever thought possible — and enjoy yourself while doing it.
6. Grow from your mistakes.
No one is perfect. If you are human, you have made a mistake or two (or a few… but who’s counting?). What one does after making a mistake is what sets apart those who want to challenge themselves to change and those who will remain complacent and continue making the same mistakes. Don’t be complacent, but also, don’t be too hard on yourself. Learn from your mistakes. Perceive them as lessons learned or growing pains. Chances are you will come out a better version of yourself than if you had never made the mistake at all.
7. Celebrate your differences.
People oftentimes think that sharing similarities with others is what works best. While having similarities is important, differences make us each unique. They set us each apart. There is value in not blending in and instead standing out. Having new and different ideas, varying perspectives, and ways of being can foster more productivity and creativity. Don’t shy away from what makes you stand out; instead, highlight it.
8. Take good care of yourself.
This is sort of a catch-all for whatever other more specific weaknesses you might have (i.e. unhealthy indulgences and/or bad habits). Be honest enough with yourself to admit that you have something that needs to be changed. We are all works in progress, but life is not limitless. So, tune into your weaknesses and use them as fuel for self-care for your mind, body, and spirit. Only then can you begin to live a life guided by good and positivity.
9. Hire the skills you lack.
Instead of doing something you're not good at, you're better off hiring someone who can fill in the skills you lack, either as a contractor or full time. Besides compensating for your weakness, this will help you build up an important skill you need--finding employees you can trust and then trusting them. There's no bigger test of trust than giving someone a task you don't fully understand and then getting out of the way. And no better way to empower the people who work for you.
10. Get just good enough.
Even though you may never be great at all tasks, some are important enough that it's worth the extra effort to learn more, practice, and achieve minimal competence. A very smart entrepreneur I once knew headed up an internet company even though he himself had no technology skills. Though he trusted his team, he wanted to learn enough about what they did to be able to tell when they could meet deadlines and when they really couldn't, what was truly possible and what wasn't. As he put it, he learned "just enough to be scary."
That's a smart approach. There are many things we should all be able to do on our own, at least to some degree. That's especially true if you're going to hire and manage people doing those jobs.
You would be really good at everything you need to have a successful business and a successful life. Then again, in an ideal world, you'd also have fantastic hair, abs of steel, and a winning lottery ticket in your pocket.
We each have our weaknesses, but that doesn’t make us weak. Don’t despair. Don’t give up. There are ways to turn each weakness into a strength. First, you have to be honest with yourself about what your weaknesses are. Then you can begin working on them. You'll be all the stronger because of it.
So what can you do? Find ways to turn your biggest weaknesses into strengths. Here i'm discuss some point with you, so these point help you to improve yourself.
1. Recognize and accept your weaknesses.
You can't turn a weakness into a strength if you're busy denying the weakness exists. So your first assignment is to recognize that you have weaknesses and determine what they are.
Take me. I'm not good at confrontation. Or rather, I'm very good at avoiding confrontation. This has sometimes stood me in good stead but others times caused unnecessary trouble. Too many times, I've let a bad situation last way too long because of my reluctance to have an unpleasant encounter. I'm not proud of this, but admitting it to myself is helpful. It means I can take this tendency into account when making decisions about what to do.
2. Get guidance from someone you trust.
About a year ago, I learned that two people I trusted were actively working to undermine me. I felt hurt and betrayed, and while I discussed the matter with them privately, I followed my longstanding--and conflict-avoiding--practice of keeping the dispute under wraps.
But I also asked for advice from a very smart friend who fears unpleasantness much less than I do. She advised me firmly to bring the matter into the open for discussion. Knowing that my reluctance to initiate a confrontation might be working against me, I gave it some thought and then followed her advice.
It was the right decision. Bringing the conflict into the open put an end to the backroom dealings and helped me gain control of the situation. I wish I could have seen that necessity for myself. But knowing I needed guidance and getting it from someone smarter than me worked just as well.
3. Be very prepared.
Sometimes the best defense against a weakness is to overcompensate with excellent preparation. For instance, I have a very poor sense of direction and I tend to get lost, even when finding my way would be a simple matter for anyone else. It's an unfortunate weakness for someone who likes to travel as much as I do. So I use technology to save me, with a GPS in my car, another one on my phone, and a third one on my tablet, where I also download local maps for offline use. In some places, I carry a detailed paper map as well.
Similar techniques can apply in other situations. About to negotiate a contract with unfamiliar terms? Read up ahead of time. Need to pitch a customer or investor for the first time? Learn all you can about the person you're pitching and then practice your pitch a few times on your colleagues or friends.
4. Appreciate your vulnerabilities.
Oftentimes, one's vulnerabilities are seen as shortcomings or soft spots, but that is not necessarily the case. It’s true that vulnerabilities are raw, messy, and often full of emotion. Where there are vulnerabilities, however, there is also depth and truth. There is openness and honesty. There is opportunity. Let the opportunity in!
5. Face your fears.
Be honest with yourself. Admit that you are afraid. That is the first step. Then, decide how you can and will deal with that fear. In doing so, you are making a plan. You are being proactive. Instead of letting your fears take over you, take a leap of faith and take over your fears. You will likely find out you can do more than you had ever thought possible — and enjoy yourself while doing it.
6. Grow from your mistakes.
No one is perfect. If you are human, you have made a mistake or two (or a few… but who’s counting?). What one does after making a mistake is what sets apart those who want to challenge themselves to change and those who will remain complacent and continue making the same mistakes. Don’t be complacent, but also, don’t be too hard on yourself. Learn from your mistakes. Perceive them as lessons learned or growing pains. Chances are you will come out a better version of yourself than if you had never made the mistake at all.
7. Celebrate your differences.
People oftentimes think that sharing similarities with others is what works best. While having similarities is important, differences make us each unique. They set us each apart. There is value in not blending in and instead standing out. Having new and different ideas, varying perspectives, and ways of being can foster more productivity and creativity. Don’t shy away from what makes you stand out; instead, highlight it.
8. Take good care of yourself.
This is sort of a catch-all for whatever other more specific weaknesses you might have (i.e. unhealthy indulgences and/or bad habits). Be honest enough with yourself to admit that you have something that needs to be changed. We are all works in progress, but life is not limitless. So, tune into your weaknesses and use them as fuel for self-care for your mind, body, and spirit. Only then can you begin to live a life guided by good and positivity.
9. Hire the skills you lack.
Instead of doing something you're not good at, you're better off hiring someone who can fill in the skills you lack, either as a contractor or full time. Besides compensating for your weakness, this will help you build up an important skill you need--finding employees you can trust and then trusting them. There's no bigger test of trust than giving someone a task you don't fully understand and then getting out of the way. And no better way to empower the people who work for you.
10. Get just good enough.
Even though you may never be great at all tasks, some are important enough that it's worth the extra effort to learn more, practice, and achieve minimal competence. A very smart entrepreneur I once knew headed up an internet company even though he himself had no technology skills. Though he trusted his team, he wanted to learn enough about what they did to be able to tell when they could meet deadlines and when they really couldn't, what was truly possible and what wasn't. As he put it, he learned "just enough to be scary."
That's a smart approach. There are many things we should all be able to do on our own, at least to some degree. That's especially true if you're going to hire and manage people doing those jobs.
