Common Mental Mistake: Practice Only Your Strengths

Your mind and your leadership are connected beyond your comprehension. Your thoughts, emotions, and subsequent actions are interconnected. The way you’re feeling affects the way you’re thinking; the way you’re thinking affects the way you’re feeling.

The energy of the mind is the essence of life. – Aristotle

It’s easy to do what you like best.  You enjoy it. It’s fun. You feel productive and happy. However, as a leader you have to be efficient in your weaknesses as well. Neglecting your weaknesses will only hurt your strengths. Think of these abilities like muscles. You can’t work out only your favorite muscle all of the time. If you do you risk the other supporting muscle to atrophying.  You must work out all of the supporting muscles around your favorite. This will ensure maximum strength.

A life coach of mine once told me about a 70 – 30 principal. 70% of your leadership or job should be fun, enjoyable, and plays to your strengths. However, to have that 70% you must take care of the other 30% that you don’t enjoy.  

Here is an example: Administration work is a weakness of mine. I do not enjoy it.

So, I have two options:

1. Continue to neglect this weakness and get fired

2. Become efficient in this weakness in order to highlight my strengths.

Here are the 4 steps to ensure you can become efficient in your weakness.

1.    Identify Your Strengths

What are you good at? What do you love to do?  What makes you feel productive? What activities do you accomplish that make you feel effective? These are indicators of your strengths. Make a list. Get a second opinion that affirms your abilities.

2.    Now Identify Your Weaknesses

Gather feedback from a trusted friend(s), co-workers, or gather results from an informal survey (best to make anonymous). Get information! Know where you are before you begin mapping out the journey to your desired destination.

3.    Improve Your Weakness

Strengths are made up of 3 things: Talent, Skill, and Knowledge. A weakness means you don’t have the natural talent. However, you can control the Skills and Knowledge. These are learned.

- Watch those that do it well

- Learn from your past mistakes

- Read articles, books, blogs, listen to podcasts. Your weakness will be someone else’s strength

- Get mentored

4.    Now Apply Your Weakness In Light Of Your Strengths

Your weak abilities must be applied in light of your other strengths. Do only what will highlight your other abilities that you consider strengths. In light of your strengths, how do your weaknesses come into play? For me, I decided to get help with some administrative aspects of my job. I delegated some of these tasks to someone with strong administrative skills.