Aug
28
The End of the Weak
I’m often asked why I don’t give much focus to clients’ weaknesses during consulting sessions. Here’s my simple answer: Why devote so much energy to an area of your life that is a source of negativity? I feel that too often we get caught up in placing our personal spotlight on what we think is wrong with us, and when we travel down that path we tend to forget about what makes us special. More often than not, the reason we tend to not be good at certain things is because they do not connect with our personal values. Unfortunately though, we sometimes forget about our own values and try to improve upon what someone else wants us to value.
After identifying values during a consulting session, I like to spend the majority of my time with clients exploring their strengths and how to capitalize on them. Am I saying that you should ignore those areas for improvement that arise in your life? Certainly not, but I don’t think they should be first on your priority list. Think of it this way. When we have “weak” muscles, what do we do? We go to the gym, and we strength train!
Many may not agree with my strength-focused philosophy, and that’s okay. That’s why I’m providing some tips below on how you can soar with you strengths to improve upon those areas for improvement.
How to Strength Train
1. Identify Your Top 5 Strengths
Make a list of what you are known for. What makes you special? What are the unique qualities, skills, and personality traits you have that make people rely on you? Don’t be bashful or modest either. You’re not being arrogant by simply stating what you are good at.
2. List Your Areas for Improvement
I intentionally avoid the word weakness here. Weakness implies that it somewhat static and can’t be changed, whereas an area for improvement implies that you can actually develop and grow. The most important part for you to consider in this phase is that you should be focusing on those disconnects between your values and your behaviors. The most important part of that is to make sure you’re focusing on YOUR values.
3. Match a Strength to Your Areas for Improvement
This is the “strength training” piece. How can you maximize one of your strengths in order to improve on something else? Perhaps you have a strength in establishing personal relationships, you value learning, and your area for improvement is to develop a particular skill that will take you to the next level of performance. You can maximize your strength of connecting well with others to find a mentor who has the skill you want to learn as one of their identified strengths. You’ll be more likely to improve in this area, because you will make a strong personal bond with your mentor and will value learning the skill from him or her.
4. Create a Plan of Action
Now that you have matched your strengths to your areas of improvement, it’s time to commit to a plan of action. My philosophy here is that you “ink it, not just think it.” You will hold yourself accountable to improving if you write it down. I mentioned goal setting in one of my previous posts, The Marathon Metaphor, and when establishing goals, I always recommend using the S.M.A.R.T. technique.
Specific:
- What exactly do you want to improve?
Measurable:
- How will you know you improved?
Actionable:
- How will you do it?
Realistic:
- Is it actually achievable?
Timely:
- When is your deadline to see improvement?
On a final note, remember that enriching your performance is about staying true to your vision and what you value. Consistently ask yourself, “is this area for improvement in alignment with my values and who I want to be?” If it isn’t, then you will need decide if it is worth the energy and commitment that it will take to improve.
Thanks reading, and I look forward to hearing from you!
