A lot of leadership literature has become “strength’s focused” – using inventories like StrengthsFinder. The logic in many ways is sound. Capitalizing on your strengths as a leader and those of your team is significantly more effective than attempts to cover perceived flaws or weaknesses.
The business world has been cited for being too focused on weaknesses. This is a natural inclination for people. For leaders, however, we should be bringing our strengths, and the strengths of our teams, to work and making “it” happen.
However, an over-focus on strengths isn’t without its own challenges. As we seek to leverage our “strengths,” let us not forget the complexity of our skillset and how those negatives we see about ourselves can become assets – resources – that we use to manage ourselves and our teams.
Metaphors are common in leadership articles, so I won’t break tradition.
Much like in physical exercise, poor form often causes the overuse of a muscle versus a group of muscles. Poor leadership form, while doing the lifting, leads to overuse or over-reliance on what is good and comfortable for us.
A pragmatic leader may find themselves unable to make dynamic changes moving forward. Today’s leaders have to deal with a more complex environment in terms of technology, skills, and demographics. One style of leading will simply not be enough.
The big lesson here is to work out things you don’t think are your best strengths. What are ways you can take those weaknesses and utilize them? How do your rebranded weaknesses make you a good leader for a project or a team? Create opportunities to use your “positive opposites” – those weaknesses that you have rebranded.
You may never be able to develop those skills as strong as your primary, but you will have more leadership muscle to work with. You’ll be delivering a better leader to serve, build, and develop yourself or the organization.
Schwartz discusses the role of choices. We make a lot of choices as leaders – resources, people, what risks, what resources, what costs. When we make those choices working with clients or employees we are always using our mental toolkits.
It doesn’t hurt us to have more tools, most of the time, to allow us to handle situations.
It is important to recognize that we only have a limited amount of time. You’re still going to benefit more from developing your strengths – but don’t forget to work out those rebranded weaknesses (the triceps of leadership!). I love an 80/20 perspective – spend 80% of your learning time focused on building up those strengths, and spend the other 20% on flexing those rebranded weaknesses.
A well-balanced leader is not a one-trick pony – they are leaders who can take an organization through many life cycles. If you seek to be some kind of leader, take some time to appreciate your own mix of strengths and weaknesses and the unique qualities that you bring to a complex world of complex organizations.
Leadership is a whole-person endeavor, and don’t skip those weaknesses (just like leg day!).
Kam has a Master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and is an HR professional. Obsessed with food, but writing about virtually anything, he has a passion for LGBT issues, business, technology, and cats.
