Flaws: we all have them. We are constantly told to work on our weaknesses, which is truly the way to grow and become better. But what if we embrace our weaknesses for what they are and focus on our strengths? Success is easier to achieve when we start seeing weaknesses as opportunities. In my experience, most employees recognize their career-limiting habits. However, we all struggle making any real change in turning our weaknesses into strengths. That is evident to anyone looking at performance reviews. The same “areas for improvement” are listed year after year with no real improvement over time. The good news is that most companies are moving away from annual reviews dwelling on past mistakes to more real time and forward-looking feedback. But on an individual level, should we fight our weaknesses? What if we could wish them away, would we finally be happy? Well, according to Marcus Buckingham in "Now Discover Your Strengths", we only get marginally better if we keep focusing on improving our weaknesses. We are better off focusing on what we do well at optimal capacity. And an even better perspective is that we each have a unique combination of flaws and strengths that make us who we are. We don’t need to eliminate our weaknesses but rather adjust our perspective eliminating the idea of “good” and “bad” traits. We should manage all of our traits positively in handling life’s challenges. This blog post was inspired by a LinkedIn article on my feed: “What If Your Biggest Flaw Is Your Most Fabulous Feature?” I immediately felt compelled to investigate further. I typed in “biggest flaw” and an abundance of tests and quizzes was at my fingertips. I found out I am obsessed with social media (true), I have terrible taste in things (somewhat true), and that I am “too perfect” (I guess… :-) ) This little exercise made for a fun 10 minutes of down time. But joking aside, it is helpful to reflect on how a weakness is serving us. We grow and get attached to our weaknesses for good reasons. It is important to be clear on what makes as great but just as equally important to focus on things to work on. This is typically the most difficult part of a job interview. The dreaded question “what’s your greatest weakness?” is one that most people don’t quite know how to answer. Yet, the answer can determine whether you are in or out of the race. While HR professionals toady consider the question old-fashioned and pointless since no one would admit to any real weakness on a job interview, it is still a common interview question, so being prepared is a good strategy. But perhaps have two sets of answers: an interview appropriate one to land the job and an honest one for self-improvement purposes.
General rule of thumb is to be prepared with three weaknesses. But don’t use the same old responses such as “I am a perfectionist.” And definitely don’t bring up anything that would eliminate you from consideration for the job. So what should you do? You choose wisely. Describe the weakness in one of the following ways:
As strength in disguise (how it’s really an advantage)
As recovered strength (how you’ve taken action to learn and improve)
As irrelevant (no impact on the job at hand)
Be sure to review the job description and put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes: the impact of the said weakness adapted to your situation and the job. Position yourself effectively within context. Regardless of which of the three strategies you use, your ultimate goal is to present an answer that doesn't damage your potential for the position. Now, if you seek self-improvement, take the time to think about and answer the following questions:
List the top 10 situations that absolutely terrify you.
Pinpoint exactly what it is about each situation that is so scary.
What do you need to feel safe? How can you outsmart the fear to succeed in facing such situations?
Let us strive to grow but remain authentic to ourselves and learn to be comfortable in our perfect imperfection.
