What’s Your Focus? In my profession (Executive Coaching), there is a lot of discussion around whether one should focus on strengths or on weaknesses. I have tossed this topic around myself and concluded that we should be aware of any weakness, but focus on our strengths. However, a recent podcast brought me up short and caused me to re-think this …
Strength vs. Weakness: Bill Taylor, the founding editor of FastCompany Magazine, spoke at a recent conference I attended (Milestones in Leadership) and mentioned this conundrum of being “locked-in” by your expertise. I have noted the same issue in several other ways — “Your strength is your weakness” or “A strength overused is a weakness.” There were more “gems” at this conference, and …
Corollary: I’ve often pointed out the corollary to that headline as: “A strength, overused, will become a weakness.” I think both of these sayings are worth keeping in mind as we continue the hard work of developing ourselves and others. There are many historical examples of people struggling to overcome weaknesses and turning them into strengths. The person who stutters, …