Ready to go on a strengths and weaknesses finding adventure? Grab your snacks, your drinks, your walking shoes, and let’s go. You’re in the middle of a thick forest and you have what you have – everything you need, for sure. Except for your destination.
There are some situations where no amount of preparation can get you over all humps. You can work on those things that you are best at, but there’s something along the way that puts a cap on your progress. You can’t go camping for a very long time without previous experience.
Do a simple internet search on strengths and you’ll find a whole lot of the same thing: “focus on your strengths and ignore your weaknesses.” A lot of the advice says to not waste your time on stuff you suck at because – well, you suck at it.
But guess what? What if your biggest weakness is holding you back from growing your best strengths? What if that one big weakness is the weak link in your success chain?
Where’s the Weakest Link?
Dr. Eli Goldratt put a theory out there that says every system has at least one weakness that limits performance. There is a good chance there’s a weak link in everything. This started as a factory process improvement theory, and it applies to life, too.
If you want to be a successful sports coach, then you need to know how to think strategically. If you want to be a powerful speaker, then you’ll need to beef up your communication skills. If you want to break the mold and jump out of the box, then you’re creativity must increase.
All strengths are learnable. You can do whatever you set out to do, and you might have to address a weak link or two. I want to make sure you focus on your strengths without forgetting about those stubborn weaknesses.
It’s similar to trying to get an engineering job with NASA. It’s not going to happen unless you have a degree. You can be the smartest, most skilled, team player on the planet, but one non-negotiable requirement is a degree. Strengthen all the strengths you can, but until that road-block is overcome the job is not a possibility.
Then again, you may just beef up your creativity and start your own company. That is, after you get over the hurdle of wanting a corporate job. Break the hurdles so you can maximize your strengths.
What is the biggest hurdle holding you back right now? If you’re not sure, take the free strengths and weaknesses aptitude test and find out, today.
| Photo by: dcJohn |