When crafting a career plan, I focus on leveraging strengths while strategically addressing weaknesses. Strengths guide career direction, highlighting opportunities where a client can excel. Weaknesses are seen as areas for growth rather than barriers, addressed through skill development, mentorship, or role alignment. The goal is to create a plan that maximizes potential while fostering continuous learning and adaptability, ensuring long-term success.

Career growth isn’t about patching every gap. Instead, I help clients rethink their approach: 1.Weaknesses = Trade-offs – Not every skill gap needs fixing. If it’s not a dealbreaker, focus on what sets you apart. 2. Strength Stacking – Layer unique skills to stand out. Not the best coder? But great at simplifying complex ideas? That’s leadership potential. 3. Energy Over Skill – Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean it fuels you. Build a career around what excites you. Success isn’t about being well-rounded—it’s about being sharp where it matters. What’s your approach?

When crafting a career plan, I align a client’s strengths with opportunities while addressing weaknesses strategically. I emphasize their unique skills and experiences, positioning them for roles where they can excel. For weaknesses, I determine whether they require improvement or can be managed through upskilling, mentorship, or delegation. The focus is on maximizing strengths while fostering growth in key areas, ensuring a balanced approach that builds confidence and long-term success. Rather than eliminating weaknesses, I help clients turn them into opportunities for development.

Build your career plan around what actually moves you forward. Don’t just list strengths and weaknesses, focus on strengths that have real market value and decide which weaknesses even matter. Some can be sidestepped with tools, partnerships, or smarter role choices. Pick careers where your strengths give you a clear edge. Not every weakness needs fixing, only work on what holds you back. Invest in skills that grow over time instead of chasing random improvements. Career plans fail when they try to fix everything. Double down on what you do best, neutralize what doesn’t serve you, and use strategy, not just effort, to get ahead.

I always encourage my career candidates to be prepared for strengths and weaknesses questions when interviewing. When answering about their strengths, being able to directly match their individual strengths to the role, team, manager, and culture is essential. As for the "weakness question", by having actually identified a real weakness (showing self awareness) but then, most importantly, elaborating on the activities that they HAVE been using to improve upon it (showing a self development orientation) is always noticed positively by the hiring decision maker.