5 Hidden Dangers When Leaders Overuse Their Strengths

There are many benefits to be gained from adopting a strengths based leadership approach, after all, when we utilise our strengths, we are naturally more confident, more motivated and more likely to be in flow. When we are in flow, that is when we are at our best.

Our strengths can help us get out of sticky situations and whilst I advocate a strengths based approach, there are some hidden dangers of overusing our strengths that we need to be mindful of.

1. They can keep you stuck in a comfort zone

Some say better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know and because our strengths, come more naturally to us, it can be easy to hide behind them, keeping us stuck in our comfort zones.

This was very evident whilst coaching someone who was earmarked for a senior management position. She knew her strengths and certainly knew how to put them to use and perform at her best at the level she was at, and get the most from her team. Whilst her department were getting outstanding performance results, she was hesitant in doing the activities that would enable her to position herself for that promotion.

With a bit of probing and challenging from me, she was able to see how she was letting her strengths, keep her in her comfort zone.

Whilst you may want to progress and do something more challenging, or with more responsibility, stepping out of your comfort zone to do so, may feel scary. So, you continue do to what you do well at the level that you are at, rather than stretching yourself and utilising your strengths at a more challenging level.

2. They may hold you back in a crisis

When in a crisis, your strengths may not be what is needed to get your organisation, department, team, business (or whatever it may be) out of it.

Whilst playing to your strengths is where you will find personal growth, you need to recognise when doing so could have a catastrophic effect.

If you find yourself in a crisis that you are not equipped to deal with, get the help of someone who can. Don’t even think about losing face as a leader and letting your ego get in the way. Great leaders recognise their shortcomings and know when someone else may be better equipped to deal with the task at hand.

Whilst you can’t plan for every eventuality, by being aware of some of the potential crises that could occur and how they can be addressed, it means you will be better prepared.

3. It can mask insecurities that need to be addressed

Whilst you may be very confident when utilising your strengths, overuse of them could mask insecurities in areas that need to be addressed.

For example, the unacceptable behaviour of a member of your team needs to be addressed but you dread confrontation and having difficult conversations is a weakness of yours. Rather than dealing with the issue, you bury your head in the sand, choosing to focus on your strengths.

Not addressing the issue will not only have a detrimental impact to performance, it can cause discord amongst employees who see that the situation is not being addressed.

You can bury your head in the sand all you want, but the issue won’t go away unless you address it.

4. It can lead to arrogance

Confidence is an important leadership competency but when that confidence tips over in to arrogance, it then becomes an issue. Overconfidence can lead to arrogance if we do not exercise humility.

Arrogant leaders can be so full of themselves that they think they are beyond reproach, with a know it all attitude. With a tendency to bragging, the arrogant leader wants to hog the limelight, making it all about me, me, me.

Overconfidence in our strengths can come across as arrogant and obnoxious. Take the focus off yourself and practice a little humility.

Arrogant leaders are toxic for the people that they lead, and who wants an arrogant leader at the helm?

5. Too much of a good thing is not good

There can be too much of a good thing and the same goes with overusing our strengths. An overuse of strengths can actually make them a weakness if you neglect other important areas of responsibility.

For example, if you take everyone’s views on board all the time, whilst taking on other perspectives may be a strength of yours, there may be situations where doing so could lead to a delay in you making an important decision. Or, if your strength is in the detail, you could lose sight of the bigger picture, and visa versa.

You need to realise when too much of a good thing is not good for you or is not good for business.

Be aware of your strengths and your weaknesses and how they play out in your work. Regularly make time for self reflection to reflect on your behaviour, your decisions, outputs, performance and how others perceive you and respond to you. Don’t be afraid to challenge your thoughts and beliefs in the process, and apply your personal insights. A good coach can help you with this.

Listen to the feedback from others, asking them what you should do more of, what you should do less of and what you should do differently.

Whilst I believe we should develop and utilise our strengths, be mindful, overuse can be to our detriment if we are not careful. Self awareness and being open to feedback so that we become aware that this is happening is key.

Have you been in a situation where you have overused your strengths and doing so had an adverse effect?  Or, have you had experience of a leader that has? I would love to hear what your experience of this has been, so please let me know in the comments below.

ABOUT ME:

I am The Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women, an Executive, Career, Business Coach, Writer, Speaker, UK top 50 Business Adviser and the founder of Abounding Solutions . With over 25 years coaching and leadership experience, I help women (with a particular emphasis on introverted women) to be authentic, bold, confident leaders and excel in their careers and businesses.

I also help organisations develop the talent pipeline of female employees so that more women make it to senior management roles.

I write here on LinkedIn, on my website and on Huffington Post on subjects to help women achieve optimal potential in their careers and businesses.

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