Do you over leverage your strengths?
Michelle Tillis Lederman, CSP, SCC, Leadership Speaker
Creating Connected Leaders And Cultures Where Relationships Drive Success. Likability and Communications Author. Forbes Top 25 Networking Expert. MG100 Coach. TEDx Coach.
“I don’t like being bad at things.”?
That was a quote by my son that I shared back in my newsletter titled Why You Should Try And Be Bad At It.?
I get it. It feels good to do something well and there are many things each of us do very well.?
That mindset may be behind a phenomena I see in doing 360 feedback assessments for my coaching clients: over indexing on our strengths.?
When we are good at something we attribute our success to it. I have clients who are praised for… being quick thinkers, their willingness to go the extra mile, their high standards, and their attention to detail.?
As a result, they tend to over leverage that quality since it is the source of positive feedback. Not realizing when we tend to over index our strengths this also becomes our areas of weaknesses (or putting a positive spin on it, growth opportunity).??
It reminded me of the saying, "Ego takes your strengths and makes them a liability."?
When we buy too much into thinking, this is what I'm good at, we overuse that strength, we rely on it, and we infuse it into everything that we do and the result is, it becomes too much.?
When leaders receive feedback that their strengths are starting to work against them, it becomes a wakeup call and a rebalancing act.?
We already know what we do well. Let it be your foundation but not your elevation.?
Want to be a better leader? Instead of focusing on what you do well, look for opportunities to build a new skill. Find something to be better at. If you are not sure, ask! Try, “When does this behavior work for me and when doesn't it work?”??
Is there a strength that you're overusing? ??
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Happy Father's Day to my husband, my dad, my father-in-law, and all the dad’s out there!
Author of The Leadership Letter weekly column; Consulting Expert with OnFrontiers; advisor and mentor on leadership and public service; retired U.S. Army and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Officer.
8 个月I always wanted to ensure people had what they needed, Michelle, and that meant overtaxing myself. Being able to train a staff to answer queries and sometimes deferring or declining requests made my life easier. As to being bad, I used to have to take people golfing to build connections. I didn't have to let them win, that part came naturally.
Transform Your Communication | Develop a Clear, Concise and Engaging Public Speaking Style | Accent Reduction Specialist | Corporate Communication & Leadership Trainer | 20 years in business
8 个月So insightful! ??
The Science Of Self Realization ~ Evolution Of Consciousness
8 个月Strength doesn't come from what you can do It comes from Overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't ][
Building future-ready leaders and organizations
8 个月This happens so often, Michelle Tillis Lederman, CSP, SCC, Leadership Speaker! A leadership "blind spot," one might say. Soliciting team member feedback can increase the odds that we don't "overuse" our strengths.
21 years of multidisciplinary experience ?? within various projects & industries??? "Health Safety Environment Engineer at Eurolink Safety Dubai (UAE)
8 个月To use something to its maximum advantage. Once Jessie has some context and understanding for how her strengths benefit her, she can start thinking about how to use her strengths at work for maximum energy and impact. Michelle Tillis Lederman, CSP, SCC, Leadership Speaker ????