What is your Greatest Weakness?

We all have weaknesses.?If we can recognise what they are and work out how to address them, they can be a source of strength and self-development.?

If you were asked to describe yourself in 30 seconds, you would probably focus on the most favourable aspects of your personality – those that show you in your best light and highlight your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

You probably wouldn’t talk about poor timekeeping or the fact that you can be a bit disorganised. That’s because our natural instinct as humans is to be liked and accepted, and therefore by portraying ourselves to others in a positive way we become more acceptable and likeable. There’s also a degree of ego and competitive nature inherent in us all, that leads to inflating our strengths and shout about our successes.

This focus on promoting our positive side is ingrained in our culture and society; if you look at the feedback you’ve received over your lifetime, a large amount will be more positive than negative, focusing on strengths and assets.

There are a number reasons for this; firstly, positive, constructive feedback is designed to encourage you to learn and grow as it’s much more motivational than negative feedback. Secondly, the person or people giving you feedback may brush your weaknesses under the carpet for a nicer conversation and to avoid confrontation. Thirdly, you may be adept at compensating for your weaknesses, so the person giving you feedback simply doesn’t see the need to raise them as points for discussion.

Whilst we might not like to shout about our less attractive traits, they are part of us. We all have them, and no individual is perfect or without fault. Weaknesses are just as crucial in contributing to our individuality as our strengths. Every strength has a side that could be viewed negatively. For example, being highly structured in your approach could be seen as inflexible; being a high achiever could mean that you fear failure.

To truly develop a well-rounded sense of yourself, you need to know and understand the whole of you – not just the highlights. It’s important to accept and acknowledge that you have areas you can work on, to be proactive rather than defensive in addressing how you can work on improving yourself. And to realise that weaknesses can be a huge source of strength.

To successfully articulate your strengths and weaknesses you need to be ready with examples of how you’ve successfully recognised and worked on your development areas. The next hurdle is to achieve this without sounding clichéd (“My biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist”) or egotistical (“My level of success can be intimidating for others”).

The aim is to convert weaknesses into strengths but also to maintain authenticity and humility. Your examples need context and should demonstrate how you have overcome an area of challenge, and the resulting impact, showcasing your ability to adapt and grow as a person, and an advanced level of self-awareness.