165: Strengths vs Weaknesses
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Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Some people are good at one thing and not so good at another. You may be great at public speaking, but terrible at writing. You could be able to fix any technical problem in the IT world, but maybe you are not so great at working with other people. Which is more important; understanding a person’s strengths or their weaknesses?
Kevin and Kyle explore from differing perspectives. In this discussion, Kevin supports the idea that understanding a person’s weaknesses is more important. It gives you an understanding of what a person can’t do, and what they can work on to become stronger. In hiring, you want to know what a person can’t do. You don’t want a person who can’t read writing training journals. However, if this person is great at communicating ideas with a team, you might put them in an environment where their ideas and thoughts will build a stronger, more productive team. Some people are just not comfortable with doing certain tasks. A lack of confidence can be a weakness. With that knowledge, you can then take action to build up the confidence so that the weakness turns into a strength.
Kyle comes from the point that knowing a person’s strengths is more important. It is good to know where to start with a person to get the best productivity out of them from the start. It’s like building a home on a site where the house has already been torn down. If the foundation is already strong, you can continue to build the house on that foundation.
As a group, we understand that it is important to know both. Having a balanced understanding of what a person can and can’t do will inevitably lead you to stronger team dynamics. You will be able to shift people around to where they are most skillful and make plans to strengthen areas where they need the most help.
In our personal lives it is just as important. When you know your current limits, it makes it easier to make your plans to either strengthen your weak points or play off your strengths in any given situation. Knowing yourself is key to growing yourself.
