One of the most common objections to the CliftonStrengths philosophy comes from a common misconception. Often, people believe that focusing on strengths means ignoring weaknesses or blind spots. That’s simply not true.

Yet we all have blind spots and weaknesses. Weakness can be defined as anything that gets in the way of you reaching your goals. I like to call them potholes.  They are bumps in the road that we need to be aware of and avoid in order to reach our destination.  If we neglect them entirely, it leads to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and stalled career growth.

Focus on your strengths

Donald Clifton, the mind behind CliftonStrengths, believed that our greatest opportunities for success lie in our strengths. It makes sense  – a rabbit can naturally go faster if it masters its hopping technique than if it spends all of its time learning to swim. The same goes for us. Someone who is a naturally gifted verbal communicator will find more success by maturing their public speaking skills than by becoming a librarian.

You can set yourself up for more success if you seek out opportunities to grow in the areas where you are already strong.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you can ignore job responsibilities because you aren’t good at what you’re being asked to do. Instead, think about how you can accomplish the task using your strengths.

Know where your weaknesses are most likely to show up

Sometimes the potholes are obvious. We know that we’ll struggle if asked to analyze data, present a strategy to a large crowd, read the vibes in a room, or sit at our desk until we’ve checked every item off of our to-do list. But sometimes weaknesses show up when we overuse or misuse our strengths.

People with strong influencing themes may talk more than they listen. Strong executors may not pause to assess a strategy. Strategic thinkers may experience analysis paralysis. Relationship builders may get bogged down by emotions.

Find partners to help you navigate the potholes

There are people on your team or in your network who have strengths that will naturally balance your weaknesses. Instead of having to use all of our energy to master something that doesn’t come naturally to us, we can reach out to these people for help.

Your action step for today

Answer the following questions:

1. What do you already do well and have a desire to improve in?

2. What natural tendencies derail you? What other abilities do you have that could help you navigate these situations? 

3. List the projects or tasks that feel the most draining right now. What are you stuck on? Who could you ask for help?

When we ask ourselves these questions on a regular basis, we stop hitting the same potholes over and over.