by Dan Gregory @DanGregoryCo @TheBehaviourRpt #Culture #Performance #Change #Leadership
In my early twenties, I worked in the advertising industry and I was pretty good at it, early doors. Within the first six months in the industry I had won the top creative award in the country and a few more besides - just to make sure my narcissistic ego was supercharged.
What made me good at my job was my strategic intelligence, a sharp wit and a knack for headline writing, having modelled my craft on the likes of Tom McElligott in the US and Tim Delaney and Richard Forster in the UK.
I’d played to my strengths and I’d had some quick wins. However, the success I craved still eluded me, and others (who I considered less talented than myself), were achieving gigs and goals that I coveted. What the hell was going on?
I soon realised that my strengths were not enough to reach the heights to which I aspired and that I’d probably have to take a look at my weaknesses (which I had been assiduously avoiding).
So why might playing to our strengths alone be a fraught strategy?
1. Strengths are non-binary
We tend to think of our strengths and weaknesses as being binary - strengths are good, weaknesses are bad. However, that is only occasionally the case as a change in the environment, or in cultural norms, can render what was a strength either inappropriate or indeed a new weakness.
The “charge” attached to a strength or weakness can also change over time. For example. what was once funny can become desperately unfunny over multiple exposures - just ask any dad whose children have shifted from endearing giggles to withering eye rolls.
2. Strengths are contextual
This might seem obvious but it is often forgotten in the pursuit of performance.
Sure, Aquaman is a super hero, but if you’re falling out of a multi-storey window, talking to the fishes isn’t going to be much use to you.
This was perhaps demonstrated most shockingly in the experiments of psychologists from the Situationist School, such as Zimbardo and Milgrim, where diligence and conscientiousness can easily translate to cold-blooded compliance.
3. Strengths can be category generic
In a room filled with carpenters, being good with a hammer is generic in the field. A room filled with accountants finds no exceptionalism in being able to use a spreadsheet. And of course, all lawyers are ubiquitously evil.*
So, if you want to stand out in your field, it’s unlikely to be found in your strengths and much more likely to be linked to an unrelated skill or factor, and perhaps, even a weakness. Weakness can actually equal uniqueness. Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” delivered terrible customer service (a weakness) but it was so bad it made a visit a “must do experience” (transforming it into a strength).
4. Strengths amplify cognitive biases
The truth is, the maxim of playing to your strengths is entirely unneeded. No one needs to be told to play to their strengths, we do it automatically, willingly, enthusiastically. Essentially, we want it to be true! So, we tend to lean on our strengths pretty heavily and it’s no surprise. They make us feel good. We feel competent. What’s more, people praise us for our capability.
Of course, there is another maxim that warns us, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” The problem is, our “hammer” isn’t much use when we’re trying to change a light bulb.
5. In solo pursuits, weaknesses cannot be delegated (or outsourced)
Imagine I’m an Olympic swimmer (this will require some creativity). The thing is, while I might be incredible at the swimming bit, I could be hopeless at diving off the blocks and it costs me critical seconds. You will never hear the announcer over the pool loudspeakers saying, “Representing Australia in the 50 metres freestyle is Dan Gregory - but he’s crap at the dive, so coming off the blocks will be Michelle, his VA from the Phillipines…”
This notion was illustrated to me brilliantly while chatting with a friend of mine, world surfing champion Layne Beachley. Layne revealed that early in her career she had walked on her toes for a year to rectify a weakness that had been costing her the number one spot in global rankings. This “transformed weakness” was the missing piece to her later dominance and winning 7 world championships.
6. Strengths offer little performance uplift
This is perhaps the most critical argument for not playing to your strengths exclusively. You might be a carpenter who is a 9 out of 10 at swinging a hammer, but a 2 out of 10 with a saw - the opportunity to lift your total performance lies in sharpening your saw technique.
A friend of mine once shared that his daughter was an artist - that was her strength and he wanted her to lean in to it. We chatted about the cliché of the “starving artist,” and I suggested that while she should definitely lean into her art, she might do well by studying business and personal branding as, to the artistically-uneducated eye who might be buying her art, reputation was more easily understood than the aesthetics of her personal painting style.
Of course, some of these functions could be outsourced to other professionals, however, an understanding of them is critical for personal success and, let’s face it, for not getting ripped off.
Coming back to the personal story I started to share at the top of this article - my pursuit of ego-affirming success.
My weakness was presenting. Actually, to call it a weakness is rather to understate things. To be fair, my weakness was talking to people in general. I once had a former client ask my business partner Kieran if I was on the autism spectrum - within my hearing I should add.
The solution? Three and a half years touring on the global stand up comedy circuit as a professional comedian where I became bullet-proof on stage.
Here’s the thing, my strength - strategic intelligence, didn’t diminish. However, my weakness became an asset. So much so that I now travel the world working as a professional speaker with a reputation for making keynote speeches (which are essentially a lecture on psychology), entertaining, and for being able to bring a tough audience to life.
Here’s the rub:
By all means, play to your strengths when and where they serve you - this article isn't about ignoring or rejecting your strengths. But for true performance uplift and overall success, learn to also “work your weakness!”
* My little sister is a lawyer - this is a shout out to her 😂