From the course: Teamwork Foundations

Three ways to deal with your weaknesses

From the course: Teamwork Foundations

Three ways to deal with your weaknesses

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- Knowing your weaknesses is just as important as knowing your strengths, in fact, maybe more important. To know and accept that you are, say, bad at detail or irritable when tired or too optimistic, whatever, and if everybody else in the team knows about these things, as well as you knowing, that's really useful. Once you know your weaknesses, there are three options for you. Number one is to avoid situations where you'd need to use that skill. If you don't like detail or are impatient, then avoid that stock check meeting. And if you're not good at chatting with strangers, then avoid being on that exhibition stand. Option number two is to get cover from colleagues in the team. Maybe there are others who love sorting out those stock check details, or love chatting to potential customers on the exhibition stand. And really, this is the essence of a team. And maybe you can do the same for them and help out in areas that they don't like, but which you find easy. The third option for your weaknesses is self-development. Or is it? Some people say it's a waste of time trying to teach a pig to sing. You'll never manage it, and all it does is annoy the pig. But as a trainer, I would say that you can learn anything you want to learn. Okay, you might not get to be the best in the world if you don't have a natural talent, but you can be good enough to get by. The question is whether you need to, if you've got a team of people who can do the things that you're bad at. So what do you think? Is it okay to say, "I'm hopelessly disorganized, "but my team members can do that bit." Or should you think instead, "I'm going to learn "about time management and get myself organized "so that I can contribute even more to my team." I know which one I believe. And maybe that shy person who hates being on the exhibition stand will be more honest-sounding than the chatty ones. And maybe the technical customer will relate to them more. Certainly, if you don't come out of your comfort zone, you don't even try self-development, then you won't ever know if you can learn it. But I do accept that there might be some things that are just genetically impossible for some people to change. In which case, okay, then the team can cover them for you. I think creativity might be one of these. Some people have it massively, and some people don't have much of it, it's just how it is. But I don't want this to be an excuse for laziness. If you've got a short temper, then learn to control it, because you can do that. And if you're nervous about doing presentations, then learn to do good ones, because you can. So I've got a fun job for you now to complete my chart of weaknesses. Make a list of your main ones, and if you think you don't have any, then ask a good friend. And then, for each one, list how you'll cover it. Will you avoid tasks that require it, will you get someone else to cover for you, so the weakness doesn't matter, or will you develop yourself, and get rid of that weakness?

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