When strength becomes weakness cover image
Human Capital

When strength becomes weakness

Excellence comes from doing what you do best - but you need to make sure you're doing it at the right times.

Profile image of Adam Grant Profile image of Michael Hartle
Adam Grant, Michael Hartle
Apr 12, 2019 • 36 min read
4.50 (18)
Skills Development
Personal Productivity
Human Capital
Learner Mindset

Summary

Organizational psychologist and podcast ace Adam Grant hosts this TED educational podcast interviewing Michael Hartle, who is an author and a successful powerlifter - about how to maximize your natural strengths, build them, and where managers go wrong at work. Leaders often only delve into an employee's weaknesses when doing a performance review and this in most cases loops them to preventing failures, rather than soaring. Instead, they suggest that managers should be keen on developing strengths as an excellent job does not happen when people repair their weaknesses but when they work from a more natural strength.

Takeaways

  • An excellent job does not happen when people repair their weaknesses but when they work from a more natural strength. A strength is a technical proficiency, a broader aptitude that you've built for getting things done.
  • Great things can happen if you have a chance to build on your strengths.
  • One of the key signs of a great manager is recognizing and developing people's strengths. However, most of us don't get to use our self-built strengths at work.
  • Psychologists have proven that bosses' employee performance reviews on weaknesses daunt workers mentally and make them worry more about preventing failure than scaling.

Suggested Resources