Recognizing Weaknesses In Leadership (And Why It’s Good)

Ask anyone who is married how long it took them to figure out that their spouse was not exactly like them…

“The toilet paper goes over the roll, not under!”

“What do you mean you don’t like things just thrown on the floor?”

“I don’t understand why you don’t want to spend Christmas with my family!”

For me, I’d like to think that I realized these things fairly quickly… but I am still learning !

There are some similarities between these situations and leadership. Let me explain…

Good leaders should want to “reproduce” themselves in their respective teams, employees or organizations. After all, leadership should be shared, right?

Absolutely!

You should want to help others be the best that they can be and you should be there to encourage and give experiential advice. 

But leaders, there is something you need to be aware of…

Everyone is not like you…

And you should be thankful for that!

The truth is that no matter how good of a leader you become, someone else is better than you at something (and probably better at a lot more “somethings”). 

You need to be aware of your own weaknesses and be able to identify those who are strong in areas that you are not. 

This often requires you swallow some pride.

Maybe you should ask another person you respect, and who knows you well, to give you their input on what you’re not so great at. 

Individual Weakness Can Lead To Strong Teams

The sooner you realize your own shortcomings, the better you’ll be at selecting great people to surround yourself with – people who are strong where YOU are weak. 

That’s how you build a great team… and building a great team is one of the most gratifying parts of leadership.

So, leaders, you’re strength as a leader hinges upon your recognition of your weaknesses.

And by the way, the toilet paper goes under the roll!