Rethinking Weakness in Work and Life

We’ve all experienced the most popular interview question ever: “What is your weakness?” Nearly everyone prepares an answer to the question. And there’s certainly no shortage of advice on how to respond. I’ve heard answers like: “I’m a perfectionist, and it gets in the way.” Honestly, I think that question might actually be more useful for finding out how genuine someone is than anything else. However, finding strength in your weaknesses is not only overlooked but is often dismissed as unimportant. So why do our perceived weaknesses and strengths matter? Let’s find out.

1. Perspective

Weaknesses and strengths are arguably a matter of perspective. Who is identifying them, and in what context? Where will they be applied and for what needs? Weaknesses are very often strengths and vice versa. A strength of yours could be perceived as a weakness in one context, or a threat in another. This is why it’s so important to be clear about your strengths and weaknesses in context. You might feel stuck or underappreciated in one area, but empowered in another. Where could your perceived weaknesses have a better fit?

I’ve been accused of being stubborn, losing myself in details, obsessing over costs, planning for too long, or being like a “quality cop.” I’ve had bosses feel threatened because I asked too many questions and, oddly enough, because I completed tasks “too fast.” And perhaps most amusingly, for doing exactly what I was told, only to discover they didn’t really mean for me to do it.

Politics isn’t my forte. What some saw as a weakness, other work cultures appreciated as clear and candid communication. Regardless, for years I felt I was a misfit. It’s one of the reasons I started this blog. For years I wondered: Am I difficult to work with? But eventually, I landed with a boss who valued me precisely for these “weaknesses.” What a paradox—being valued for what once felt like flaws.

2. Relative

In project management, projects have to be delivered on Quality, Time, and Cost. I’ve heard discussions that you can only have two at a time. Which one do you think is more important? And do they really have to be mutually exclusive? To me, prevention (quality) ends up saving more time and definitely more money in the long run. Still, without a timely product to deliver—there is no business.

What I’m getting at is this: strength is relative to the needs of a specific area. Strengths and weaknesses are domain-dependent. The strengths that are beneficial in one particular domain could easily become harmful, or a liability in another, and vice versa. For instance, production might want to focus more on producing fast, as opposed to the quality department which will be more concerned with how well it was made. And on the other hand, sales and marketing might want to focus more on pricing. Of course, they all matter.

So strengths and weaknesses are often one and the same depending on where you stand. You can uncover unexpected strengths as you explore your weaknesses, and you can also see where you’re vulnerable within your strengths as well. As you observe your weaknesses, or others point them out, ask: My perceived weakness is ____ relative to what? All you need to do is identify where and (especially) with whom your strengths can shine. It’s all relative. However, coming up with fake weaknesses disguised as strengths at interviews is a waste of time. You’re better off finding where you’d be the most valuable and communicate that. If you’re the interviewer, find fitness not weaknesses.

3. Environment

Maybe one of the most overlooked places to understand your current situation is the environment. To be a stout tree pays off in a rainforest—but not so much in a desert. Consider which strengths or weaknesses might affect you negatively or positively in different environments:

• Company’s culture and values
• Regional or national political inclinations
• Family values
• Cultural norms

Where could you be most valued? Where can you have a sense of belonging?

Do we have genuine weaknesses? Sure we do. Can we improve them? Most definitely. You can always find ways to learn more, know more, and help more meaningfully. For this insight though, if you identify which personal weaknesses may actually be a strength or find where you could move to have a better fit, that’s a huge win.

What if you don’t know where you could fit better? Stay patient. Keep looking. And resist the urge to label yourself too soon. Like they say: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So are weaknesses and strengths.