Know Your Weaknesses and be Transparent About Them
In my article about The Three Legged Stool I wrote about three tenets on which to build your leadership foundation. One of those tenets was to “Surround Yourself with People Who Are Smarter Than You.” This is often more difficult than you realize. It was a challenge that accompanied me for many years. In reality, it is something that continues to challenge me every day.
To identify your own weaknesses is one step, but to acknowledge them in front of others requires strength and humility. Let me tell you my story.
360 Degree Feedback
During my first year in a professional job I had the opportunity to participate in an emerging leader program. The program targeted new employees and new supervisors. Before attending the week-long course, however, I had to send out a 360 degree feedback form to coworkers who supervised me, were at my same level, and who were supervised by me. The survey was anonymous and we were encouraged to get feedback from at least ten coworkers.
We reviewed the feedback with a professional coach during the program. I recall some participants cried when they reviewed their feedback, leaving the room to gather themselves. I was also shocked by some of the blind spots that appeared in my report. I was confused why others had not told me directly about my misgivings and errors, or why I hadn’t realized them myself. They seemed obvious to me now that they were right in front of me.
After some great exchanges with the coach I had a plan.
A Presentation with Humility
When I returned from the program I asked my supervisor if I could have some time at the next staff meeting. At the meeting, I projected the results of my 360 degree feedback report. I showed everyone the average point scores that I received on each of the overall measures. I also included some of the written comments that accompanied the scores. These comments, by the way, were the most valuable to me.
At the end of my presentation I made three strategic points. First, I thanked those who had provided the feedback for the report and welcomed them to continue to provide me with feedback. I didn’t want this to be a one-time effort, but was interested in constant feedback.
Second, I noted my weakest scores and explained my plan to improve. I wanted them all to know that I valued the feedback and that I was taking action on it.
Third, I asked them to hold me accountable to my plan. I realized that it would require me to learn, rehearse, review, and listen a lot more. I invited them to remind me of my commitment to improve.
There were no questions or comments after my presentation. I was sure I had gone overboard, perhaps exposing myself too much — to the point of making everyone uncomfortable. But one staff member lingered after everyone else had left the room. She was a senior member who had decades of experience. She looked me in the eyes and told me how much she appreciated the transparency of my presentation and that she had never seen anyone do a presentation like that ever during her career. “Congratulations,” she noted with a smile and left the room.
The Path to Transparency
Many years have passed since that presentation, but I still feel I am as committed to my goals as ever. I have improved on some of my weaknesses, but others have been recalcitrant and difficult to overcome. These continue to be a work in progress.
But now when I present myself to new staff or to all staff when I take on a new role, I note my weaknesses. For example, I may say, “I sometimes write long, verbose email messages when a shorter email would do. I am working on this and will continue to try to be clear and concise with my communication.” I have found that my staff appreciate this transparency, as well as the acknowledgment that I do not do everything perfectly. This translates to them understanding that I don’t expect them to be perfect either.
I have also found that some key phrases have worked themselves into my communications. For example, “you’re much better at this than I am,” or “we need someone who knows how to do this,” or “I’m not fully understanding this topic, can you break it down for me?”
As a leader, showing staff that I am open about my weaknesses models the behavior I would like to see from them. Understanding weaknesses allows the team to fill in the gaps through teamwork and innovation.
Back to the Stool
The final application of this relates to hiring or contracting personnel. I admit that, over the years, I have been intimidated by some of the candidates that I interviewed. Whether they were more articulate than I was, described a more complex analysis than I could make, or presented confidence that I felt I lacked, I was tempted to undermine their applications.
This, of course, was wrong. These were precisely the people I needed on my team or project. Being the supervisor or manager does not mean you are the only one with good ideas, innovative thoughts, or brilliant analyses. As the manager, you need to bring in the absolute best talent you can find and provide them with everything they need to succeed.
