“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”
Stephen Covey
Achieving Excellence: Expanding strengths and mitigating weaknesses
It’s the “go to” interview question asked by managers and supervisors, “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” But what are we really looking for in the response to the question? Are we assessing integrity based upon perceived candor of the candidate’s “weaknesses”? Are we looking for strengths to complement the team currently in place? What are we looking for in that question? These are all important questions to ask yourself as you work towards building a team of excellence. I would suggest, the answer to the questions is, it depends. Depends on the team, depends of the supervisor, depends on the responsibilities of the position, and it also can depend on the response(s) to the follow up.
As we look to identify a team member’s strengths, we should note that you can’t eliminate the “weaknesses”. We can however, help to mitigate the negative effect those “weaknesses” may have, so both the individual and the team can achieve beyond expectation. In sports, we hear the phrase “coaching up”. The best coaches have the ability to coach up players beyond the level of expectation. The best leaders have that same ability to coach up team members to achieve beyond what the employee believes he can accomplish. While reinforcing the positive aspects of staff abilities, we must help look for ways to help either avoid “weakness” situations, or learn to anticipate a situation before the negative outcome can occur.
So coach em up! They’re counting you on just as much as you’re counting on them. When we exceed expectation, we are closer to achieving excellence. When we achieve excellence, everyone wins. Help to avoid those situations that can spotlight the weakness, in an otherwise solid member of your team. Thank you for what you do every day for the residents, families and communities you serve!
Onward and Upward