Do You Know When Your Suffering From Strength Overkill?
The risk of strength overkill :
It may surprise you but research shows that people are more likely to experience performance challenges and fail as a result of overdone strengths rather than weaker areas. Overdone or overkill strengths are when strengths are used in the wrong way, at the wrong time or in the wrong situation. For example, people who are overly focused on results and quick to make decisions frequently don’t collaborate enough with others over their ideas and input. People who strive for perfection can miss deadlines, be poor delegators and misjudge effort vs output. Therefore, it is really important to become aware of overdone strengths, the triggers (usually stress) and ways to improve these areas.
How to identify strength overkill;
List your strengths - google free strength finder tests if you need help there are lots out there
Review your top strengths and ask yourself are you using them too much perhaps to you or your team’s disadvantage e.g If your strength is that you are detailed orientated and rarely have any errors in your work. Are you proofreading your work several times over and thus wasting time unnecessarily? Do you micromanage your team?
Get clarity on your role - unclear role descriptions and the new love of embracing being “dynamic” has role ambiguity implications. How many unnecessary department turf wars have we seen and I won't even go into office politics. If you know where you're going your ability to navigate a way to get there becomes obvious. Ask the right questions - gaining clarity is paramount.
Get honest feedback from those around you (not just your mates or your favourite employee). Think back on previous situations and ask yourself if you could have or should have handled it better by not going into strength overkill mode.