Examples of strengths and weaknesses

Examples of strengths and weaknesses?

If you find a strength then the opposite will be the weakness, it stands to reason really doesn't it?

And I much prefer to enhance the strength and disregard the weakness, just don't bother trying to fix it, you don't have enough time in your life.

This is why school and work can be very difficult because you are always pushed to improve your weaknesses and not encouraged to play up to your strengths.

Strengths

Are you wondering what examples of strengths and weaknesses are?

Are you getting them confused with your skills?

Well, just for clarity, let me explain the difference in very simple terms

Skills are what you can do and learn

Strengths are who you are and part of your DNA

They are what you do best, without thinking and where the essence of your talent lies.

Your strengths are easy for you and you might not even notice them for the very reason they come so easily to you.

It is so simple to dismiss them and that is a big mistake.

It is the simple that you are aiming for.

The secret to success in your business is not just what you do but HOW you do it

  • Why wouldn’t you want to work with your best bits?
  • Why would you want to try harder at something?
  • Work on your strengths only!
Strengths

9 examples of strengths and weaknesses

Hopefully this makes pulling your list of examples together a little bit easier and a darn sight quicker than trying to sit with the dreaded blank sheet.

  • The headings should help you focus your thoughts better
  • Don’t expect to have equal strengths in all of them
  • You will probably be only strong in a few of them

If you feel you need or want to, although I am dead against it as I have said already quite a lot already, you can learn how to improve in the weaker sections or, and the easier option, farm out your work to people who have these strengths in spades, and concentrate on what you are good at instead.

It might seem counter intuitive during the early stages of your probably cash strapped business to do this, but you will reap the reward in other ways, especially with time.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking

People

Are you able to understand a particular group of people?

Compassionate or caring, thoughtful, or practical with them, that sort of thing?

Problem Solving

Are you good at finding solutions to complex issue as an example?

Can you take a bird’s eye view of things and see how to fix problems?

Or stand back and look from another perspective?

Organisational

Can you organise a team or a workshop or a major event or a shop or an office?

Creative

Can you design, draw or write or make?

Imaginative

Can you imagine new products or services for an industry/group of people?

Technical

Can you understand technology easily or mechanical processes?

Do you easily understand how things work?

Practical

Can you work with your hands and make something or fix something?

Character

You will have heard people say the phrase “strength of character” I am sure.

It’s about how you deal with any set back in life, it is a measure of your resilience.

It is a really useful strength to be resilient if you are going into business because the path is often rocky and twisty.

How you deal with things can make or break your move forward and help you to keep going.

What are the key traits that show up strongly in your character sector?

Communication

Can you command brilliant, consistent, follow you over the cliff loyalty with your words or are you more subtle and quiet?

Can you make personal connections or give constructive feedback?

Strengths

Additional sources to look at for your list of strengths and weaknesses

Remember I said in the page about find your strengths I had read a great alternative thought to what people perceive as weakness.

It is from the author Marianne Cantwell and I just love her idea as a concept and I highly recommend you read her book

Quote Mark White

Weaknesses are strengths in the wrong environment

She suggests, perceived weakness such as;

  • being opinionated
  • shy 
  • a bit bossy
  • not technical
  • not creative 

and so on, all have a place on your list if interpreted in a more positive and different way and are actually your strengths but you probably overlook them because you think they are a weakness.

Ask others to add to your list of strengths

It’s actually a really good idea to ask other people about what they think should be on your list of examples of strengths and weaknesses.

It can be really very surprising what they notice about you that you either don’t notice yourself or just take for granted or even want to avoid

It might be the missing piece of information you are looking for.

And it is not so much the individual answers that could be noteworthy.

It is more about the collective pattern that can emerge.

Are there any surprises?

Strengths

You can also

Look back to school days

You know the more I talk with people, the more I understand the value of looking back to school days.

Why?

Well, when we are young we generally have less influence from other sources to muddy the waters of what we enjoy doing.

If you liked messing about with water, or sewing dolls clothes or horse riding or you spent your life outdoors, it was what you spent your uninterrupted time doing without having to be asked or pushed.

  • You did it because you loved it and didn’t have to think about it.
  • You did it because it brought you natural, unadulterated and stress free joy.
  • You did these things without anyone telling you it was good for you, bad for you, great for your career path or you shouldn’t do it because it’s a waste of time, money or energy

Go back to the time in your life when you were probably the most free

Your secret strengths are in there somewhere in some form or variation.

When I look back I spent a lot of time reading and writing in quiet spaces,  perfect for what I am doing now and I still love to do it!

I also loved domestic science and sport, so I could have gone that way too, but I have picked the things that spoke the longest and loudest to me over time

On the negative side, I was pushed into a dance class when I was young, I was so shy I could barely walk cross the floor and I still feel  the same in front of more than a handful of people.

You just need to dig a bit and find what speaks to your heart and put it/them on the list.

I truly hope you get some lovely surprises along the way, but I think you already know the answers you just have to bring them to the forefront.

Strengths