Shoring Up Our Weaknesses
Where are you weak? Are you ready for my giant list of weaknesses? If I told you all the spots I needed help shoring up my weaknesses, there wouldn’t be any room left for the rest of the message today. On the work side, one of my many weaknesses is inattention to detail. If you met me, odds are good you’d be surprised this is a weakness, but that’s because I’ve failed so often in this area, I’ve worked to create extra systems to keep from repeating my failures in this area.
The picture above? That’s how I organize all the companies I work within a season. These are my April and May sessions. Each company gets a folder with the notes I’ve taken during my conversations with the client, a printed copy of the PowerPoint and the handout I’ll be using when working with that group. Seem overboard? Yep, it is. And, I’ll tell you why.
My Story
About 8-9 years ago, I showed up at a client site 45 minutes early to set up for the day, only to learn I had the time start wrong. I was only 15 minutes early. Not only that but when I turned on my laptop and accessed the PowerPoint, I didn’t have the right PowerPoint with me. This was the days before we could easily access online files, and while there were options for getting the right slide deck, it would have taken far longer than the 15 minutes I had to get everything ready to go.
What did I do? Thankfully the projector in the room wasn’t working when I arrived. As the client team worked to solve that problem (which involved rotating tables in the room to the opposite side of the room), I frantically recreated my PowerPoint.
It took about 20 minutes to come up with the bare bones of what I’d need for the session, which is about how much time it took for the team to get the room all swapped around. The client may not have realized the panic consuming me (I should have gotten an Oscar for that performance), but I vowed to never be that unprepared again.
Thus, the folder system. It’s not always perfect, but it’s saved me a ton of stress and it makes sure I shore up my weakness toward detail. We all have weaknesses. Some of our weaknesses, we can shore up. Others we can compensate for by surrounding ourselves with people gifted in areas where we are weak.
Vunerability
While it’s wise to shore up our weaknesses, there’s another powerful tool that I could have used that day that would have probably built more credibility with my client. The tool? Vulnerability. Vulnerability is openly sharing and showing our weaknesses and admitting when we goof up. For most of us, we shore up our weaknesses so we are less vulnerable. Vulnerability isn’t a bad thing though – in fact, it can be one of our greatest assets.
“How?” you ask. When we are vulnerable and admit our mistakes and weaknesses, people see us as human. When we share what’s gone wrong, others jump in to help save the day. It creates relationship and common purpose.
Now, I’m not saying don’t act professionally and show up unprepared. That’s not good either. However, after you’ve worked to shore up your weaknesses, those weaknesses show up despite your hard work, admit it. Tell your team. Ask for their help. Thank them for the strength they bring to your work.
In a world where we are rewarded for being as perfect as possible, vulnerability is one of the few genuine things we bring to our teams. In our moments of weakness, we have a rare opportunity to invite others into our world to save the day. If you are like me, you love being the hero of the story, and so do our team members.
Next time your weaknesses show up, admit your vulnerability and let others step in and save the day. Give them a chance to be your hero. Oh, and maybe create a really over-the-top manilla folder system too.
P.S. I’ll be taking time off for spring break with the family next week. See you in two weeks!
Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.
