We can’t please everyone in life. But as a leader, we can help our team to understand our apparent weaknesses. It’s important, to be honest with our employees about our strengths and weaknesses. This will help team members to foster honesty about their strengths and weaknesses as well.
One way to do this is to write a “HOW TO DEAL WITH ME” memo.
Marshall Goldsmith suggests this approach in his book, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.” Even though Goldsmith’s job is to help successful executives overcome their interpersonal quirks, he admits that this isn’t always possible. Because of this reality, he encourages his clients to write a memo to their employees that outlines their unique qualities and explains how to effectively deal with their idiosyncrasies.
This advice is supported by persuasion research which indicates that admitting weaknesses makes our ideas more powerful.
Takeaway – As David Rendall and I share in Pink Goldfish, employees are all too aware of our apparent weaknesses. It can be tempting to try to become a well-rounded leader. Instead, we should acknowledge that we cannot please everyone, hire employees that are strong where we are weak, look for activities that fit our unique style, and admit our flaws to our team.