Our weaknesses can present opportunities for us to acquire new strengths.

If like me you deal with children you would have experienced their amazing world of natural abilities. One aspect of their development I find most fascinating is how they overcome their gaps and develop skills in areas they would rather avoid.

This weekend as we got through homework I was reminded of one of my challenges as a teenager.

English literature is a subject I enjoyed in school for the engaging narratives, the artistic style and the lessons that were always embedded for us to find. But to perform at a high level in the subject enjoying these aspects was not enough.

You needed to be familiar with the narrative to the point where you could recount specific texts, scenes etc. To do that successfully you had to read the books repeatedly.

That was my issue! I naturally did not like repetition. I did not even like watching the same movie again. How do I read the same book over and over again to ensure that I could retell the stories almost verbatim wherever it mattered?

I had to overcome my weakness in this context. I forced my desire to earn an ‘A’ grade outweigh my aversion to repetition. I put together a study timetable with slots for every subject. I forced myself to respect the slots. Sounds simple but it was tough in the beginning. This is how I got my ‘A’ grade in English Literature.

That skill of being able to deal with repetition has turned out to be essential in my leadership journey.

As leaders we don’t only define and agree visions with our teams; it is our job to repeat the vision and make it clearer each time. And once the vision is inflight it is our job to ensure that the right performance indicators are being tracked repeatedly and measured for progress.

We never waste good skills we learn. The challenge is our willingness to learn them in the first place.

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. What is the thing you need to do that you are avoiding because ‘it is not you’? What benefit could it bring you?

Together we learn and grow.