Over the years, when I’ve sat in interviews (on both sides of the table) I’ve heard the ever-popular question “What would you say are your main strengths and what are your weaknesses?” many times. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that most readers will have had to answer that question sometime in the past… probably during an interview.

However, it seems that few leaders do much with the knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses. It’s one thing to know your strengths and weaknesses, but it’s something else entirely to order your vocation, avocation, and even your life around that knowledge. Never mind that it makes good sense to do so; it appears the knowledge of personal strengths and weaknesses is rarely referenced in decision making.

The knowledge of personal strengths and weaknesses is rarely referenced in decision making.

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Over the next two weeks I’ll take a look at the importance of keeping both your strengths and weaknesses firmly planted in your frontal cortex (or pasted on your computer monitor). Until then, take a fearless inventory of both and then select the top two or three of each. Get them written down on a scrap of paper or disturb some resting electrons on your computer screen and save them on your desktop. We’ll get to them in posts soon to come.

Question: How do you make use of the knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses? Share your answer in the Comments section below.