Coming across as “human” is valuable, especially since people do people with people. While this may seem like a weakness to the individual, to the audience, being human makes it easier to connect with you.
Turning Weaknesses to Strengths
Identify
The first step toward overcoming any weakness is recognizing that you have any to begin with. You can’t expect to change when you don’t honestly believe that you need to change. Are you bad at socializing? Maybe you’re scared about networking. Whatever it is, admit to yourself that this behavior needs to change because it is no doubt stalling your progress in some way.
Help
Now that you know what you need to fix, it’s time to seek out assistance. Reach out to someone you know is great at this certain skill. Ideally you’ll want someone that had to overcome their fear of it as well. If you’re more of the bookish type, research is a great way to turn a subjective skill into an objective way of acting.
Prepare
The next step is to prepare yourself for any situation that might involve dealing directly with your weakness. If this is networking, come up with a decided plan based on the individuals you know will be at an event that you want to connect with. Write out a loose script and practice how you will approach them. Use this on strangers to grow stronger.
Hire
Always be aware of the fact that even when you turn your weaknesses into strengths, they will still be weaker than someone that has mastered that skill. Because of this, successful business owners hire those that compliment them. They bring in talented individuals that help make up for those skills you are weakest at.
Practice
Hiring individuals to make up for your lacking talents doesn’t mean neglect practicing getting better at all. Such a mindset will only leave you in the dark in regards to dealing with problems revolving around your weaknesses. Instead, work on practicing that skill to a basic competence level. What this does is empower you with the language and knowledge necessary for you to better communicate with those that are highly gifted with that skill. Ask any website designer about those clients that request reds to be redder, and you’ll quickly understand the importance of this.
Share
Use this knowledge to your advantage. If you’re weak in certain areas, others are as well. Maybe you can build a business around helping those with your similar deficiencies. Maybe you can work toward connecting individuals whose strengths benefit the other. Should you go this route, you can literally turn your weaknesses into strengths.
