Your Greatest Strength May Also Be Your Biggest Blind Spot

What’s your greatest strength? Or, at least something that would make your top ten?

As someone with a High S/High C DISC profile, one of my greatest strengths is a deep appreciation for precision. I have spent countless hours trying to get the message just right, the graphics perfect, the sales process aligned, and the follow-up first-rate. There have been days when I've worked for eight or ten hours and, by the end of the day, nothing was actually finished. I wasn't avoiding the work. I was doing the work. I was just polishing the same few pieces over and over because I thought they needed to be 'ready.' The funny thing is… I’ve known this for years. And I’m still learning it. In fact, as recently as last month I found myself working and reworking my website to incorporate a new path I am adding to my business offerings.

Once upon a time I believed successful businesses were built by getting everything right before anyone ever saw it. But the more entrepreneurs I've met, the more I've realized that's rarely how it works. In fact, if I’m being honest with myself, one of my greatest strengths has actually been holding me back as my desire for precision has often left me striving for perfection.

What I’ve come to realize is that my attention to detail wasn’t the problem. The problem was believing everything had to be perfect before it deserved to be shared.

Now, don’t get me wrong, precision is a wonderful strength. Excellence matters. Details matter. The problems arise when there isn’t any balance. Too little precision can bring mistakes. Too much precision can lead to analysis paralysis. (Guilty.) I’ve started asking myself a different questions before I launch something: Is this ready… or am I just afraid it isn’t perfect yet? And it’s not just precision that can cause problems, every strength can also be a blind spot.

The more I teach DISC, the more convinced I become that every behavioral strength has a tipping point. Confidence can become arrogance. Enthusiasm can become distraction. Patience can become avoidance. Precision can become paralysis. None of those strengths need fixing. They simply need understanding. Because understanding helps us recognize when our greatest strengths are serving us...and when they're quietly standing in our way.

People don't need fixing. They need understanding.

And that begins by understanding ourselves well enough to become the best version of who we already are.