Here is why your perspective (not your weaknesses) is holding you back and how to fix it
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There’s a crucial difference between people who achieve great success in their careers and those who don’t:
Successful individuals focus on understanding themselves — both their strengths and weaknesses — and use this insight to leverage their strengths as a way to compensate for weaknesses. Conversely, less successful people tend to worry about their weaknesses and spend excessive time trying to fix them or improve them, instead of leaning into their strengths and focusing on discovering new strengths.
This concept is exemplified by a study conducted by Austrian medical doctor and psychologist Alfred Adler, a pioneer in the field of Individual Psychology.
In the late 1800s, Adler conducted a groundbreaking study to explore how successful people cope with perceived weaknesses and disadvantages. He focused on a group of successful business owners, 35% of whom were dyslexic. Adler sought to understand how these individuals achieved success despite their inherent challenges. He discovered that dyslexia, while often seen as a disadvantage, actually served as a disguised advantage.
For example, he found that dyslexic business owners were compelled to develop other crucial skills, such as oral communication and networking, to overcome their reading and learning difficulties. Additionally, these entrepreneurs exhibited a stronger work ethic compared to their peers. Adler observed that the skills these individuals acquired might have remained dormant if they hadn’t faced such challenges.
This led Adler to propose what he called the theory of compensation: “Perceived disadvantages often prove to be well-disguised advantages because they force us to develop attitudes and abilities that would have otherwise gone undiscovered.”
A few simple takeaways:
- Focusing less on your weaknesses frees you to develop your hidden strengths:
Trying to address all your weaknesses can often prove a waste of time, as some of them might come from ingrained personality traits or physiology. It’s better to identify what you are good at and place yourself in environments that allow you to capitalize on them. - Success is often achieved because of, not despite, your disadvantages: The challenges we face can become the foundation of our greatest achievements. For instance, a lack of attention to detail can also go along with high-level thinking, which can make you a good leader as you come up with a vision and ideas, and put together a great team which in turn would execute with appropriate attention to detail.
- Every situation has its upsides and downsides: For example, old age often brings experience and money, but comes with less energy and flexibility as well. Youth brings passion and energy, but often lacks experience and money.
When you shift your perspective from what your weaknesses are keeping you from achieving to what other strengths you might have and what they can help you achieve, you can unlock hidden advantages and turn potential obstacles into powerful assets.
