When Strengths Become A Weakness: A Leadership Reflection
- Nick Mann
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
As leaders, we’re often praised for our strengths. We build careers on them. Teams rally behind them. Families count on them.
But what happens when our greatest strengths, left unchecked, begin to work against us?
This is a question I’ve had to confront, both as an executive and as a dad.
Take decisiveness. It’s a strength that drives results, creates clarity, and helps teams move quickly. But under pressure or stress, it can turn into something else.
Rigidity. Control. A tendency to make decisions without leaving room for input.
Or creativity. It fuels innovation, opens new doors, and inspires vision. But overused?
It becomes chaos, a constant stream of ideas without follow-through. Distraction disguised as ambition.
Communication. Being articulate and expressive is often seen as essential in leadership. But when it overshadows the ability to listen, it erodes trust. It can silence others. And over time, even unintentionally, it can create distance, at work and home.
The Cost of Overused Strengths
When we lean too hard on what we’re good at, we run the risk of operating on autopilot. We become unaware of how our strengths, unbalanced, unchecked, start to create friction instead of flow.
In a business context, that might look like:
Team members who stop speaking up
A culture where innovation stalls
Talented people who disengage because they don’t feel heard
At home, it might show up more quietly, but just as powerfully:
A partner who feels overshadowed
A child who’s hesitant to share because they never feel truly listened to
A house full of movement, but not much presence
What Leadership Requires
True leadership, in every domain of life, demands self-awareness.
It’s not just about identifying what you’re good at, it’s about understanding when that same strength, dialed too high, starts to backfire.
When decisiveness becomes domination. When creativity becomes chaos. When communication becomes noise.
The most effective leaders I know, both at the office and at home, have learned to calibrate their strengths. They’ve developed the emotional intelligence to know when to speak and when to pause. When to lead from the front and when to create space for others to step up.
A Simple Practice for Leaders
If this resonates, here’s a simple prompt I use in coaching and personal reflection:
What strength am I currently overusing, and what’s the unintended impact?
Then go a step further:
What small shift can I make to bring that strength back into balance?
Because when our strengths are balanced by self-awareness, they serve us and the people we lead at the highest level.
Final Thought
Whether you're leading a team of 50 or a family of 4, the work is the same.
Know yourself.
Lead intentionally.
And remember that sometimes, the best leadership move is not to lean harder into your strengths, but to step back, recalibrate, and lead with humility.
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Are you feeling stuck and unsure of how to build self-awareness or take your leadership to the next level?
Apply to work with Nick and start the climb to a higher level of success and impact.
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