“Imagine that you could invest 100 hours in professional development this year. Would you invest in what you were good at, average, or bad at? How do you split it up?” storyteller and viral content creator Jay Shetty begins the video. 100 hour rule.
As Shetty points out, there are many ways to invest your time. what is your strategy?
Many people believe that the best way to grow and improve is to invest in your weaknesses and fix your problems. Our world is keen to spot faults and point out weaknesses. Early in life we learn to measure ourselves against set standards and when we deviate from them we feel inadequate. We learn that being good at something is the key to success and that we must work harder to overcome our weaknesses.
But Shetty notes in the video that the world’s most successful people spend more than 80% of their time doing what they do best and less than 20% of their time doing what they’re average or bad at. share that.
Gallup, a global research-based performance management consulting firm, advocates a similar idea.in fact their Research Shows When considering where to invest your time, energy, and attention, the best place to start is where you are good at.
So why should we focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses, and is ignoring our weaknesses entirely a good strategy? In this article, we bring you three interesting facts about his weaknesses that everyone should know.
Strengths outgrow weaknesses
Studies show that the strengths outweigh the weaknesses for an equal investment of time and energy.
actual, Nebraska Research Council This discovery occurred while analyzing speed reading with 10th grade students. During the study, the students who read the fastest made the most progress, and the students who read the slowest also made progress, but the differences were small in comparison.
Essentially, this research shows that talent grows exponentially and can grow without limits by investing in what you’re already good at.
It also shows that “fixing” weaknesses helps improve, but the benefits gained are incremental. No matter how much time you spend on your weaknesses, it makes you a little less obsessed with something and can be average at best. “Fixing” your weaknesses can help you improve, but it will never make you world class in your field.
The study also shows that people with less talent improve less than those with more talent. For example, an untalented singer who takes singing lessons, tutoring, and practice for hours will definitely improve, but will never become a rock star. Conversely, those with singing talent reach greater heights and grow exponentially. Investing time and energy will help this person succeed in the field.
You can never become great just by “fixing” your weaknesses. If you focus on your strengths, your return on investment will always be great.
If you only focus on your weaknesses, you become who you are not
“Every time you repress a part of yourself or let others play you smaller, you are essentially ignoring the instruction manual your Creator gave you and destroying your design. You’re doing it.” – Oprah Winfrey
In a way, focusing on your weaknesses means you’re trying to be who you’re not. It means we are trying to “fix” ourselves and work on what we don’t have. We are all focused on changing ourselves to fit standards, whether those standards are self-imposed or dictated by the environment.
Focusing only on your weaknesses means that you are unknowingly suppressing your natural talents by investing all your time and energy elsewhere. Our talents are an important part of who we are, and to suppress them is to suppress parts of ourselves. We leave little room to fully express our true selves and slowly become someone we are not. For example, someone who wants to be more analytical and detail-oriented to suit their role descriptions may be suppressing their talent for connecting and rapport with people. This person is wasting his talent by focusing on other things. Not only are they missing out on opportunities to bring value and use their talents to do great things, they are slowly losing touch with their true selves. In the long run, this can make work less engaging and less rewarding.
Instead of trying to change yourself for the role, use what you do best and come up with roles that allow a truly unique and magical human being to shine.
Weaknesses should never be ignored
The best way to succeed is to develop your strengths, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your weaknesses. in fact, gallup says Completely ignoring your weaknesses is reckless. Especially when it relates to skills that are important to your role.
In fact, being aware of your weaknesses and developing a strategy to manage them is critical to your success. Managing your weaknesses is different from the traditional approach of “fixing” your weaknesses. As explained above, fixing weaknesses is a minimally successful strategy. Managing your weaknesses means recognizing your blind spots and knowing what stands in the way of your success. It also means making plans to overcome your weaknesses, such as using your strengths to produce desired results or working with others to achieve goals.
Building strengths is a powerful approach to achieving excellence, but weaknesses should not be ignored. Your development plan should also include strategies for managing them.
Now it’s your turn. How will you invest in your professional development this year?
Successful people understand this and their results show it. As Shetty explains in the video, successful people are less invested in their weaknesses and more committed to their strengths. Instead of trying to achieve perfection in different areas, they have learned to hone their key strength areas and do what they do best. Successful people are rarely balanced. Instead, they are sharp and that’s what makes them special.
Harvey Cruz said brilliantly: Good work is done by people with jagged broken edges. Because that edge cuts things and leaves marks and designs. “
Start investing in your strengths now. Start by reading my post How to Show Your Talent at Work.
Watch the 100 hour rule video here:
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Maxine Skerrett is an Executive Coach and a Gallup Certified Strength Coach. Since 2015, she has worked with hundreds of professionals to discover what they do best and maximize their potential at work.
As the founder of Pure Bliss Coaching, Maxine strengths-based culture By offering StrengthsFinder workshops and coaching programs for leaders and teams.
She also said that the organization strengths-based culture By offering StrengthsFinder workshops and coaching programs for leaders and teams.
Learn more about her strengths-based coaching program
Learn more about her StrengthsFinder corporate workshop
