A common trend among speakers, trainers, consultants, and coaches is to refuse to use the word “weakness.”
They have two favorite replacements: “opportunities for growth,” and “areas for development.”
I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s to make people feel better about their weakness. Maybe they feel better if they don’t use the word. But why are we afraid of it?
Oxford defines weakness as: “the state or condition of lacking strength.” If it’s the opposite of strength, then why won’t we say or acknowledge it?
I faced this problem when I started my business. I found myself pretty good at putting together workshops, training materials, models, and stories. I wrote a few books and figured that would be enough to get tons of business heading my way. Then I anxiously waited for the phone to ring.
And I waited…
And I waited some more…
And then I realized that nobody knew anything about me. My weakness (the opposite of strength) was an inability to market and sell my stuff.
If you told me that I had “opportunities for growth” or “areas for development” I would have said “no shit!”
But knowing it was a weakness, I realized the only way to fix it is to work on it. The same way I lifted weights in order to be better at picking up my kids and playing with them. I threw myself into the “gym” of marketing. I read books, took seminars, and watched YouTube videos. Pretty soon my weakness became one of my core strengths.
If it makes you feel better, then use “opportunities for growth” or “areas for development.” If you want to GET better, then acknowledge the weakness. Thinking happy thoughts, practicing mindfulness, or reading Brene’ Brown or Simon Sinek quotes won’t fix the weakness. Find your weakness and attack it.
If I didn’t do that, I’d still be sitting by the phone waiting for work. And be broke.
We can all do better than that!