How Do You Make Your Weaknesses Your Strengths? Building High-Performance Teams
A Wealth of Weaknesses
Imagine having your best people come up with a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe a little threatening? Now imagine their list of your weaknesses is three times longer than their list of your strengths. Humbling! But it was just what I was hoping for.
In my early days at Ariba, when the company was just a little over a year old, we hit a dry patch in sales. The leadership team—my direct reports—were a smart, energized bunch, and they were concerned. So they all started running a million miles an hour, trying to solve problems and get things going.
Sounds good, but it got a little crazy. Sometimes we wound up working at cross purposes and getting in each other’s way. Ever seen an anthill that’s had a bucket of water poured on it? Something like that.
After a few experiences with signals getting crossed, I realized we needed to do a better job communicating and pulling together as a team. An offsite seemed like a great way to focus and get everyone on the same page. I really wanted this meeting to matter, so I was especially concerned about getting everyone to share their honest input about the business—and about me.
