How to reframe your weaknesses as strengths [#84]

December 2024. I just finished the first ever Generalyst startup spotlight, where 4 companies joined to pitch themselves to an eager bunch of candidates. I’m relieved – everything went surprisingly well. 

I leave to go for a walk to clear my head. When I get back, I check for mail. A letter from the labour agency. Finally. Been waiting for this for weeks. 

A few months prior, I submitted my application for the “Gründungszuschuss”: a program that allows you to work full-time on your business while still receiving your unemployment benefits. The only thing you have to do is to submit an application including a business plan, financial projections, and a bunch of forms. 

(The American mind cannot comprehend this.) 

I was confident I’d get it. After all, I’ve founded several businesses before, know how to write … and the competition are some dudes who have this “crazy new idea that nobody has ever thought of”. 

When I open the letter, it says: rejected. 

What the hell? 

One of my character traits that I’d consider a weakness had struck again: (lack of) attention to detail. I had uploaded all the right documentation, but didn’t bother to double check. 

Turns out, one of the forms wasn’t signed. So they couldn’t process the application, I never re-submitted it, and well … that’s it. 

In this case, this really screwed me over and (almost) cost me a significant amount of money. 

But this weakness is precisely the reason how I get to do all the things I do: by generating a lot of output in a short amount of time. I’m really good at getting 80% out of the door fast; not so good at doing the final 20%. 

Weaknesses are often just overclocked strengths. 

A few examples: 

1. “I’m impatient” → you have a strong bias for action and sense of urgency 
2. “I’m bad at following rules” → you question assumptions and think independently 
3. “I jump a lot between tasks” → you think across disciplines and have broad knowledge
4. “I can’t say no” → you’re attuned to others’ needs and put the team first 
5. “I’m disorganized” → you generate a lot of ideas instead of managing them 
6. “I’m perfectionistic” → you have the attention to detail (that I desperately lack) 

Once you know this pattern, you’ll see it everywhere. Once you see it everywhere, you can adjust what you do accordingly. 

Let’s go back to the “attention to detail” example. More often than not, 80% is totally sufficient, and it’s better to hammer out more in a short amount of time than making sure every detail is perfect.

But every now and then, there are situation where the details matter: accounting, important client presentations, contracts, or my grant application. 

Now that I know that my strengths aren’t in the details, I can do two things: 

1. Get someone else to double check my work (→ for my next grant application, I asked a friend from McKinsey to help me) 
2. Delegate the work entirely (→ first thing I did was to work with an accountant after founding the company) 

Most importantly, I now know that I shouldn’t be doing jobs where that’s part of the description (such as controlling). Instead, I should be doing things where my strength of generating lots of output fast is absolutely necessary. 

Double down on strengths instead of eliminating weaknesses.

Most people (myself included) try to eliminate their weaknesses by getting better at the things they’re not good at. 

The most successful people find alternative ways to handle their weaknesses (like delegation or control mechanisms) and double down on their strengths. 

So instead of being mediocre at everything, build an absolute baseline in the skills you’re weaker at, and double down on 2-5 strengths that you have. The baseline is necessary, as there will be situations where you absolutely, positively will have to do the task yourself (I still have to do accounting sometimes, whether I like it or not). 

Instead of aiming to have no weaknesses, combine strengths to become the only person to do what you do. 

That’s what E- and T-shaped generalists do. ⬇️

The Generalist Spectrum [#79]

Every year, you get new skill points. How you allocate will define where you stand on the spectrum.

Dominik NitschDominik Nitsch

Now, over to you: 

1. Which of your weaknesses are really just overclocked strengths? 
2. How can you delegate or control said weaknesses?
3. How can you position yourself so that you fully play to your strengths? 

Would be curious to hear your answer, as I’d like to have even more examples than the ones listed above. Simply reply to this email and let me know. 

Happy Monday. 

To a week filled with strength, not weakness. 

LFG. 🔥

PS: This guy used a receipt printer (like in a restaurant) to build a procrastination-beating task management system. I’m tempted to try it. 

PPS: I eventually did receive the grant, after all. Just took me several phone calls and pleading with different people that I'm in fact allowed to turn in the properly signed document. Once I submitted this (by mail), everything worked out.

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