Don't Stack Weaknesses
5 hours ago
- #weakness-management
- #hiring-practices
- #organizational-leadership
- Leaders rarely excel across all areas; they often have major weaknesses in certain skills.
- Stacked weaknesses occur when a leader and their direct reports share the same deficiencies, leading to organizational failure.
- Leaders often hire individuals with similar skills, sometimes justifying it as hiring for values rather than skills.
- A critical issue is that some leaders are unaware they should hire to compensate for their weaknesses.
- Stacked weaknesses distort organizational reality, such as operationally weak leaders being unable to build or manage strong operational teams.
- Admitting weaknesses is essential to avoid this issue, with great leaders recognizing their gaps and hiring accordingly.
- Organizations without stacked weaknesses are more resilient to changes and challenges.
- A practical approach involves self-assessing on key skills (e.g., technical knowledge, management, strategy) and hiring to fill gaps honestly.