Leadership Lessons from the Physical Therapist

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to work with a physical therapist on my lower back. He is highly qualified and works with Olympic athletes (that would not be me). As we discussed my treatment he made a very basic, but profound statement: “If you want to improve your performance, you have to strengthen your weaknesses.” He went on to say, “It’s about balance. You can’t have one side of your body stronger than the other and perform optimally.”

That hit me like a ton of bricks and I immediately saw the parallel in the leadership space. Marcus Buckingham’s Strengths-Finder is hugely popular and for good reason. The emphasis on playing to one’s strengths has its place. But I’ve always sensed that this is shortsighted.

And I don’t have to look any further than myself to validate that. Professionally, my strengths are the delivery of coaching, team-based work, and facilitation. But as a businessman, I’m learning that I cannot rely solely on delivery
. I’ve also had to learn business development. And while I can delegate the administrative aspects of this, I personally must engage this skill set for myself.

Or take the client who is in a new leadership role. Technically, she’s very solid. But aspects of leadership such as accountability, having difficult conversations, and creating a strategic mindset sometimes elude her. She must build and strengthen those muscles in order to perform well in the new role. It’s not optional.

As much as it’s not always “PC” to talk about “weaknesses”, we cannot overlook our need for growth in critical areas. For sure, leverage your strengths (and don’t overuse them). But don’t miss the necessity, and opportunity, to build new muscles and create that healthy balance.