General Lee was an alcoholic, Abraham Lincoln was a racist, and Winston Churchill was both.

In spite of their flaws, the genius of these men in terms of leadership or military strategy is unquestionable.

Sadly in the commercial world, most firms have yet to learn the following lesson…

Interviews, assessments, and a plethora of other tests, all exist to find the hidden weakness which will stop the candidate performing. Of course, if it works, we end up recruiting a team made up of those without noticeable weakness.

The trouble is, that a lack of weakness only produces mediocrity. Strength is distinct, and is completely unrelated to a lack of weakness.

So do you, or your hiring people, currently focus on strength or a lack of weakness?

What is the one key skill for your role where immense strength will make a huge difference for your team?

When playing to strengths, weakness is only even relevant when it hampers the deployment of that available strength.