Leadership in Action: Strength Test: Debunking an Unbalanced Approach to Development

WEAKNESSES MATTER

Another difficulty arising from a focus on strengths is that there is a great deal of evidence that weaknesses simply can't be ignored. Consider, for example, the research on derailment. Experts have estimated that about half of executives ultimately derail. CCL has studied derailment for more than two decades and has found that the most common causes of derailment can often be traced back to a weakness of one kind or another. These fatal flaws are usually evident early in a career but can be compensated for by strengths and left to fester. As CCL's William A. Gentry and Craig Chappelow have pointed out, managers can prevent derailment by coming to terms with their weaknesses and learning how to manage or reduce them—before ...