Few items of self-help lore are as misunderstood as the recommendation to “focus in your strengths.” Like hottest concepts, it has a kernel of fact, however there are additionally many conditions the place it merely doesn’t apply.
In actual fact, the alternative—focusing in your best weak spot—is usually extra productive. There’s a easy psychological mannequin for understanding the excellence.
When Specializing in Your Strengths is Useful
The fundamental argument for focusing in your strengths is the financial precept of comparative benefit, first articulated in 1817 by British economist David Ricardo.
Ricardo thought-about two completely different international locations, Portugal and England, who produced two completely different items: fabric and wine. Suppose, Ricardo argued, that Portugal was a typically extra environment friendly nation than England, in order that the hours wanted to supply one unit of every appeared like so:
If the 2 international locations can not commerce, it takes 220 hours for England to make one unit of each wine and fabric, whereas it takes Portugal 170 hours to do the identical. In distinction, if buying and selling is allowed, each can be higher off in the event that they specialize. In the identical period of time it takes to make one unit of every fabric and wine, England may make 2.2 items of material and Portugal may make 2.125 items of wine. If each commerce one-for-one, that provides England an additional 0.2 items of material and Portugal an additional 0.125 items of wine for the very same quantity of labor.
In your individual life, there are many locations the place the idea of comparative benefit is sensible. Most individuals solely carry out just a few completely different varieties of labor, although our lifestyle depends on tens of 1000’s of distinct professionals. Inside a household or a company, every particular person adopts a particular position. Every particular person specializing in a distinct segment of their strengths, slightly than being a generalist, makes us all higher off.
Nonetheless, observe a key assumption: you want to have the ability to commerce in an effort to ignore your weaknesses!
When Specializing in Your Weaknesses is Useful
Weaknesses deserve our focus after they can’t be delegated, outsourced or ignored. There are many conditions when a talent can’t be delegated to another person:
- When one element of a talent is important for an additional. A lawyer who isn’t a superb reader can’t be a superb lawyer—there’s an excessive amount of studying within the job to keep away from it. Equally, a programmer can’t simply keep away from realizing about techniques that work together together with her work.
- When there are guidelines forbidding it. A golfer can’t rent a alternative to putt for him, even when he’s awful on the inexperienced.
- When transaction prices make outsourcing prohibitive. I’m not an ideal handyman. I wouldn’t try a rest room or kitchen renovation on my own. However fixing a squeaky hinge or hanging an image body isn’t going to be price the price of hiring somebody, so it helps to study to do it your self.
In brief, when a element of a talent is unavoidable, focusing in your weaknesses, not your strengths, turns into the extra helpful recommendation. When you may delegate, outsource or select a distinct segment that doesn’t require a specific means, focusing in your strengths normally pays off.
