What Is Your Greatest Weakness?

"What is your greatest weakness?" A common interview question that I kind of love ✨

Having any answer to this question, hopefully illuminates some level of self-awareness, humanity, and humility. It isn’t intended to call out an applicant for being sub-par, but rather to let hiring managers observe if the individual shows willingness to meet challenges in areas of development & personal growth, or has practical methods for managing blind spots.

My answer is always the same: I can be a bit of a perfectionist 💯🫣

Putting a positive spin on it, I have high standards and commit myself consistently to excellent work. Many in my network can speak to my tendency to be thorough, even overly so at times. I often ask before beginning a project, “How far would you like me to run with this?” or, “How many resources should I spend on the first pass?” 

Examples of my perfectionism, when out of check, include emails that contain too much information, fluffy language, or take too long to compose. In another context, my presentations--though passionate and info-rich--might ask too much of listeners’ attention spans and learning capacity 🤯 

In over a decade of professional experience as a #Marketer, #Strategist, #PR Director, and #Consultant, I have learned to observe the ways this inclination to be “perfect” manifests itself. Sometimes I have caught myself putting too much effort into the wrong activities, or spending too long refining messaging while missing opportunities for timeliness. Other times it has resulted in burnout after expending too much energy on every task 😩, instead of focusing efforts more efficiently with skilled prioritization and a big-picture view of progress 📈

How do I manage this “weakness” in my workflow? I’m glad you asked…

1. Estimate & schedule focused work time 📅 Whether checking emails midday or going heads-down on a report or presentation, scheduling time to carry it out gives me a sense of doing my most quality work without distractions. It also lets me keep an eye on how much time I’m dedicating to a certain task, which is extra handy in an #AgencyTeam setting where billable time is always top-of-mind.
   

2. Automation tools ⚙️ Grammarly is one example of a tool that helps me keep an extra eye on language, tone, and grammar while drafting emails with little extra effort (read: brain power). Then I’m confident in the quality of my output, but don’t get stuck in a review-and-revise wash cycle and burnout my best productive energy on day-to-day maintenance tasks.
   

3. #PeerReview & feedback 🗣️ Checking in with colleagues often to ensure alignment on priorities, time spent on projects, or asking for a quick “gut-check” on content and format for a project are all ways I stay #Collaborative in my workflow, and set myself up with checks & balances to keep perfectionism in check. 

What is your greatest “weakness” and what strengths have you developed for managing it? 🤔