Fear Your Strengths

The Outer Game: Working on Your Behavior

The behavioral approach is a very effective and direct way for leaders to improve, and there are a number of useful techniques for doing so.

First of all, you can’t very well dial back if you don’t know what you overdo. There is only one way to find out and that is to ask, in conversation or in a formal evaluation: do I take any of my strengths too far? Because people are used to thinking in terms of shortcomings, you may find that your question puts them at a loss. So explain: “You know, too much of a good thing.” You can also use a feedback survey to learn about what you overdo, but because the typical survey relies on a five-point scale that assumes more is better, you will have to make sure you include ...