Most people have heard the common wisdom that if you discover and align with your strengths you will be productive and successful. This belief comes with other corollaries including the following:

• You will excel by maximizing your strengths, not fixing your weaknesses; therefore you should spend your energy on building and honing your strengths

• It is ideal if you can create a role for yourself that draws on your strengths every day

As a Coach I know that there is a great deal of truth to the above concepts – but I also know their traps. It is not uncommon for what you believe to be your strengths to work against you. Here’s why and how:

1. All strengths are not created equal

The very nature of the word “strength” has a positive feel to it – we associate strength with being “strong”, with power and vigor. We think that the opposite of strength is weaknesses and impotence. Because we perceive strengths to be advantageous we set out to develop as many of them as we can. But all strengths will not necessarily serve you equally well. First it is important to recognize that there are strong cultural biases as to what are considered strengths. Whereas in one culture assertiveness, decisiveness and direct communication may be valued, in another culture the qualities of equanimity, empathy, a sensitive nature and indirect communication are preferred. Many people strive to develop characteristics that they have been culturally indoctrinated to believe are “good” without considering whether they fit with their own core values, beliefs, personality and physiology.

2. Certain strengths can pull you in the wrong direction

How do you decide what your strengths are? Interestingly most people rely on others to tell them what their strengths are – they feel incapable of identifying their own strengths or uncomfortable relying on their own judgment as to what they do well. But there is a problem with listening to others. While it is quite true that others can often pinpoint with great accuracy what you do exceptionally well – what they cannot tell you is whether you enjoy doing that particular thing. Just because you are good at something does not necessarily mean you enjoy doing it, and continuously forcing yourself to do it can have negative consequences. This is especially true with certain strengths such as perseverance and responsibility. Thus, for example, having the “strength” of perseverance can cause you to push yourself to excel in all circumstances and at any cost – ignoring other elements of your well being such as your health and happiness. As another example, feeling “responsible” for everything and everyone around you can cause you to take on burdens that not only weigh you down but also disempower others around you.