I went to an event by the media society on PR around crisis communications. It was fascinating to learn how the experts help CEOs and famous people to manage their reputation when under scrutiny.
The main advice when dealing with negativity in the press was not to hide, but take responsibility, learn and take charge of the narrative.
I agree with that.
As a leadership coach – something occurred to me in the discussion.
When you’re in a role where you could be thrust into the public eye, it’s important to be aware that you have weaknesses. We all do.
If we ignore them, then we’re more vulnerable to scrutiny. It’s important to be aware of other’s perceptions and not to hide them.
In fact, something I’ve learnt is to reflect on is where your ‘weakness’ could even be a superpower?
I’ll take my own career as an example.
I coach leaders. I go into the corporate world and sit in rooms with people who run departments that I have no experience of.
This could be seen as my weakness. I’ve never worked in finance, pharmaceuticals or tech – I don’t have an MBA in business.
If I worry about my weakness, then my imposter syndrome can take over, and I may be inclined to cover up or pretend that I was someone that I’m not.
However – a few years ago, when I began helping senior people do presentations, I realised I had a superpower.
I remember a client giving me a very academic talk which he wanted to use to get funding for a new project. It was so complex that I had to own up that I didn’t understand it. I asked him to explain it to me in laymen’s terms.
In this moment my client laughed out loud. He said: ‘Now I know why people never follow through on my ideas’.
This leader was technically brilliant, but he was so senior that people had stopped challenging him. What had made him brilliant in his job was making him a poor communicator.
My moment of honesty came from a background of being trained in journalism. My early training taught me to create stories that were hooky, simple and clear.
So – I put my journalist hat on, and we explored how we could make the presentation personal and engaging.
I asked him to share his own story and purpose for driving the initiative forward and he shared a really touching story about when he was a young boy and was brought up by a single mother. She worked part time as a cleaner and he remembered the worry about money in his household.
His initiative, to improve policy was driven by a deep desire to increase work opportunities in local communities.
The result – his presentation secured a huge contract, and he became someone people saw as inspiring.
Now, If I worked in his sector, I probably would have understood his presentation better. I would have known the jargon or the context and filled in the gaps for myself.
My ‘weakness’ became my strength.
I’ve realised that it’s so often our so-called weaknesses that can hold the key to our greatest impact.
I’m curious – do you have a weakness that can also be your superpower?
