Page 36 - Free Yourself From

Taking Action for Knowing and Being Yourself 19

A Few Pointers

• Discover your natural inclinations by looking at your
organization’s mission-critical behaviors to see what excites
you or gives you a sense of purpose or satisfaction.
• Don’t spend a lot of time on your weaknesses unless they
are critical to proving yourself for that next job. For
example, you can make up for less in-depth knowledge
about finance by having a good relationship with the CFO
and being able to consult him or her on your financial
decisions. However, this would be a fatal flaw if you’d be
expected to join the finance committee in your next role.
And, in that case, you should find the time to take a
financial course, perhaps as a weekend or weeklong
executive education course at a good business school.

Using a 360-Degree Evaluation to Determine the

Strengths You Have and the Strengths You’ll Need

Others see you far more objectively than you can ever see yourself.
This is why I have always found that the best way to find out about
your strengths and shortcomings is to ask for feedback from those
you trust to be honest with you. Feedback from the right people
establishes a connection between what we think we do and our
effect on people. Some people will shy away from direct feedback
for fear of being too shocked or taken aback by what they hear.
But, in my own leadership experience, I’ve decided that difficult
feedback really is better than no feedback at all. I would rather not
be left on my own to figure out what others are thinking and feel-
ing about me.
Here is a four-step process I recommend for getting the feedback
that will serve you well: