I can't stop thinking about something, for years, we've told people that growth starts with finding their weaknesses.

We've built performance reviews, development plans, entire careers around it and yet some of the most talented people I know still walk away wondering if they're enough. That doesn't sit well with me, because I've never met someone who changed an organisation simply because they became slightly better at everything.

I've met plenty who changed an organisation because they became exceptional at one thing, the person everyone trusts when a conversation gets difficult, the colleague who can explain the impossible in a way everyone understands and the leader who makes people feel safe enough to contribute.

Those people aren't memorable because they fixed every weakness, it’s because they built on their strengths and that thought stayed with me after recording a conversation with Maaya Konishi.

She shared what it looked like to leave a successful career that no longer reflected who she was and build one around the work she was naturally drawn to. We talked about communication, delegation, purpose, and the courage it takes to stop trying to be everything to everyone. It reminded me that the most meaningful careers are often built by leaning into your strengths rather than constantly trying to eliminate your weaknesses.

Since then, I've been asking myself one question, how different would our workplaces feel if we spent as much time discovering people's strengths as we do correcting their weaknesses?

I don't think we'd only see better performance, I think we'd see more confident people, engaged teams and joy in the work itself. So today, I want to leave you with something to think about, not what do I need to improve but what do people consistently thank me for? Because the answer to that question might be the thing you've been overlooking all along.