A fool-proof method for turning any career weakness into a strength - and using that strength to find a job you're actually good at and love

Ask yourself, "What is really behind this weakness?"

For example, if your weakness is "I can't focus on one project at a time," the driver behind that might be "I love variety and my mind moves fast." Getting to the trait behind the "weakness" lets you think and talk about it in a more balanced way.

Now list situations where this trait would be an advantage. For example, the person who is too social might say, "A place that needs someone to form strong connections with clients or groups."

No example is too small — the aim here is to flip how you see this trait.

Now write down the strength you unmasked — like "adaptable," "people person," etc.

Once you've identified the strengths, change the story. How do you talk about this? There's a big difference between "I'm too obsessive" vs. "I'm strong on details and make sure things never get missed." Or "I'm so scattered" vs. "I'm a creative thinker."

If you don't own your self descriptions, someone else will write them for you. Take control of how you speak about this to others and yourself.

Create opportunities to use your superpowers positively. For example, as mentioned above, one of my weaknesses is low detail orientation — I am not the person you want to proofread your report for missed commas! But I learned that weakness was masking the strength of strategic thinking and storytelling. I don't always see the tiny details as I'm focusing on the whole picture and how it comes together as a story.

So I started to volunteer for more presentations — including the ones other team members didn't want to do. I gained a reputation for this, did small projects on the side of my job to dive deeper into the things I was excited about, and also stopped going for roles where I was judged mostly on fine-tooth-comb detail accuracy. I only went for opportunities where I could do more of my newly unearthed strengths. Soon I was paid and valued for the parts of me I used to think I had to leave at the door.

So many people spend their career mistaking their greatest thing for a liability — or simply overlooking it — but it doesn't have to be that way.

Whether you want to stay in your role or are looking to change course, the truth is that people who thrive in a competitive world and those who are happiest in their work aren't those who stuck with what they were just good at. Instead, they do what the best leaders have always done and got curious to find their great.

Your weakness might be your greatest strength in disguise. Change the game to give yourself an edge by looking in the place most people never think — or dare — to look.