When Strengths Become Weaknesses... #cindertoflame

I designed a reflective exercise to help you assess when your strengths may be at risk of becoming weaknesses. Thereafter, we will discuss this challenge: how a corporate culture built upon expertise in continuous quality (process) improvement may limit the capacity for major innovation.

I’ll begin with a personal example. One of my strengths is the ability to talk. When I talk too much, it’s impossible for me to listen. I discovered one solution to help me manage this conflict or competition between strengths. During a keynote presentation, these four words resonated with me: “Pause between the notes.” This reminder helps me find a better balance between talking and listening. It also slows down my tendency to take swift action.

Here's a table with a “sample” of opposing strengths, categorized as: skills, abilities, personal characteristics and preferences. Each row presents two possible opposing strengths, that may conflict or compete with each other.

Cinder to Flame Table of Opposing Strengths

Studies of major (radical or disruptive) innovation have identified essential strengths, among people and within the corporate culture. Consider these examples: flexible mindsets, teamwork, tolerance for ambiguity and disruption, risk taking and experimentation, openness to novelty and change, departure from rules, setting data aside to create something new (starting from a blank page), willingness to be a disrupter, applying diverse communication skills, practicing a variety of thinking styles (e.g. divergent and creative thinking etc.) and sustaining high energy to carry innovation forward to successful implementation. - Can you identify the strengths that may conflict with those required for continuous quality (process) improvement?

Cinder to Flame helps Corporations solve complex challenges with strategic services that energize people, fuel a healthy corporate culture and ignite major innovation.

The last row in the table should strike debate. It presents an orientation to process as an opposing strength to being driven by results. Corporate case studies have shown that major innovation can maximize results and render a greater positive impact - for both Corporations and clients - when compared with continuous quality (process) improvement.

It is important to understand the difference between major innovation and continuous quality (process) improvement, the essential set of strengths they each require and how these innovation strategies can be combined to achieve a successful balance within a healthy corporate culture.

Read this article that portrays the difference between these innovation strategies: https://www.cindertoflame.ca/post/throw-a-switch-go-off-the-rails

To understand how these innovation strategies can be combined, please contact me: https://www.cindertoflame.ca/contact

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