Why should you focus on your career strengths?

Focusing on your career strengths can be smarter than fixing weaknesses because it allows you to excel in areas you already have natural talent and interest in, leading to greater job satisfaction and potential for success.

Where does most people's attention go first when developing their career?

For many people, their attention goes to their weaknesses when developing their careers.

What is the goal of career development?

The goal of career development is not to become good at everything, but to understand and improve weaknesses that hold you back while recognising and enhancing your strengths to propel your career forward.

Why focusing on your career strengths can be smarter than fixing your weaknesses

Q: What is the important difference between becoming competent at something you need and making it a major part of your career?

The important difference is that while becoming competent at something you need is essential for your job, making it a major part of your career depends on your personal interests and strengths.

CREATED BY DAVE CORDLE

Published: 20/08/2026 @ 09:01AM

#CareerDevelopment #Strengths #Weaknesses #TrainingOpportunities #ProfessionalGrowth

When you think about developing your career, where does your attention go first? For many people, it's their weaknesses. We identify the things we're not particularly good at and immediately start thinking about courses, training, and ways to improve ...

Focusing on career strengths can lead to greater success than constantly trying to fix your weaknesses

Sometimes that's absolutely the right thing to do. But concentrating too much on fixing weaknesses can also distract you from something potentially much more valuable: getting even better at the things you're already good at.

There are certain skills you simply need
to do your job effectively!

If communicating with customers is an important part of your role but you struggle with it, improving your communication skills makes sense. If you need to understand particular software, manage a budget or give presentations, developing those abilities may be essential to progressing in your current career.

There's an important difference, however, between becoming competent at something you need and making it a major part of your career. If you dislike giving presentations, for example, learning to deliver one confidently could be worthwhile. That doesn't necessarily mean your next career move should involve spending half your week standing in front of an audience.

Now turn the question around. What do you do particularly well? More importantly, which of those things do you actually enjoy doing? These are potentially your career strengths.

You might naturally build relationships with people, solve complex problems, organise projects, generate ideas or explain difficult subjects in ways other people understand. Instead of spending all your development time trying to turn weaknesses into average abilities, what could happen if you invested some of that energy in turning your existing strengths into exceptional ones?

That could lead to roles where you're spending more of your
working life doing things you genuinely enjoy!

Career development doesn't have to mean becoming good at everything. Few people are, despite what some job descriptions appear to expect! The goal is to understand which weaknesses genuinely hold you back and improve them where necessary, while recognising the strengths that could take you forward.

So, instead of only asking yourself, "What do I need to get better at?", try asking another question: "What am I already good at that I'd love to become brilliant at?"

The answer could tell you far more about where your career should go next.

Until next time ...

DAVE CORDLE
Career Development Professional

07941 690 391

www.davecordle.co.uk / www.linkedin.com/in/davecordle

Everything you need for your career: www.davecordle.co.uk/basecamp

Would you like to know more?

If anything in my blog post resonates with you and you'd like some further help and advice with your career, then why not get in touch today? Call me on 07941 690391, visit my website at davecordle.co.uk to see ways I can help and support you, or connect with me on LinkedIn and let's start a conversation.

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#CareerDevelopment #Strengths #Weaknesses #TrainingOpportunities #ProfessionalGrowth

About Dave Cordle ...

I began my professional life training as a cartographer with the Directorate of Overseas Surveys, a department of the British government. I made maps of places such as Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Sudan and the British Virgin Islands. It was a fascinating time, being involved in planning the flights for aerial photography, interpreting the photographs and eventually producing the plates for the different layers of the final map.

It was during my latter years as a cartographer and my career in computing that I undertook bigger mountaineering expeditions to the Andes, the Himalayas, the Tien Shan and the Caucasus. At that time I also held various leadership roles in scouting. I coached and trained young people successfully leading them to develop themselves and embrace new experiences. So that’s where my passion comes from to help young people learn the strategies for success that I share with my business and career clients.

My journey in personal professional development and coaching has been amazing, and will continue to be so: it’s why I’m here, it’s my big passion. It’s what has informed my vision and mission.

However unlikely your dream might seem, if you keep taking steps towards it, even small steps, you may well just surprise yourself.

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Why focusing on your career strengths can be smarter than fixing your weaknesses

There are certain skills you simply needto do your job effectively!

Now turn the question around. What do you do particularly well? More importantly, which of those things do you actually enjoy doing? These are potentially your career strengths.

That could lead to roles where you're spending more of yourworking life doing things you genuinely enjoy!

There are certain skills you simply need
to do your job effectively!

That could lead to roles where you're spending more of your
working life doing things you genuinely enjoy!