Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths and Weaknesses
At True Balance Karate in Downers Grove, Illinois, we have a social-emotional learning program called True Character.
I’m Master H, the owner and chief instructor here at the studio. I have two master’s degrees in education, and we have developed this curriculum to meet the needs of our youngest students who are three or four, and our oldest student who is 86.
This month, we are talking about teamwork. I work with others positively to reach our goals, and earlier, we defined different teams that we might be on. Last week, we talked about what causes our team to be successful or to fail.
Self-Awareness
Today, we’re talking about strengths and weaknesses. We all bring strengths and weaknesses to the teams that we are on. The goal—or the trick—is being able to recognize where we are strong and where we need help. If we’re not honest with ourselves about that, the team might not be as successful as it could be.
We need to be honest about where we are strong and where we are weaker. Maybe your strength is in your ability to listen to others, and you are great at hearing what they have to say. But your weakness is in responding back because it makes you nervous to talk out loud. It makes you anxious to share your opinions because you’re afraid you’re going to be judged.
Acknowledging Strengths
Knowing these things is really helpful because then you can say, “You know what? My strength is that I’m a great listener, but I’m not always the greatest at sharing the information back. I’m more comfortable emailing it to you. Is that okay?” Your teammates may respond, “Sure, absolutely.”
Or maybe it’s something you continually work on to get better at so you grow that skill. Because remember, nobody grows in their comfort zone.
Another strength you might have is that you bring a lot of energy and you’re a very motivating person. You can mentor people and bring out the best in them, and you have a positive energy that goes along with it. That’s a great strength to have. But you have to be honest with yourself and know that this is your strength—something you can contribute to the team.
Recognizing Weaknesses
On the other hand, you also need to recognize your weaknesses—things that might hold the team back. Maybe you are not great at using a computer. You’d rather have face-to-face conversations because of how positive and energizing you are. Sitting at a computer and typing up reports isn’t your strong suit.
Working to Your Strengths
The only way to help the team succeed is to understand both your strengths and weaknesses. When you do, you’re open to all the things you can learn from your team. You learn how to get things done together to accomplish the same goal. You figure out how to divide up work fairly so that everyone has a piece of the project. You might even gain new perspectives and ideas that will help with future projects.
Elementary and junior high students often find themselves on team projects, and I hear them talk about how “it’s not fair that I’m doing all the work and this person isn’t.” It’s important to learn, as team members, how to advocate for what we need, divide up the work fairly, and listen to each other in a respectful way.
As we grow our teamwork skills, we can meet our goals and have a positive experience at the same time.
Next week, we’ll finish up our discussion on teamwork by talking about when we might have to actually go against the team—because that’s also an important aspect of teamwork. Keeping our eyes open is key, but we’ll get to that next week.
Thanks, and I’ll see you on the mat!
True Balance Karate was founded in 2012 by Master Sue and Paul Helsdon.
We offer kids karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up. These lessons are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need — specialized for their age group — for school excellence and later success in life.
Our adult martial arts training is a complete adult fitness and conditioning program for adults who want to lose weight, get (and stay) in shape, or learn self-defense in a supportive environment.
Instructors can answer questions or be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 630-663-2000. You can also contact us here. True Balance Karate is at 406 Ogden Ave Downers Grove Illinois, 60515 (next to CVS) Check out our Facebook!