Exercising Emotional Reactions

I had someone ask me today what my weakness was. Isn't that always a hard question to answer truthfully? It always comes up in interviews, and people always seem to say that they don't have a weakness, which makes them look like a liar. Everyone has a weakness; or as I like to refer to it "an area for improvement". So what's mine?

Well, as the type-A person I am, I recognize that I have both many strengths and many weaknesses. The one I'm focused on right now is my tendency to react right away to something, usually with a highly emotional response. In business, that can used as an asset to gain trust, strengthen teams or win sales, and it has been a large part of why I've done so well- people see I have a passion for what I do and I get a lot of things done when I believe in it. However, it can also be a downfall: if someone does or says something I don't like, my mind immediately goes to the deep end: "this person doesn't know what their talking about!" then formulating my response while they talk. Its why I'm a much more confidant written communicator than a verbal one; because I have time to review instead of just responding.

Since someone pointed this weakness out to me, I've been more on the watch for that trap- and trying to put it in check through better listening and understanding. This also helps me develop a plan for fixing things myself, instead of just running for help to someone who I know can fix it for me. I'm still a ways away, but by focusing on this I think I'll start seeing myself as a better leader and be seen as a more confident asset.