Strengths and Weaknesses

Discuss the December 2015 book of the month Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery.
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siusantos
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Re: Strengths and Weaknesses

Post by siusantos »

I agree that sometimes, one's strength could also be their weekness. In Jorge's case, his will of pursuing a goal until the end had been a great strength which in turn lead to his eventual downfall.
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Post by readerrihana »

Strengths can be weaknesses at times due to the situation. At times we find our weaknesses are our strengths, it is how we use them and the times and situations that we apply them in
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Post by Damis Seres Rodriguez »

I think a single trait can very well be the same a weakness and a strength, depending on the way you use it on your day by day. The same thing could turn as a profit or a detriment according to the circumstance. It is clearly not the same being willing to take risks when you're talking about trying new food or going to new places than being willing to take risks by investing everything you own in a potential disaster that will make you lose it all, you know what i mean? So the fact that he listed the same things as weaknesses and strength makes all the sense to me.
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Post by lrosselli »

I think that we can safely say that to some degree our strengths and weakness are one in the same, however, this is not true all the time. There are absolutely characteristics that really can only be classified as weaknesses an example of this could be a tendency to give up easily. I can not think of a situation in which giving up easily could be a redeeming quality or strength.

It's also worth noting that his list of strengths and weaknesses are actually not EXACTLY the same. The 10th characteristics that he lists in each list are actually different with the weakness being, "I do not delegate enough" and the strength being "I can work 18 hours a day if needed."

That said, I think that in Newbery's case his strengths really were also his weaknesses and that changing the last lines of the list was just for the sake of a joke. I say that because if you look at not delegating as a weakness, but then try to turn it into a strength you will likely remember the old saying "If you want something done right, do it yourself." I don't think that Jorge Newbery would've overlooked that. I think that he proved throughout the novel that he is a very meticulous man.

I do have to agree that making his lists almost exactly the same was quite clever though. I hope to see more of this kind of writing from Newbery in the future, but honestly, I doubt that we will.
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Post by JMLMurphy »

I did find this a very clever introduction to Burn Zones by Jorge Newbery. I think that the message of strengths being the same as weaknesses lie not only in the eye of the beholder but also in the circumstances. Everything is relative. If it were possible to create a perfect person with perfect levels of strengths, there would be such an innate lack of diversity in exposure and experience. Strength-based leadership is founded on the idea that one should not shy away from natural strengths by focusing effort and time on weaknesses but instead to hone and perfect individual and unique abilities. Just like anything taken out of moderation, a strength can become a weakness if it becomes all-encompassing or off balance. If my strength is empathy and emotional intelligence, I can utilize that in many different ways to achieve success; However, if my emotional depth becomes too powerful and too much of a crutch, I can easily become withdrawn and self-conscious. I think an introspective awareness of our own strengths can lead us to anticipate weaknesses and can help to balance the two.
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Post by DEEPA PUJARI »

I found this very interesting. In my case the points I think as my strengths often turn into my weakness. For e.g. I am a very friendly person. I tend to get comfortable with people quickly. This has often landed me in trouble.
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Post by VSuraj »

Washboard wrote: 12 Jul 2019, 14:50 I think all traits could be seen as either a strength or a weakness, depending on the context. My trusting personality is a strength in healthy relationships (friendship, co-workers, romantic, or anything else), but a weakness in toxic ones.
I agree that it depends on the context; a strength in one context can be a weakness in another. But at the end of the day, they are all connected, and they form a large part of our personality.

Mr. Newbery's strength was not giving up on a challenge, but this worked against him with the Woodland Meadows situation (granted, other factors were working against him also, but I hope you get the idea).
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Post by Teddyquam »

I think that any strength can also double as a weakness and vice versa. For myself, I am very headstrong, and that is good for getting me to my end goal and sticking to my moral, but it makes it hard for me to see other viewpoints. Being aware that your strengths can also be your weaknesses is what I think is important.
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Post by cookiedough »

Newbery's list of strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of his book was clever. A strength can be a weakness in a different situation and vice versa. Too much of a strength can turn into a weakness. Everything in moderation and balance is key.
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Post by Barbara Larkin »

I do agree with this. In the movies, the antagonist is always quick to call the protagonist's feelings of love and caring his greatest weaknesses, but in the end we find that love conquers all so it was always his strength and whatnot (cliche but it gets the point across). Maybe it's from a specific person's vantage point. If someone calls you stubborn it can mean you're either really driven or resistant to counsel. They're still related.
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Post by panada_ »

It's true that Jorge's "weakness" of stubbornly seeing things through until the end caused an unfortunate outcome at Woodland Meadows, but in some aspects that experience also became his strength. He learned a lot from that experience and even used the feelings of frustration to empathize with other people and start his next business.

So I guess that means that it's okay to have weaknesses because failure often leads to growth. But of course, when possible it's always best to learn from other people's mistakes so that you're able to reap the lesson without taking the damage.
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Post by anaplasticCerebrum »

Like others have said, it's definitely situational. Sometimes introversion can be beneficial; other times speaking out can be. That's why I celebrate the fact we all have different personalities and attributes, so we can excel in different tasks! We always have something to learn from others' strengths. Personally, I know I am quite aloof and independent. Sometimes this makes people feel more comfortable talking to me because they know I don't care enough to judge them or act a certain way. Sometimes though I seem rude because I don't bother trying to follow conventions of politeness.
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Post by Mrunal Tikekar »

I think ‘I care deeply about people’ has proven to be my strength and weakness! There is a lot of wisdom to what Newbery has said. I can relate to it.
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Post by Readinggrl18 »

I like that his lists are virtually the same because of what it says about him. I think to some degree, strengths are opposite of weakness but not always. I would say my own list would vary a bit more, although they may stem from the same attribute. For example, I work with small children and can get down and silly with the best of them. However, I get extremely uncomfortable with talking to new adults or public speaking.

I think recognizing our strengths and weaknesses is extremely important to find work we love, and helps in relationships and helps us to learn and grow in life. I did learn from my first interviews that it is how you present those weaknesses that is important though.
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Post by Bridget Ball 1 »

I found this introduction to the book and Jorge quite humourous. One of my strengths and weaknesses is that I have an incredible memory. It's nice to remember things in great detail but at the same time being able to remember so clearly gets you and others in trouble a lot of time. You also get teased. My friends from high school like to joke and call me the walking talking year book. My memory can be helpful though when you need to remember important things such as passwords or your social security number. I don't know how I obtained this ability and have never practices to improve it. It's just something that occurs within me naturally.
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