Great, GREAT post...except for deprecating the question about weaknesses. Any candidate worth his/her salt knows what his weaknesses are, AND understands at least a bit about how to counteract them by building on the strengths of teammates. Senior level candidates, at the MSG/SGM level, should understand A LOT about how to counteract their own weaknesses.
If a candidate gives you the "Michael Scott " answer, this itself is not a neutral--it's a BIG red flag, telling you that the candidate either grossly lacks self-awareness, or is trying to BS you.
Interesting example: Many years ago, before the widespread adoption of GPS, I served with a senior-level commander who didn't feel he was that great at land navigation. What did he do? He had a known-good navigator ride along to ensure correct navigation (as a bonus, freeing his time and attention for command issues and activities while on the move)--and he was quite open with us on his staff about why he did this. It was a perfect example of knowing one's weakness, and making up for it using others' strengths.
A three-pointer, to follow Michael Jordan’s lead. Excellent perspective and assessment. Young/younger Soldiers too often lack the self awareness to fully understand or appreciate what their true weaknesses are.
Great, GREAT post...except for deprecating the question about weaknesses. Any candidate worth his/her salt knows what his weaknesses are, AND understands at least a bit about how to counteract them by building on the strengths of teammates. Senior level candidates, at the MSG/SGM level, should understand A LOT about how to counteract their own weaknesses.
If a candidate gives you the "Michael Scott " answer, this itself is not a neutral--it's a BIG red flag, telling you that the candidate either grossly lacks self-awareness, or is trying to BS you.
Interesting example: Many years ago, before the widespread adoption of GPS, I served with a senior-level commander who didn't feel he was that great at land navigation. What did he do? He had a known-good navigator ride along to ensure correct navigation (as a bonus, freeing his time and attention for command issues and activities while on the move)--and he was quite open with us on his staff about why he did this. It was a perfect example of knowing one's weakness, and making up for it using others' strengths.
Thanks Sir - yes, I agree with you that the weakness is important. I just prefer to explore it from a different angle - thanks for the feedback!
A three-pointer, to follow Michael Jordan’s lead. Excellent perspective and assessment. Young/younger Soldiers too often lack the self awareness to fully understand or appreciate what their true weaknesses are.