Written by: David Lutes, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Shouldn't be/ shouldn't do. Mistakes, wrong turns, detours, or distractions steering you into pain or unfulfillment, life traps or pitfalls – socially, personally, financially, professionally – they happen. Shi...tuff happens! Sometimes we learn, sometimes we don’t. We may get a momentary glimpse of our dream job or life’s purpose and then never quite reach it – or get part-way there; or we may stumble, as it were, into doing something with our life and work that was completely unexpected – and actually fulfilling. Or an utterly unparalleled disaster.
Survival or life-necessities dictate. It, Life Happens.
It is good to ‘take stock’ from time to time, however, and let a gut-check like this article address those things in our lives – those temptations, contexts, people, crossroads, and choice-making situations – that tend to get us off track.
We need to be asking ourselves, what behaviors, attitudes, choices, etc., tend to ‘trip me up’?
What processes, steps or decision-methods tend to negatively impact the ‘direction’ I should be – and probably want to be – headed in?
Is it about my relationships, appetites, anger, power, money, greed, decision-making, lack of discipline, risk-taking, disconnection from my spiritual roots, impatience, impetuousness, fear of failure, need for approval, lack of confidence, immaturity…I just don’t care, etc., etc.?
If we are habitually not recognizing or learning from a life-pattern described by some of the words and phrases above, then we could probably legitimately call them Weaknesses. But for the sake of this article, we’re going to assume, (because you’re actually reading these words right now), that somewhere among the list is/are your Achilles Heel(s).
‘Achilles Heel(s)’
An Achilles Heel is a kind of weakness – but is more like a small vulnerability – despite one’s overall strength, which can lead to a stumble or downfall or ‘backslide’. It can be the weakest point in our character or nature, where it is easiest for other people to attack, dismiss or criticize us. It can be moral, ethical, social, mental, emotional, or other weak or susceptible-to-falling/tripping/detouring spots or areas in our lives.
e.g.,
"Though he was a good person, his short temper was his Achilles Heel".
"Overall, they were a strong team, but there is a weak link in their defense, and that could prove to be their Achilles Heel".
"She/he was a good student, but English literature was always her/his Achilles Heel".
"Fear of spiders was his Achilles Heel".
"Fear of failure was his/her Achilles Heel".
“His ideas are brilliant, but his inability to follow through and complete things may be his Achilles Heel”.
We all have an Achilles' Heel – or two…or three. Even the toughest among us has a weak spot, or secret, or outer or inner injury or tendency – or two – or three. This ‘spot’ or thing may mutate, grow, shift, shrink and otherwise change – for the better or worse – as we get older. It can be seemingly small but can actually be a crucial vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation – or in times and places when we are usually on top of our game.
Personally – e.g., moral, ethical, spiritual, social; prejudice, bias, intolerance, discrimination, pride
Professionally – What are your ‘Work and Career De-railers’? (ref. Korn-Ferry/Hay Group – Lominger – see below)
Work or career ‘de-railers’ often involve blind spots or knee-jerk reactions to situations or people. They are behavior tendencies or patterns that make us ineffective or can even be destructive to different degrees and in a variety of ways. If not addressed, they can eventually knock us sideways and shift a job and even a career off its ‘tracks’.
We can get or become ‘de-railed’.
‘Career De-railers’
Here are 6 Most Common Work and Career ‘De-railers’
Difficulty adapting to change; too rigid; inflexible
Lacking focus/don't complete things; easily distracted
Difficulty building, leading, or working as part of a team; not a team player; tendency to be selfish
Don't deliver on promises/lack of commitment; ego-centric
Disengaged; appear bored or dissatisfied with work; disconnected
Problems with interpersonal relationships; not trusted; violate or compromise the trust of others
“Where we stumble and fall, therein lies our treasure.” – (Joseph Campbell)
Story Context – American Gridiron: Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner – in the film Draft Day, 2014) when trying to determine if a star college quarterback (QB) should be the professional team Cleveland Brown’s No. 1 Draft Pick (first choice out of hundreds of other college graduates) – had to consider many things. He had to weigh up and balance skill, ‘work’ ethic, heart, drive, ‘team-manship’ and character. He was comparing some of the best QB’s in history who were told that they had either great strengths or great defects – but still went on to be great (or in some cases, later failed and didn’t meet expectations).
As Costner explained to his player research team, “They (those other highly rated college players) had ‘something’ that defined them and that ultimately truly ‘mattered’ to their professional careers.”
He told his team…
“They all had that special ‘something’ that made a difference; that mattered…we need to find out what our choice of QB’s ‘something’ is. Then, we need to figure out if it matters or not.”
As it turned out, their preferred QB had a serious character defect that ruled him out as Cleveland’s choice – and almost completely knocked him out of contention or consideration by the other 30 teams altogether.
“The list of mistakes you can never recover from is actually very short. Knowing your Achilles Heel; knowing those things that you must absolutely not do job or career-wise because they take you off course from your purpose – is a treasure of discovery.” – (David Lutes)
David Lutes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
David Lutes is a global talent management, organizational development and leadership coach, consultant and trainer. A former church pastor, he is radically and passionately committed to helping people discover their meaning, purpose and direction for their life and career. He has been described as a 'gift and latent skill detector and developer', as he helps people and the organizations they work in discover the wealth and richness within their people.
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