When Your Strengths Become Liabilities
Maria Schwaller
According to Merriam-Webster, a perfectionist is a someone who has a tendency to view anything that is not perfect as unacceptable.
Whenever someone calls me a perfectionist, I know they aren’t complementing me but rather, they mean to hurt my feelings. They mean to say that I have unrealistic high expectations; I am being a stickler to certain rules; I am being picky. And while all of these things are true, I embrace my perfectionism. I see it as a positive quality I have over others. It means that I pay attention to details. I am concerned about quality and improvement. It means that I care.
The problem was that sometimes, I cared so much that I would get stuck in what seemed to be an endless improvement loop. Something could always be done better. And so it was. Over and over again. There would be no “final” draft but a revision. Then another and then another.
My perfectionism is a double-edged sword. What is my strength is also my weakness when it gets overused and it is my own endless improvement loop to learn how and when to use it.
As it turns out, we all have strengths that when they get overused become a liability. Here’s how it looks according to each Enneagram type.
Type 1
Strength: Easily see what needs to be fixed or improved
When it gets overused: Can have unreasonable high standards
Type 2
Strength: Focus on other people’s needs
When it gets overused: Can ignore own needs
Type 3
Strength: Focus on winning and achieving
When it gets overused: Can be overly competitive
Type 4
Strength: Deeply feeling and in touch with emotions
When it gets overused: Can be dramatic
Type 5
Strength: Having boundaries
When it gets overused: Can be isolated and lonely
Type 6
Strength: Analytical and questioning mind
When it gets overused: Can get stuck in worst case scenario thinking
Type 7
Strength: Optimistic thinking
When it gets overused: Can have unrealistic expectations
Type 8
Strength: Assertiveness; going after what you want
When it gets overused: Can inadvertently push people away because they are afraid of you
Type 9
Strength: Seeing multiple points of view
When it gets overused: Can forget to assert their own opinion
While our strengths can help us succeed personally and professionally, overusing them can turn them into liabilities. Recognizing when our strengths are working for us versus when they are holding us back is key to maintaining balance, fostering growth, and building healthier versions of ourselves.
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