Is your weakness overshadowing your strengths? Shivani Manchandra, Career Consultant and Director of Career Track, suggests four easy ways to convert your weaknesses into your strengths. Illustrations by Uttam Ghosh

Renu came to me feeling like a failure and totally inept.

She is studying in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and somehow no matter how hard she tries she just cannot get the marks she deserves.

I spent some time understanding her study patterns and eventually gave her a small essay to write.

The concepts Renu introduced in her write-up were very good and to the point. But unfortunately her grammar and her writing skills left much to be desired.

Coming from a vernacular medium to a prestigious institution is a source of pride to all but the competency level in certain areas needs to be dramatically stepped up to succeed in that set-up.

My suggestion to her was to build her skill-set in English to such an extent that her language would do justice to the sophistication of her thought.

All of us in our respective careers need to spend a little time analysing our skills, competencies and abilities.

If at one side of the scale we put all our strengths then on the other side our weaknesses, inabilities will weigh us down and prevent us from reaching our full potential.

For example, you may be good at understanding the concepts in science but when it comes to solving numerical problems you begin to stumble. Or another student maybe able to solve the problems but does not have adequate speed to crack the competitive exams.

That means even though these students have the necessary understanding and ability within their subject area, owing to one weakness they cannot achieve the goal they have set for themselves.

Thus for fulfilling their potential these students would have to work upon their problem-solving and speed to eventually achieve what they truly deserve.

If you fail in a project or perform at a level lower than your expectations, ask yourself the following questions.

Did I understand the subject matter?

Was I able to express the content in a manner that was required by the examiner?

Did I manage my time well before the assessment?

Was I able to revise the key points appropriately?

Answers to these questions and other questions like this will enable you to perform at your optimum best.

For honestly acknowledging your weakness to yourself is really the first step each of us needs to take in the journey called success.

Once you know that you have a difficulty in a certain area you can think about ways to overcome it.

For instance, in Renu's case developing her English language ability can make a huge difference to her ability to succeed in IIT where all exams and eventually job interviews are always in that language.

By no means do I wish to imply that each one of us needs to be perfect.

But if your lack of ability to meet deadlines is consistently making you lose grades in the internal assessment, then you need to work on your time management skills such that your grades represent your true capability.

Once you have identified your limitation take time to assess if you need help in improving it.

In some case just talking to a friend and understanding the strategies they are using can give you an insight. I think what we learn from our peers or classmates should never be underestimated.

A friend who is achieving the goals you desire can be the right mentor for you as it is easier to observe and emulate the study habits of our friends closely.

If your weakness is emerging from lack of understanding or knowledge then raising the right questions in class can enable you to get the extra help both from your teachers and your friends.

Increase the number of people and number of books you read on that topic till you reach a certain level of understanding.

This kind of tenacity, even though time consuming, is what separates the winners from the "also-rans" of life.

Think of your weaknesses as little leaks that your pitcher of life has developed on the way and if you fix those leaks you can eventually see yourself overflow with the ability to accomplish your goals successfully.