‘Understanding your own flaws and shortcomings can inspire others, including your team’

The personalities of decision takers within an organisational structure have a striking effect on a company's workplace culture. As with almost everything in life, this acts as a double-edged sword.

When a team leader is riding a high, staff are positively impacted by this energy. On the other hand, low moments due to personal or professional shortcomings will also have an impact.

Everybody has flaws, including team leaders and executives, and the way one deals with those flaws can be a teachable moment.

This is an issue that ROCS Group Investments Team Manager Alexander Chetcuti highlighted on Friday, acknowledging that a business leader’s own flaws can serve as means to inspire and effectively lead a team.

“Understanding your own flaws and shortcomings can inspire others, including your own team,” he said.

To best explain this, he called upon his own personal experience, stating that he sometimes experiences nervousness and has bipolar tendencies.

“However, I use these experiences as examples of embracing one’s flaws, as I’m dedicated to working on them. I don’t feel ashamed of these imperfections, as they reflect my true self and the human aspect of having flaws,” Mr Chetcuti said.

“Instead of attempting to deny the reality that I can be short-tempered, particularly under pressure, I utilise it as an example and a potential solution to help others. I draw from my own journey to illustrate personal growth,” he added.

Every leader has some blemishes on their personalities which can serve as sources of vulnerability. However, the impact these flaws have depends on how they are addressed and how one learns from them.

Mr Chetcuti recalled how he had once received advice from someone he deeply respects for showing support throughout his career. That individual had suggested to refrain from describing himself as “impulsive” or “short-tempered”.

“Though I frequently remind myself of this advice, I also believe that exceptional leaders must acknowledge their imperfections and discover ways to address the shortcomings of their team members,” he continued.

He concluded by saying that he believes that “understanding and embracing one’s flaws, while actively seeking to improve, is integral to inspiring personal growth in others”.

Mr Chetcuti is an experienced sales executive who has worked as Investments Team Manager at ROCS Group for the past two years. He describes himself as a team player and is “always looking for new ways to add value and help to leverage the team’s strengths”.