Strength Barrier Feedback Loop
Turn a strength's harmful side effects into behavior changes
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 97%
The Strength Barrier Feedback Loop starts from the idea that a strength can produce admired results and unwanted side effects at the same time. Rather than guessing how to weaken or suppress the trait, the person explains the strength to people who experience it, asks for examples of its positive effects, and then asks where it creates friction. A potential downside only counts as a barrier if it causes an actual problem. The person then asks the affected people what behavior would alleviate that problem. This grounds adaptation in observable impact and preserves the useful strength instead of treating it as a defect.
Origin
Kristin Sherry calls the negative effects of strengths 'barriers' and uses outside feedback to identify and alleviate them.
Core principles
- 01Every strength can create positive effects and interpersonal barriers
- 02A trait is a barrier only when it causes a real problem for someone
- 03The affected person is the best source of a workable adjustment
- 04Behavior should be adapted without abandoning the underlying strength
How to run it
- 1
Describe the strength
Give peers, reports, managers, or friends a clear description of the strength you want to examine. Include how it usually appears in your behavior.
Pro tip Ask people from several relationship contexts to reduce blind spots.
Watch out Do not ask only people likely to reassure you.
- 2
Collect the positives
Ask for concrete examples of what people admire when you use the strength. Preserve the behaviors that create value.
Pro tip Request examples rather than adjectives.
- 3
Find real barriers
Ask how the same strength gets in the way or causes problems. Discard hypothetical weaknesses that have no actual impact.
Pro tip Look for repeated effects across respondents.
Watch out Do not label an effect a barrier merely because it could be perceived negatively.
- 4
Ask for an adjustment
Ask the affected person what you could do differently to alleviate the barrier. Convert the answer into a small observable behavior.
Pro tip Frame the change as better calibration, not removal of the strength.
Watch out Do not invent a solution without hearing the people who experience the impact.
- 5
Test and revisit
Practice the adjustment and return to the same people for feedback. Keep what reduces friction without erasing the strength's benefits.
In the wild
A leader's maximizer strength raises quality, but her team experiences repeated edits as evidence that their work is never good enough. She asks what would alleviate the barrier. The team requests that she define the quality bar before work begins and distinguish required corrections from optional refinements.
→ The leader retains high standards while making feedback less demoralizing.
Common mistakes
Guessing your own impact
Self-analysis cannot replace feedback from people who directly experience the behavior.
Treating every downside as a barrier
Only effects that cause a real problem warrant intervention.
Is it for you?
Best for
Leaders and high performers whose strongest traits sometimes frustrate colleagues, friends, or direct reports.
Not ideal for
Situations where the criticism is vague, unsupported, or unrelated to the person's behavior.
From the transcript
“i call that the barriers to your strengths so you have the positives that people can see about your strengths and the barriers”
“if it's not causing a problem for people then i say it's not a barrier it has to be causing problems”
“the way it impacts others is what matters and their voice is where we're going to get the strategies for what we need to do…”
From the episode
Kristin Sherry: Find Your Dream Job
Kristin Sherry