We all know strong personalities. By this I mean people who are “doers,” accomplish a lot, support other people emotionally, and take inordinate responsibility for others. They may take flack for their actions and opinions but they have an attitude of being able to accomplish difficult feats. They do not shy away from difficult tasks or decisions. And, we are all familiar with weak personalities, those who let others carry the workload, and those who punt on decision-making. These people avoid responsibility and take the easy way out of difficult situations. These weak people act helpless and self-centered.
So how do strong personalities create the weak ones? They do this through their ever-ready penchant to do too much for the weak personalities in their families, and in their workplaces. Once strong personalities identify weak ones, they expect less and less of them. The strong allow the weak to get away with, and even excuse, their irresponsible behaviors. The strong do not hold the weak accountable. The weak person who slacks at his job has his strong counterpart do his work. This strong person does not complain unless the situation gets egregiously bad. The strong person just does the extra work, often with delight, to show what a hard worker he is. Thus, the weak personality worsens in doing less because his strong counterpart does more. This is how strong personalities create and worsen weak people. Do you know of people and situations like this in your families or at work?