My professional weakness

Back in 2018, as I was preparing to leave the Army, I went through some interviewing seminars. One of the questions that frequently came up was, "What is your professional weakness?" I'd heard this question before in Foreign Service interviews, but I didn't have a good answer at the time.

Now I do. "I don't play Kindergarten soccer." The natural follow-up question is, "What do you mean?"

I learned to play soccer during elementary school, so to me, playing soccer is all about playing a position. You pass the ball to me, I pass it to that person, and they shoot the goal. Boom. Everybody wins.

But Kingergarten students don't do that. They all bunch up around the ball in a huge mass, all trying to kick it in some direction or another. They're more concerned with just kicking the ball than trying to get it where it's supposed to go.

I've worked in organizations like that. Everyone's more concerned with getting the bright shiny thing for the boss than doing the their assigned role. They're graded more on "going above and beyond" than their actual job. As a result, people are tripping over each other, withholding information, and fighting each other as much as the other team. If you've ever heard boss say, "I don't care who does it; I just want it done!" that's an organization that's playing Kindergarten soccer.

I don't do well in that kind of culture. When I played sports, I did best on defense. I didn't need glory. I liked making a good save better than making someone else look bad.

But in a Kindergarten soccer environment, it can look like I'm diinterested. I'm the kid who's standing in the spot they were assigned, waiting for the ball to come into my zone, and wondering why other people can't do the same.

I like professionalism. I like being able to do my job well. But my professional weakness -- my inability to play Kindergarten soccer -- is most apparent when I'm in a disorganized, unprofessional environment. And I don't like situations where I can't do my best.