In a prominent CEO benchmarking report, leaders were asked to identify their greatest weaknesses.

Here are the top 10 weaknesses they reported from the most to the least common:

Holding people accountable

Getting rid of under-performers

Staying focused

Creating a great business strategy

Being analytical about the business

Communicating clearly

Empathy for employees

Motivating my employees

Hiring the best people

Identifying new opportunities

Empathy for customers

What’s interesting about this research is leaders reported struggling with the top two issues (holding people accountable/getting rid of under-performers) at three to four times the rate they struggle with issues lower on the list.

This research tells us two things:

1. If you’re struggling with these issues, you’re not alone–it’s the hardest part of being a leader.

2. Those who possess the courage to admit it’s a problem, face it as a weakness that needs to be addressed, and commit to making improvements will emerge as better leaders.

I often advise leaders to focus less on improving their weaknesses and more on optimizing their natural strengths.

But these two weaknesses are too critical to be ignored.