Strengths Based Leadership

Everyone has strengths, but many leaders fail to recognize and apply them, often because they are hampered by the idea that they should be good at everything. Only when leaders understand their strengths can they use these abilities effectively to make their best contribution.

Some people tend to think a leader should have a complete set of skills, characteristics, and abilities to handle any problem, challenge, or opportunity that comes along. This myth of the ‘‘complete leader’’ can cause stress and frustration for leaders and followers, as well as damage to the organization. Sixty percent of leaders in one survey acknowledge that leaders face challenges that go beyond any individual’s capabilities. Therefore, the best leaders recognize and hone their strengths while trusting and collaborating with others to make up for their weak points.

A strength is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity. Talents are your natural patterns of thought, feeling and behavior. Talents are the things ‘you just do.’One person might be naturally outgoing and curious, for example; another might have a natural talent for being organized.

Once recognized, talents can be turned into strengths by consciously developing and enhancing them with learning and practice. Unless they are honed and strengthened and put to use, talents are merely aspects of one’s potential.

An individual’s strengths influences how effective a leader might be in a particular role. Leadership success partly depends on matching leaders with roles where their strengths can be most effective.