November 13, 2008
Focus on Your Strengths
One of the things that has effected my leadership in a really positive way as been the idea of “focusing on your strengths.” So often leaders are quick to focus all their energy on what they aren’t good at and all they end up doing is neglecting the things that make them strongest.
It’s not necessarily that we ignore our weaknesses all together. Sure, we try to address them and in fact, the most helpful thing we can do is admit they are weaknesses and find people in our systems who will address them better than we ever could. Then, we can spend our time focusing on what we’re best at.
That said, how do you react to this statement from Edwin Friedman in his book A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix?
A group of clergy came to me from one of the major denominations in our society and said, “We are about to start a project that will raise fifty million dollars for our five hundred most troubled ministers. How would you spend it? I responded, “Why would you want to put the fifty million dollars into your five hundred most troubled? You will advance your denomination and our society far more if you put it into your five hundred best. They answer, “But we could never raise the money for that.”
11.14.08
By: john chandler
‘sup
11.20.08
By: Megs
That seems to be a very profound statement. I also wonder what would happen if they even split that amount– $25 million to their 500 strongest pastors and $25 million to assist in spreading the Gospel around the world. Talk about giving amazing people freedom and seeing amazing things accomplished!
I’ve been thinking a lot about strengths, too after reading Now, Discover Your Strengths. It’s really helped me not to feel the need to focus exhausting and disheartening effort on my many areas of weakness and instead asking God to bolster my spirit in the things I can do well. Thanks for all the quick words today!