Playing to Your Strengths

In working with senior leadership teams in strategic sessions, I make it a habit to challenge them to identify and articulate their organization’s unique strengths. These are the characteristics that differentiate them from other organizations which are otherwise similar to theirs. This often takes more time and effort than I expect, but it is worth the grind in the long run. After all, the things they do best (and better than most) usually sets them apart. While this is true of organizations, it’s also true of individuals.

Every so often, you probably find yourself working on something which requires your complete focus and total concentration. In those moments, you are so dialed in that you lose all track of time. There is a feeling of deep satisfaction and although you are working hard, it somehow doesn’t feel like it, at least, not in the traditional sense. In fact, working in this manner actually increases your energy rather than depleting it. When you are finished, you are tired, but it’s a good sort of tired; that is you’re aren’t “worn out.” Some refer to it as being “in the zone.” I call it working in your unique ability.

The extent to which you can build the majority of your work responsibilities around your unique ability, will go a long way in increased job satisfaction, and performance.

If you and your teammates know and understand each other’s unique abilities and can, for the most part, calibrate the workload to fit these abilities, organizational performance and results can improve exponentially.

So, just what are your unique abilities? In which areas do you prefer to perform, which can you tolerate (at least, for while) and which do you tend to avoid at all costs?

Sadly, while many executives may have a general sense of their unique abilities, few have taken the time to really examine this at close range. There are tools to help with this discovery process (The Harrison Assessment is an excellent option for this). And while this is an important first step commitment for business owners, CEO’s and senior executives, the process takes on deeper meaning when the entire senior team (at lease as a starting point) commits to understanding their unique abilities and those of their colleagues.

Irrespective of titles or organizational chart identification of responsibilities, the team process moves to a higher level of productivity and results when each member can be deployed in the directions of their unique abilities.

For more information on ways to optimize your performance and that of your team, contact me at joe@ajstrategy.com  

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.