A leader without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder. – Thomas Carlyle
I saw a Peanuts cartoon in which Lucy is seen peering out the window with a sad face looking at the rain. Linus says to her, “Are you complaining again? Do you realize that you spend all your time complaining?” Lucy looks at Linus and replies, “Why shouldn’t I complain? It’s the only thing I am good at!”
What are you good at? Are you playing to your strengths? A leader’s frustration exists when you are playing the roles others have designed or placed upon you rather than fulfilling the role for which you were designed to live. It’s when you understand and embrace your strengths that you live your destiny and add value to others. There are many benefits to playing to your strengths. Here are four.
Playing to your strengths gives clarity. When playing to your strengths you are focused on what you do best. Instead of tinkering around the margins doing things half-heartedly or with little passion, you are free to excel at the one thing you were born to do.
My friend Jack Hickey writes, “Do not look at what you cannot do; look at what you do well. Once you find that, you build on it. Don’t under-estimate yourself or your abilities.” The value of playing to your strengths is that you are being true to yourself and that is very liberating.
Playing to your strengths builds confidence. The greatest hindrance to a confident team player is one who is not playing to their strengths. Confidence is found in the mastery of doing a few things exceptionally well as opposed to do many things in mediocre fashion.
When you play to your strengths and gain more confidence the tide begins to turn in your favor for greater success. Joseph Storey said, “Have confidence that if you have done a little thing well, you can do a bigger thing well, too.” Playing to your strengths breeds confidence and unleashes a whole new degree of potential for success on all levels.
Playing to your strength gives courage. Napoleon Hill said, “Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited.” He is right. And when you enjoy the work for which you are best suited for you will face your challenges and adversities with a determination that you are going to succeed regardless of what you face.
Clarity and confidence will give rise to the courage you need to take risks, step out of your comfort zone and to eventually live out your purpose and destiny. Without courage you will never take the first steps of playing to your strengths.
Playing to your strengths brings contentment. There is great satisfaction when you play to your strengths. When asked in a Gallup survey a few years ago, only 20 percent of those surveyed said that they are working in the area of their strengths at work. Think of how much more productive those employees and companies would be if they did.
John Maxwell said, “The number one reason people don’t like their jobs is that they are not working in the area of their strengths.” And this is why it is so important to discover it. It will make a world of difference for you in every area of your life.
Are you playing to your strengths?