What Are You Great At?
At the 1984 Olympic Games, the Chinese team won the ping-pong gold medal yet again. Curious about their strategy, a reporter asked the team’s coach, “Tell me about your team’s daily training regimen.” He replied, “We practice eight hours a day perfecting our strengths. Here is our philosophy: If you develop your strengths to the maximum, the strength becomes so great it overwhelms the weakness. Our winning player, you see, plays only his forehand. Even though he cannot play backhand–and his competition knows he cannot play backhand–his forehand is so invincible that it cannot be beaten.”
Most people think a leader should know everything, be good at everything, and can do everything. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, I would argue that it is the complete opposite. A great leader can’t possibly know everything; they are only good at a few things and certainly don’t do all the work by themselves. The longer people buy into this leadership myth, the more detrimental it is. This type of thinking sets one up for a leadership disaster or, at the very least, burnout. To become a valuable player and leader, exploit your greatest strengths. Don’t try to be everything, be who you are when you’re at your best.
George Herman Ruth, known as Babe Ruth, played major league baseball from 1914-1935. He started his career as a pitcher for the Red Sox but later became known as the famous “Bambino Slugger” for the New York Yankees. During the season of 1923, Ruth broke the record for most home runs. He slammed 60 of them right over the fence. He also broke the record for highest batting average during that same year. Most people do not know that, during this same season, he also struck out more than any other player in Major League Baseball. And yet, he is not remembered for his strikeouts; he is remembered for being the record-breaking home run hitter. He was so good when he hit the ball that no one focused on his strikeouts.
People will be more impacted by your strengths than your weaknesses. If you want to stand out, find out what you do well and do it as often as you can. When you bring your unique strengths to the table, you’ll have a voice in the crowd. Most people are so bogged down doing tasks they’re not good at or equipped for that they never get the chance to do what they excel at. According to a recent Gallup report on employee engagement, 50.8% felt as though they were not being utilized to their fullest potential. This is a tragedy. You can’t wait for someone to hand you the opportunity to work in your strengths; you have to take the initiative. Figure out how you can utilize your strengths in every situation.
