(Today is question #5 of 7 from my re-reading of John Maxwell’s book, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, along with an excerpt from the book. Take time to not only reflect on the questions but to answer them.)

5. Am I Staying In My Strength Zone?
A Question of Effectiveness

Of all the questions I ask myself as a leader, this one has done the most to help me reach my potential. But I didn’t know to ask it at the beginning of my career. I spent too much time on the wrong things and mistook activity for progress.

How can we ever reach our potential if we don’t know what we do well?
I was fortunate to have parents who recognized, encouraged, and cultivated my strengths, so I got an early start in life in this area. But I also worked at learning about them. I tried new things. I asked people for constructive feedback. And I used tools to help me understand who I am.

As I discovered my strengths, I disciplined myself to work within and improve on those strengths. As I grew in them, I developed my uniqueness and found a greater sense of purpose.

Staying in your strengths gives you an advantage. In a world where people spend much of their time shoring up their weaknesses, your focus on maximizing your strengths will set you apart from others.

Staying in your strengths also gives you opportunities. The more you focus on your strengths, the better you will be positioned to see and seize opportunities as they arise.

~Evolution of Self
#strengths #effectiveness #focus #opportunities #wednesdaywisdom