Leaders Must Know Their Strengths And Weaknesses

Nobody is an expert in all areas. In over thirty years of working closely with, advising and consulting to well over a thousand leaders, I have come to realize that we often want to believe that our leaders possess prowess regarding everything, while the reality is quite different. Each leader I have ever come into contact with possessed certain strengths, as well as certain weaknesses, although some had more strengths than others.

Those leaders who wish to maximize their abilities must first realistically evaluate them, so as to fully understand what their capabilities personally are, and in which areas they must reach out to others for assistance and/ or guidance. Just as we should evaluate the strengths and weaknesses (also known as pros and cons) of any large purchase, such as a car or home, we should do the same when it comes to self- evaluation.


1. I recommend that the first thing someone do is to actually put these things on paper. First, place a line down the middle of the paper, one side for your strengths and the other side for weaknesses. The most essential first step is to commit to being completely honest with yourself. This means you'll have to look at yourself as if someone else was doing the evaluating, or as you might evaluate someone else.

2. This procedure must be done by category or trait, for both strengths and weaknesses. These traits include, but are not limited to: integrity; commitment; vision; goals; taking action; inner strength/ fortitude; communication skills, including oral, written, etc., but also including your willingness to communicate openly and fully; organizational skills; decision making skills and abilities; willingness to expand one's comfort zone; empathy; commitment to expanded training and learning; open- mindedness and ability to in a non- judgmental manner evaluate alternatives; creating an agenda; and caring. Although these are by no means all the characteristics and traits that go into be a top leader, self- evaluation of these is certainly an excellent first step.

3. What are you willing to do, and what will you do, to address those areas where you are not your strongest? Obviously, attaining additional training, and learning well to gain the expertise that will provide you with the knowledge to act wisely an in a timely manner, is a good beginning. However, those that wish to become elite leaders must formulate a small but extremely valuable "inner circle" of advisers, to advise you in your weaker areas, as well as acting as a sounding board in those stronger areas. Leaders must beware that when they select advisers, they should use the same type of strengths versus weaknesses format, because these advisers only provide value when they are also open- minded, with no personal agenda, and are also fully committed to the well being of the organization.

It is sometimes difficult to be an introspective leader, but it is also quite beneficial and essential. Commit to knowing yourself better if you truly are committed to being an effective and successful leader.

Source:

How to Make More Money and Increase Your Salary

42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself - Part 1

Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to improve yourself and become better?

If you do, then we have something in common. I’m very passionate about personal growth. It was just 4 years ago when I discovered my passion for growing and helping others grow. At that time, I was 22 and in my final year of university. As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized there was nothing more meaningful than to pursue a life of development and betterment. It is through improving ourselves that we get the most out of life.

After 1.5 years of actively pursuing growth and helping others to grow through my personal development blog, I realize there is never an end to the journey of self improvement. The more I grow, the more I realize there is so much out there I don’t know, so much that I have to learn. For sure, there is always something about ourselves we can improve on. The human potential is limitless, so it’s impossible to reach a point of no growth. Whenever we think we are good, we can be even better.

As a passionate advocate of growth, I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. I’ve compiled 42 of my best tips which might be helpful in your personal growth journey. Some of them are simple steps which you can engage in immediately. Some are bigger steps which takes conscious effort to act on. Here they are:

1. Read a book every day. Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you expose yourself to. What are some books you can start reading to enrich yourself? Some books I’ve read and found useful are Think and Grow Rich, Who Moved My Cheese, 7 Habits, The Science of Getting Rich and Living the 80/20 Way. I’ve heard positive reviews for The Tipping Point, Outliers and The Difference Maker, so I’ll be checking them out soon.

2. Learn a new language. As a Singaporean Chinese, my main languages are English, Mandarin and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect). Out of interest, I took up language courses in the past few years such as Japanese and Bahasa Indonesian. I realized learning a language is a whole new skill altogether and the process of acquainting with a new language and culture is a totally a mind-opening experience.

3. Pick up a new hobby. Beyond just your usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can pick up? Any new sport you can learn? Examples are fencing, golf, rock climbing, football, canoeing, or ice skating. Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. For example, pottery, Italian cooking, dancing, wine appreciation, web design, etc.  Learning something new requires you to stretch yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.

4. Take up a new course. Is there any new course you can join? Courses are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills. It doesn’t have to be a long-term course – seminars or workshops serve their purpose too. I’ve been to a few workshops and they have helped me gain new insights which I had not considered before.

5. Create an inspirational room. Your environment sets the mood and tone for you. If you are living in an inspirational environment, you are going to be inspired every day. In the past, I didn’t like my room at all because I thought it was messy and dull. A few years ago, I decided this was the end of it – I started on a “Mega Room Revamp” project and overhauled my room. The end result? A room I totally relish being in and inspires me to be at my peak every day.

6. Overcome your fears. All of us have fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears  keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing. Recognize that your fears reflect areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass for growth. If I have a fear about something, it represents something I’ve yet to address, and addressing it helps me to grow.

7. Level up your skills. If you have played video games before especially RPGs, you’ll know the concept of leveling up – gaining experience so you can be better and stronger. As a blogger, I’m constantly leveling up my writing skills. As a speaker, I’m constantly leveling up my public engagement abilities. What skills can you level up?

8. Wake up early. Waking up early (say, 5-6am) has been acknowledged by many (Anthony Robbins, Robin Sharma, among other self-help gurus) to improve your productivity and your quality of life. I feel it’s because when you wake up early, your mindset is already set to continue the momentum and proactively live out the day. Seth recently wrote a waking up early series which you should check out to help cultivate this habit.

9. Have a weekly exercise routine. A better you starts with being in better physical shape. I personally make it a point to jog at least 3 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time. You may want to mix it up with jogging, gym lessons and swimming for variation.

10. Start your life handbook. A life handbook is an idea I started 3 years ago. Basically, it’s a book which contains the essentials on how you can live your life to the fullest, such as your purpose, your values and goals. Sort of like your manual for your life. I started my life handbook since 2007 and it’s been a crucial enabler in my progress.