Core message:
- Individuality instead of standardization: Success in leadership is not based on a fixed list of strengths, but on the individual recognition and use of one's own unique skills.
- Self-reflection and authenticity: More important than imitating other managers is recognizing your own strengths through self-reflection and using them authentically.
- The importance of own strengths: Effective leadership comes from recognizing and leveraging your own unique strengths, which leads to a natural and effortless leadership practice.
There are countless articles and contributions that give us a fixed list of strengths that a manager should have.
These lists are often filled with classic skills such as communication skills, emotional intelligence, decision-making skills, adaptability, delegation skills and strategic thinking. Even if such lists are occasionally expanded and varied, the basic idea often remains the same.
However, the question arises as to whether a fixed list of strengths really guarantees the success of a manager. Should we really be guided by a standardized template? Appearances could easily be deceiving: Here are six qualities and if you fulfill them, you’ll be a good leader. But that falls short.
In an era where organizations and teams are becoming increasingly diverse and complex, it makes sense to take a closer look and put aside the one-dimensional approach. The answer may be uncomfortable because it requires self-reflection and a deeper understanding of ourselves. This is a process that many people find difficult, as we also have to confront our darker sides. Personal development requires effort and the willingness to jump over one’s own shadow.
“The secret of a successful manager lies in recognizing and using your own strengths.”
Authentic leadership through your own strengths
Each of us has an individual mix of strengths, our personal strengths profile. However, we have often forgotten to trust in our strengths and build on them. Instead, we compare ourselves with others and try to imitate their strengths. The result is often that we do not reach our full potential and feel exhausted and dissatisfied. Because if we don’t focus on our own strengths, we will never be as successful as those who do.
Our strengths not only make us unique, but also enable us to be successful and find satisfaction in our personal and professional lives. It is crucial for managers to recognize and use these individual strengths. When we focus on our own strengths, we lead authentically, confidently and effectively.
The consequences of ignoring your own strengths
I meet many leaders in my work. Those who recognize and use their strengths lead in a natural and effortless way. They inspire and are role models for their team and other leaders.
However, there is a danger lurking here. Instead of taking themselves as role models and discovering and strengthening their own strengths, many people try to imitate successful managers and adopt their strengths.
This is a fatal mistake that means we always remain average and are unable to fulfill our potential. In addition, we lose our lightness and our actions appear less natural and effortless.
This situation can be compared to an eagle trying to swim like a duck. Despite great efforts, the eagle will never be able to swim as well as the duck. But as soon as it spreads its wings and flies, it reveals its true strengths and surpasses the duck by far.
Albert Einstein said a very apt sentence about this:
“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by whether it can climb trees, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
It is also about our own self-assessment. If we constantly compare ourselves with the strengths of others, we will always feel weak.
Example: Creativity and reuse
To make this topic easier to understand, I would like to illustrate this using the strength partners ‘creativity’ and ‘reuse’. Managers with the ‘Creativity’ strength are passionate creators of ideas. In meetings, they often reach for a pen to manifest their thoughts on whiteboards or paper. They excel at developing innovative concepts and filling a blank sheet of paper with new ideas.
On the other side are managers with the strength ‘reuse’. They are overwhelmed when they have to create something new from nothing. Their strength lies in modifying the existing. They take existing templates or texts and transform them into the desired target state in the shortest possible time. Here again, the manager with the strength ‘creativity’ would be blocked in their way of thinking.
It becomes clear why these two strengths are binary and why they are partners. Both strengths generate something new, but in completely different ways. If I try to imitate a manager with the strength ‘creativity’, but I myself have the strength ‘reuse’, this imitation leads to frustration, dissatisfaction and a feeling of incompetence.
Example: Lightness and conscientiousness
The strength partners ‘Ease’ and ‘Conscientiousness’ provide another instructive example. A manager who possesses the strength ‘Ease’ follows the Pareto principle. They accept that not everything has to be 100 percent perfect and often only approach tasks superficially at first to see how they develop. In contrast, a manager with the ‘conscientiousness’ strength focuses on precise and ideally 100% completion of work. They are considered reliable and are characterized by a high sense of responsibility and the accuracy of their work.
Here, too, both managers have their individual strengths and would be unhappy if they tried to imitate each other’s way of working
Conclusion:
So, what strengths should a manager have? The answer is: Their own. It’s not about conforming to a predetermined list of skills, but about identifying and utilizing your own unique strengths. This is the only way to really lead effectively and develop your full potential. I can only recommend this to every manager, take the time to recognize and promote your own strengths. The company, the team and the manager themselves will all benefit from this.
If you would like to find out more about your strengths, click hereto discover your own strengths profile.
