How your strengths are holding you back

Christian Muntean Dec. 7, 2019

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

I was injured while practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I tore my hip adductors. I tried to train through it. But each class just seemed to re-aggravate the injury.

Finally, I realized I just needed to stop. I couldn’t “out-tough” the injury. I talked about this with my instructor, a very experienced black belt. He started to discuss his injuries. His reflections went along these lines:

Most of my injuries have been a result of being strong. Not weak. 

When I knew something bad was going to happen, I tried to muscle through it. Because I could. Because of ego. I did that instead of making better decisions or thinking ahead. 

My muscular strength was greater than the strength of my cartilage or ligaments. So, I pushed hard enough to hurt myself. 

I hurt myself more than my opponents hurt me. 

I’ve been involved in athletics most of my life. As I reflected, I realized how almost all my injuries have been self-inflicted—usually from trying too hard and muscling through.

Be careful when relying on your strengths

Leaders have strengths. We all do.

Maybe yours is charisma, or you have a strategic mind. Perhaps you are particularly caring or are a great communicator.

It could be that you know how to knuckle down and work real, real hard.

Are these holding you (or your team) back?

It is natural to use and rely on our strengths. After all, they work. But no matter how strong we are in any particular area—there is a limit. If we build a team or organization on ourstrengths, we hit that limit far earlier than we should.

In athletics, overreliance on strength creates problems. For leaders, the corollary is clear:

• They gas out. They fatigue. They can’t go the distance.
• They plateau. They hit a ceiling. They stop experiencing growth.
• They have injuries or issues: Key staff won’t step up or speak up. They leave the work to you or leave altogether. Conflict. Frustration. Chronic, unresolved issues.

This is usually most apparent when a leader is considering a significant change, experiencing fast growth or an exit from their organization.

It’s at these times where, in the words of Marshall Goldsmith, a leadership author and coach, “What got you here—won’t get you there.”

It becomes starkly evident. The leader never built strength within the organization. Success was dependent on the leader’s strengths and abilities.

When the rules change, those strengths and abilities are maxed out. The leader either tires or plateaus, begins to resist change or makes a damaging mistake.

How to operate outside of our strengths

The mindset shift that most leaders struggle with is accepting that success isn’t about them. 

In athletics, this means learning to move smarter. In leadership, this means learning to lead smarter.

Effective leadership is very much about accessing and maximizing the strengths of everyone else as opposed to showcasing our own.

It’s not about you. It’s about the people you lead.

The better we become at letting go of our egos, of needing to be the hero, our fear of failure or whatever drives our leadership—the more we can focus on helping our teams succeed.

But shouldn’t I use my strengths? 

Please don’t misunderstand me. Leaders should identify, build and use their strengths. But our strengths will only get us so far. Then they’ll hold us back.

I read an article about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu suggesting that beginners should try to never use more than 50 percent of their strength. If a move won’t work with skill and they are trying to muscle through, they are probably doing something wrong. Instead, they should focus on growing the basic skills and techniques. Then, once those are in place, they can fully exercise their strength through skill or technique.

Leaders, particularly new leaders or ones who’ve missed this step, should learn to dial back on what most naturally produces success for them.

Instead, they should focus on leadership skill and technique development. Specifically, those things that naturally produce success and growth from those they lead.

• A charismatic leader may need to learn about building systems.
• A quick-thinking insightful leader may need to learn collaboration skills.
• A leader with technical expertise (an engineer, a doctor, an attorney, etc.) may need to learn how to run engaging and effective meetings.

What can I do? 

The best athletes learn from others. They surround themselves with others who can help them. Learning to grow through or past your strengths is to do the same. Here are some ideas:

• Surround yourself with people who perform at a higher level than you do—in the particular area you want to grow in.
• Be open to listening and considering the feedback of others.
• Immerse yourself in podcasts or books reflecting the thoughts of others who have more leadership skill.
• Always have a mentor or coach (they might be friends, or they might be professionals) who can “spot” you and help you improve your technique.

Most of all: Don’t rely on yourself to figure it out.

Leaders receive a lot of attention. They can seem alone, aloof and independent. But leadership is a relationship. It is inextricably tied to others.

But we really have only succeeded when those we lead have succeeded.

We also really can only grow by surrounding ourselves with others who can help us.

Photo source: istock 

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Christian Muntean is a seasoned expert in fostering business growth and profitability. With a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership and certifications as a Master Coach, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), and International Mergers & Acquisitions Expert (IM&A), he guides entrepreneurial leaders through growth, succession planning, and exit strategies. He is an accomplished author of three books, including Train to Lead. Christian resides in Anchorage, Alaska, with his family.  Learn More »

• The power of an unoffendable heart (by Tom Crenshaw)
• How did Jesus deal with animosity? (by Chris Bolinger)
• Why does the term "social justice" divide so many? (by Chris Bolinger)
• Why a pastor did not survive a difficult church: an interview (by Thom Rainer)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now