People often say, “Good leaders are well-rounded.” This notion has resulted in some massive frustration for those who embrace it. Today, I want to address this common assumption. What if we traded well-roundedness, for playing to our strength. Trying to be balanced can be exasperated, while playing to your strength can be invigorating. We all know it feels good to work from our strengths. But what makes playing from our strength so powerful?

In my experience, one of the best methods of developing yourself is to identify your natural talents. I learned this when I was in high school and played on the high school volleyball team. Our coach assessed the skills of each player, and then asserted them into the play for optimum effectiveness. Every team player understood how they contributed to and strengthened the team, and because each player performed according to their strengths our team became highly competitive and eventually won the provincial championship.

Think about one aspect of your life that you want to improve. Got it? What would you say the thing you want to improve is? A strength or weakness? Likely, you chose a weakness. Yes, working on a weakness will help you, but not as much as you think. We are all a work in progress and trying to take stock of who we are can improve and help us to live a well-lived life. But focusing solely on transforming our weaknesses is not how we will reach our highest potential. If you devote most of your time to strengthening weaknesses, your personal growth will be slower, less confident, and more frazzled. However, if you spend most of your efforts on improving your strengths, your personal development will be faster, you will be more confident, and less frazzled. There is a strong connection between working from one’s strength and the potential of success. This is especially true in the area of developing your integrity. As you improve your strengths and enhance your good character, your efforts will influence every dimension of your life. And any advancement in your strengths will encourage you, as you address areas of weakness.