Last time we talked about why the best leaders focus on building up their strengths rather than worrying about their weaknesses. I’ve heard from several of you, asking an important question: “What if my weaknesses are blocking my success?” Great question.
This is one of the most important steps along the journey to effective leadership. It’s the answer to this question that helps a person become a better leader. Leadership is not about position. It’s about influence. The most effective approach to developing influence is encouraging, equipping and allowing people to flourish in their area of strength.
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”
― Mother Teresa
When you invite a person to invest in your vision, your organization or your business from their area of strength, you add a valuable ally while removing a nagging obstacle. By adding value to this person, you will begin to earn their trust, which is a vital step in helping you get over any reluctance to delegate.
Delegation can be difficult, and you may have honest, legitimate reasons to hesitate. Take a look at what’s holding you back, what are you telling yourself that’s preventing you from delegating?
When a leader refuses to delegate, first, he or she is not being a leader. They’re blocking progress. Worse, they’re probably doing work someone else would be better off doing.
The shared responsibility of delegation is what makes leadership possible.
Maybe you’ve tried to delegate in the past and the people you trusted did the job a bit differently, or with less effort than you expected. That experience left you a little gun shy about trusting someone else. Understandable. This time, though, instead of giving someone a task, try connecting with them, asking for their help and acknowledging their strengths.
When you begin to think about team building in those terms, you will not only add value to your team, but you will build your inner circle, surrounding yourself with a group of like-minded people who complement each other’s strengths and supplement each other’s weaknesses.
Remember, delegation is not about finding someone to do your work for you. It’s about leveraging your strengths and the strengths of those around you so you can all accomplish something greater together.
To help you identify some weak areas and learn how to better leverage your strengths, take advantage of this special leadership event. Click the image below to learn more…
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