Leaders - How To Maximise Your Talents

As a leader you're probably aware of your talents and the value you bring, but there are additional facts you need to consider.

You probably have 5 - 7 core talents, which you utilise in every job, role or situation you encounter throughout your lifetime. 

You can develop new talents but the ones you're born with are the easiest to nurture. 

Talents are the servants of your passion. When you're passionate about a project or idea, you'll go to great lengths to develop the talents you need to succeed.

You most likely have a favourite talent you enjoy using, and if you don’t get the opportunity to exercise this talent, you'll be lukewarm about your job. It's also likely you're deficient in at least one talent that's critical in your role. 

You will achieve the best results by leveraging your strengths and compensating for weaknesses.

Seek project and roles that use your talents

Take charge of the work you do and be selective about what you don't do. This can be tricky, you don't want to be a nay-sayer, but there are effective ways to redirect your efforts.

• Be proactive
• Focus your efforts where you can bring value
• Discern where your talents are needed
• Don't attend meetings if you're not bringing value
• Look around and identify projects with your name on them

When many people first start out, they are willing to do a little bit of everything, regardless of whether it fits. As you mature, you should begin to be more selective about projects you take on. Instead of diminishing your work, by playing to your strengths you should begin to gain more credibility.

Compensate for low or missing talents

Even the brightest leaders are deficient in some areas. And in today's transparent workplace, these flaws can be visible.

Identify low strengths that are critical to your success. Then put a strategy in place to compensate for these areas.

• If you're a poor writer, find a detail-oriented person to help you edit your ideas
• If you're not very creative, surround yourself with innovative thinkers to stimulate your imagination
• If you're too aggressive, find someone friendly to help you tone it down

Don't sugar coat a weakness. Admit your flaws, put systems in place - and ask for help

Tell others where you bring value

Never assume your boss and co-workers are aware of your talents. Let others know what you want to contribute and what you enjoy doing. This is easy and often overlooked. 

Use phrases like:

• “I can help you with this.”
• “What this project needs is...”
• “I have a knack for this.”
• “I love to write. Let me tackle this one.”
• 'I bring my greatest value to the organisation when my talents are used to achieve these results!'

These phrases need to be on the tip of your tongue. Otherwise you'll be dragged down by the undertow of incessant demands and your true value will be lost.

Recognise when to move on

Work projects evolve over time and require different talents. If you're great at launching new projects - you might not be so hot at finishing them. Stick with what you do best and transition essential work to others before you run out of steam. 

Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean every project is a nail. For example if you are an innovator. Your talents might be best used to launch change initiatives and improve teamwork. But once the goals are clear and teamwork is underway, it can be best to let others take over.

Don't get stuck doing work that's not yours to do. Your worst nightmare is someone else's dream job. Educate your boss, co-workers and employee about the value of using the right talents for the right job. This is new territory for many.

 Everyone wins when you play to your strengths. The organisation achieves better results and retains a valuable employee. You're more engaged, having fun and making a difference. It's a win-win for all!