We love the strength’s-based leadership approach. It challenges us to know what our natural gifts are and build on them. But if we’re not careful it can make us blind to our opportunities to improve. – InPower Editors
I recently worked with a Vice President who was an up-and-comer in her firm’s global division. She was the “go-to” person on technical issues relating to Asian markets and she was intentionally developing her leadership style to incorporate coach, mentor and develop others in the company to work effectively with foreign partners. This was her primary career strategy until she ran into a buzz saw that threatened to leave her stuck at the VP level. It turns out that while focusing on the technical aspects of global operations, and developing employees to manage them well, she had failed to develop some of her bosses at the same time. Her “managing up” skills were weak at the executive level and she was uncomfortable with the delicate education and persuasion necessary to bring along some of her superiors.
Sticking with the strengths that got her to VP was going to flatline her career trajectory, so now what?
No matter what your strengths have been, you have more waiting to be used. Via @DanaTheus – Click To Tweet
The good news, whether you use an official strength-finding tool, work with a coach or just look more deeply into self-reflection, is that you’ll discover that you always have more strengths waiting to be developed. The human being is a deep and expanding well of talent and no matter what your strengths have been to date, you have more waiting to be used. But probing into these deeper waters may not feel comfortable at first. That’s when you need to look even more deeply at your strengths than you have before.
My client stepped into her stretch zone through her love of problem solving and her passion for global business. She approached her “managing up” challenge as a problem to be solved and infused her communications to her bosses with her genuine enjoyment of cross-cultural business and her love of Asia in particular. She invited them to accompany her to strategic meetings where they experienced the business potential she saw first hand, and she answered all their questions with enthusiasm.
She’s still a VP, but now she has a regular dialog going with the executive team about the company’s possibilities in Asia. She’s more regularly in her stretch zone in these discussions and has expanded her comfort zone of strengths. It’s just a matter of time until an opportunity opens up for her to take her next career step.
Sometimes we are afraid to develop new strengths in our stretch zone because we don’t want others to know we’re uncomfortable. But if we’re smart about it, we can use this discomfort to lead even more effectively.
This article was originally posted on Smartblogs for Leadership.
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