Identify your leadership: Weaknesses and Strengths
STRATEGIES
"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
Every person has a different catalog of weaknesses and strengths that complement the type of person that they are, but this does not mean that they can not transform these weaknesses into strengths in the search of improving their abilities. To correctly accomplish the goal of transforming yourself into a true leadership figure for others, a fundamental factor is to adequately understand in which aspect you shine and in which aspects you need to work more to improve it. So make sure to be completely honest with yourself and understand fully who you are as a human being before anything else.
For a better understanding of your set of abilities, support yourself with physical elements that you can see like a notebook or a whiteboard. This will allow you to observe your flaws and goals more clearly. Once you have a clear understanding, create two lists to organize your weaknesses and strengths. Identify your abilities and focus on what you're searching for and your goals. Establish a connection between your weaknesses and strengths with your determined goal. When creating the list and establishing the connection, ask yourself these kinds of questions:
What am I good at?
What have others complimented me about?
What have others had to help me with on more than one occasion?
Which projects and tasks seem to drain my energy?
Which projects have I spent hours on without getting tired?
What are my hobbies, and why do I like doing them?
By answering these questions, you'll gain insight into your strengths and weaknesses and how they align with your goals.
A true leader knows how to handle criticism. The creation of the two lists is beneficial, but talking to people who are part of your daily life to tell you how they see you and what flaws they see from an outside perspective is a fundamental tip for you to see those flaws that may pass under your nose. The purpose of a leader is to help others and guide them, so understanding how people see your work is a view to see if you are doing the right thing or if you need to change certain aspects to adequately achieve your main objective.
The way you use the feedback will determine your path as a leader. A common reaction to feedback is rejection, this occurs due to a feeling of superiority and ego that blinds people into thinking that they are the only correct ones and their opinion is the only valid one. A true leader knows that feedback is the most important part of being a leader since it is the final result that checks the quality of their leadership approach to others.
As humans, admiration is a common feeling in our minds when it comes to this type of topic, so the analysis of leadership styles in people that you admire comes in very handy to identify your leadership style. this could be from a family member to a worldwide known person. This will help you adapt certain behaviors of already established leaders to your leadership development allowing a better connection between yourself and your development process.
Popular leaders around the globe in different stages are sources of inspiration for millions of people due to the values that they promote and the vibe they transmit, so implementing aspects of their leadership into your own can generate a similar effect on your targeted audience.
Working on skills that surround leadership may seem like a complex task, but if you know exactly how and which tips and strategies to use it can change drastically and become a self-fulfilling work that not only improves the way people perceive you but the way you feel with yourself.