I wanted to be an NBA player. I was not athletic enough. Not even close. For years, I kept thinking if I just worked harder, trained more, wanted it badly enough... something would change. It did not. What changed eventually was my thinking. The time I spent chasing something I was never going to be great at was time I was not investing in the things I actually was good at. And the moment I stopped trying to fix the gap and started building on what already came naturally, everything accelerated. This is one of the most underrated conversations in leadership development. We spend enormous energy trying to round out weaknesses. Organizations build entire development plans around closing gaps. And there is a place for that. You cannot ignore a blind spot that is actively limiting you. But the leaders who build something lasting are rarely the ones who became well-rounded. They are the ones who went deep on their strengths. Who surrounded themselves with people who complemented what they lacked. Who stopped apologizing for the rest. Know what you are built for. Build there first. What strength deserves more of your attention right now? ♻️ Repost this if you've ever achieved more by leaning into a strength than by correcting a weakness. → Follow me for more on leadership, hiring, and the future of work. #Leadership #PowerSkills #CareerGrowth #FutureOfWork #LeadershipDevelopment
I remember attending a succession planning meeting where we were discussing field managers who could be moved up to the next level. One of the managers was described as getting good results, delegating appropriately, developing subordinates, and having good relationships. Then, this was added- “But, she is kind of quiet”. The senior leader in the room exploded. He asked if we were discussing personalities or job related results. He was right. But, the reality is that a lack of verbosity is seen as a weakness. This manager was able to do her job effectively within the confines of her personality. She could spend an enormous amount of time trying to change her personality, but to what end. Having attended countless meetings, succinctness is an underrated characteristic. Is like the old joke about the man in a boat with his boss. The man’s hat blows off into the water. The man walks on the water to get it. His boss remarks- “Bob can’t swim.’
Spot on, Johnny. The ultimate realization for a modern founder is that trying to force yourself to be great at everything is a net-negative investment. In our production pipeline, we intentionally lean into generative AI frameworks and automated infrastructure to absorb the operational gaps. This frees up human capital to focus exclusively on what can't be duplicated: authentic culture, vision, and strategic storytelling. Delegate the gaps, accelerate the strengths. 🎬🚀
As someone who began her career in chemistry before pivoting to study human connection professionally, this post lands with particular weight. That pivot wasn't random, it was a reckoning. When I looked honestly at my core wiring, the way I had always instinctively read people, built trust across difference, and found meaning in the invisible threads holding relationships together. I realized I hadn't left science behind. I had finally applied it to what I was most naturally structured for. The chemistry I studied was always pointing at the human connection. I just needed the courage to follow it. Atoms bond through what they already have: their valence, their charge, their natural capacity to connect. Strength-based development works exactly the same way. The leaders who build something lasting aren't the ones who successfully rounded themselves out. They're the ones who went so deep into what they were naturally structured for that they became impossible to replicate. Johnny My inborn ability for relationship-building wasn't a soft skill to manage alongside harder ones. It was the edge. Strength-building produces distinction and distinction, not competence is what the next decade of leadership will actually reward.
Really thoughtful perspective. I think sometimes we spend so much time trying to “fix” ourselves that we forget to pay attention to what already comes naturally to us. There’s a difference between improving a weakness and forcing yourself down a path that was never really meant for you. Growth matters, but so does self-awareness.
This resonates deeply from both personal experience and organizational strategy. The most effective executives I have worked with understand that sustainable competitive advantage comes from differentiation, not uniformity. Building high performing teams requires the same principle: identify core strengths early, invest resources there, and architect around complementary capabilities rather than forcing homogeneity across talent profiles.
Build what comes off naturally before building on your weaknesses. Many young professionals need to know this, finding out about this knowledge and understanding how to use it as a tool in the early stages of our career journey will help us to build well and build easy. It will save us a lot of time from building on things that don’t matter, from unnecessarily and blindly copying patterns that don’t matter in our journey. We will be able to build on that particular strength which comes off naturally, creating VALUE that no one or any system can take from us. Thank you Sir
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP Such an important focus area. Strong cultures and teams are not built by focusing only on weaknesses, but by reinforcing strengths while thoughtfully addressing gaps and building the right structures for long-term success. As a leader and coach, I always try to identify and leverage a person’s strengths first. That perspective helps shape my vision for their growth, development, and long-term success. At the same time, on a personal level, I also believe people should still explore interests, stretch themselves, and try new things. Sometimes those experiences help redirect us toward the path where we can thrive most naturally and effectively.
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, Greetings, Sir. My personal credence is our basic skills for personal advancement and achievement are innate. Whether it is speaking, writing, mathematics, reading, or any of the aforementioned combination, these are present. It the God-gift entitled, opportunity that helps develop these skills. Hence, my admonishment to every adult with young ones under their leadership is to encourage and empower them with opportunity.