As an education leader, you will be continuously learning new skills, but many of them will not end up being your strong suits. Instead of trying to be a master of many things, try to focus most of your attention on the skills that you are exceptionally good at. These things are your strengths, and as a result, they are the gifts that will bring you the most success and happiness.

The truth about focusing on your weaknesses

It’s ok to continue to cultivate things that you may not be good at, but keep in mind that no matter how you try, you will never master them. This is because you are operating outside of your strengths instead of inside of them. When it comes to tasks outside of your wheelhouse, accept your shortcomings, and delegate these tasks to people who are gifted in those areas. As a result of operating in your strengths, you will see your school or school district go to new heights.

On the flip side, make sure that all of your leaders, teachers, and staff are working within their areas of strength. If not, your organization is operating only at a fraction of its potential because your employee’s jobs and tasks are a mismatch to their actual gifts. Sometimes these gifts are discovered during the hiring process, but other times they are discovered on the job. Changing the way you match employees to their job duties can be a game-changer for any organization.

A little homework

Over the next month, spend 75% of your professional development time focusing on sharpening your strengths and 25% of your time focusing on areas of weakness. After a month, what do you notice? If I am correct, your skills in your areas of weakness will stay stagnant. However, you will find that the skills with your areas of strength grow exponentially. As a matter of fact, it will be the most growth that you have ever experienced within one month.