Kick back and relax? | Being comfortable in leadership

Being “satisfied” is often a good thing.

You ate a big meal and now you’re satisfied.

Your credit card company credits you for that bogus charge; you’re satisfied.

You are thankful for the blessings in your life and you are satisfied.

All these are great. However, when those in leadership become satisfied, it can often lead to the erosion of their business or organization.

You may know people who say, “I’m comfortable with who I am.”

I propose that a leader who aspires to achieve more than the status-quo should never be satisfied or comfortable.

Let me explain… We all have God-given talents and abilities. We all have strengths that are part of who we are as individuals. As a good friend of mine once pointed out to me, every strength has an opposing weakness.

Let’s say you are a master decision-maker. You know exactly what you want in every single situation… but are you inflexible also? Does it have to always be your way?

Maybe you’re a great delegator of tasks and duties. Are you too good to get in there yourself and contribute?

You see, anyone can use their strengths. It’s natural to do so. But, I believe a great leader not only utilizes their strengths, but also tries to identify what their opposing weaknesses are so that they improve themselves.

This can often hurt “Mr./Mrs. Pride.”

Many aren’t willing to look in the mirror and say, “You really stink at this. Let’s work hard and get better!”

Why is this?

Often, it’s because we get too comfortable and satisfied with who we are.

We hone in on our strengths and spend the rest of our lives patting ourselves on the back for them.

In our post, “Leaders, are you as good as advertised,” we ask you to have 5 people that know you very well to list for you 5 strengths and 5 weaknesses that they’ve noticed about you in the time that they’ve known you. Review that list often, so you can be reminded of those “opposing weakness” to your strengths and work on them consistently.

So, aspire to be a great leader. Don’t be satisfied with who you are right now. Be honest about your weaknesses.

It’s the only way to get stronger.