Identifying Your Strengths

"Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong. More often, people know what they are not good at — and even then more people are wrong than right. And yet, a person can perform only from strength."

This is the observation of management guru Peter Drucker in his article "Managing Oneself" in The Essential Guide to Leadership (Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, 2009). Drucker offers this advice on how to understand your strengths as a leader...

"To accurately identify your strengths, use feedback analysis. Every time you make a key decision, write down the outcome you expect. Several months later, compare the actual results with your expected results. Look for patterns in what you are seeing: What results are you skilled a t generating? What abilities do you need to enhance in order to get the results you want? What unproductive habits are preventing you from creating the outcomes you desire?

"In identifying opportunities for improvement, don't waste time cultivating skill areas where you have little competence. Instead, concentrate on — and build on — your strengths."

Source: www.ccie.com