Logan Leadership

Yesterday I wrote about how you need to be spending at least 60% of your time in areas of strength and passion. But what if you’re not sure exactly what those areas are? I believe that every five years or so, we need to spend some time reflecting on how God has made us, how he has gifted us, and what he has called us to do. With more experiences, I think our areas of strength and passion can grow and shift over time– not dramatically, but somewhat. And when we know what those areas are right now, we can take steps to align our work and ministry accordingly.

When I’m coaching people and they’re not feeling fulfillment in what they’re doing, I usually find that less than 60% of what they’re doing is in their areas of strength and passion. For basic fulfillment in your life and ministry, you need to be spending at least 60% of your time in your areas of strength.

Now over time, it’s great to try to increase that percentage– to move from 60% to 80% or 90%. No one ever gets to 100%, at least in my experience. I think there’s always some piece of a job that you don’t really like. But if you are fortunate enough to be living at least 60% in your sweet spot, you’ll have the energy and positive momentum to deal with the other 40% of the stuff that simply needs to be done.

StrengthsFinder 2.0 is one of my favorite leadership tools. It helps individuals identify their top 5 areas of strength and, consequently, what they have to offer their organization. I have begun using this tool with teams and, upon seeing certain combinations of strengths on a team, began wondering how they work together.

For example, strength-themes that three people share will tend to steer/monopolize the group simply based on the strength in like-minded people. However, a theme that only one person has can be easily overlooked or stamped out, usually without intentional thought.