What Strong Leaders Know About Their Strengths (And Their Team’s)
Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at The Union Club in Cleveland about strengths-based leadership.
The growing interest in this topic is no surprise. As organizations face constant change, leaders are realizing that understanding and harnessing strengths — both their own and their teams’ — isn’t optional anymore.
It’s a critical leadership advantage.
Here are the three key takeaways I shared with the leaders in the room:
1. Self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership.
Most leadership development focuses on fixing weaknesses.
But the most successful leaders don’t try to be everything to everyone.
Instead, they understand:
What they do best
How they naturally make decisions
How to lead in a way that’s authentic to them
When leaders lead from their strengths, they build confidence, clarity, and impact.
2. Great leaders know the strengths of those around them.
Most performance challenges don’t come from a lack of skills — they come from misalignment.
When leaders invest the time to understand their team’s strengths, they:
Assign work that fits natural talents
Create space for people to contribute in ways that energize them
Build more collaborative, resilient teams
When people work in their strengths zone, everyone wins.
3. Strengths-based leadership isn’t just about engagement — it’s about strategy.
Leveraging strengths isn’t just for team-building exercises.
It’s a strategic tool for driving results.
When leaders intentionally align the right strengths to the right work, they:
Make better, faster decisions
Solve problems from multiple angles
Build a culture where people feel seen and valued
Strengths-based leadership helps organizations do more with the talent they already have — by fully unlocking it.
Final Thought
The leaders I spoke with at The Union Club walked away with one clear message:
When leaders understand, embrace, and align strengths — their own and their team’s — they unlock performance, engagement, and trust.
If your leadership team hasn’t had this conversation yet, now’s the time. Because the strongest teams don’t happen by accident — they happen by design.
If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your teams, we’re here to help.
