Are You Traveling On A Superhighway Or A Dirt Road?
By Steve Gahagen
In workshops I often talk about strengths as superhighways. When we’re working on something we’re passionate about and leveraging our strengths it is like driving down the superhighway at 80 miles an hour. We can become so immersed in what we are doing that we lose track of time.
When we’re working outside of our strengths it’s a different story. It is more like driving on a dirt road, weaving through a construction zone, or driving on a road that is littered with stoplights. We can do it and we will eventually get to our destination, but it will be slow and not so pretty. We may be exhausted when we arrive.
This is why it is important to have team members working in their areas of strength if we want to have a high performance team.
Questions to consider
What parts of your work are more like a dirt road to you?
What parts of your work are like superhighways - when you’re engaged in those activities you’re so immersed that you can lose track of time?
Looking at your top strengths, what are some things you would like to have the opportunity to do at work?