Leadership Knows Its Limitations

Leadership Knows Its Limitations August 27, 2013

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No one is excellent at everything.

Leaders know their limitations. Leaders know what they do well, better than anyone else. Great leaders surround themselves with people who do different things well.

I know people who believe they must do everything well. One friend of mine believed that he probably needed to leave his career as an accountant because he was afraid of public speaking. A woman I know tried to compensate for her own imperfections by pointing out the weaknesses in everyone else’s performance.

Each of us has limitations, just as each of us has potential.

The more effort we put into eliminating our limitations, the less energy we have to do things well.

Some limitations are painful to recognize. While we can, with determination and persistence, work hard to become better than we already are, there are some things that are beyond us. We can gain insight and wisdom from testing our limitations.

Our goal is not to become limitless. Our goal is to become fully ourselves.

As I learn to recognize and appreciate my limitations, they teach me valuable lessons. I am grateful that there are people who complement me, whose limitations fit well with my own. I see the beauty of a world in which not everyone is exactly like me.

It is my limitations that teach me about acceptance and patience. It is the things I cannot do that strengthen my character and help me become a stronger leader.

The leaders who inspire me revel in the ways we work together more effectively than we work separately. They create strong teams by bringing together people with different limitations.

If you would like to work together, let’s talk.

What do you see as your greatest limitation?

How do your limitations help you?

[Image by vrogy]


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