Find your greatest strengths as a leader/ceo/cxo

Do you know your greatest strengths?

Something I noticed at a very young age was that my friends would stop, get bored, quit or seek comfort LONG before I would.

I might not be the best, I might not be the quickest learner but I will practise religiously if I’m interested.

I noticed it first with football. I would be the first on the field after school, the last to leave before dinner then back out after dinner often with a different set of kids.

Then if nobody was around I would practise in my garden.

Day after day, year after year.

I’d wander around the house or to friends houses and always have a ball on my foot. I would even check books out of the library about football.

I set up my own soccer school with a couple of mates so that I could earn while playing football.

I have always been able to see the gap between where I am and where I could be and be inspired rather than put off by it.

Interest is like a compass for me.

If it isn’t there I won’t practise, if I don’t practise I won’t move toward mastery, if I don’t move toward mastery I won’t be successful and ultimately I won’t enjoy the process either.

If it is there I will make my whole life about it and I mean my whole life. There is no aspect of my life not aimed at it.

I used to deny, down play or hide my strengths and I see many who do the same and this denial ultimately prevents us from using it as a compass which almost guarantees that we get lost.

So in the spirit of know longer hiding it, what’s your greatest gift?

Ed Ley