ABSTRACT
The number one reason people fail to maximize their potential is because too much focus is put on areas of weakness or growth rather than focusing on developing strengths. People who reach the pinnacle of success in any field do so because they maximize their strengths, not because they focus on correcting weaknesses. In fact, Jack Folkman, co-author of How to Be Exceptional, discovered in his research that what made leaders great was the presence of strengths and not the absence of weaknesses, it fundamentally shifted our view about how leaders can improve. As Emmanuel Gobillot, international leadership expert, explains: in organizations, it is often leaders who chose other leaders. This tends to encourage novice leaders to think of their main constituency as the organization and its leaders rather than their followers. One of the friends and a colleague in the leadership development field, Sarah Davis, shared how her strengths helped her in both areas of her life.
