Lead To Their Strength, Not Yours

Don’t Assume: A Leadership Lesson from the Chart Room

Years ago, I shared an office space with what was called the "chart room"—the place where patient charts for a large hospital were meticulously compiled. For eight hours a day, an assembly line of documents, forms, and folders moved through the hands of a dedicated team.

At first glance, it looked like penance for a petty crime. Who would choose this repetitive work every day? To me, it seemed like penance for a horrible crime!

Then I asked the team if they enjoyed their jobs—and to my surprise, the resounding answer was “yes!” They loved the camaraderie, the music blaring , the predictability, and the rhythm of the work.

Lesson One: My Assumptions Were Completely Wrong

What I would have considered as punishment, they found joyful. That moment revealed a powerful truth: We all experience the world through a different lens. Do not assume your experience is the same as others.

Lesson Two: I Was Getting in the Way

Because I assumed others would hate certain tasks as much as I did, I hesitated to delegate. It felt disrespectful—“If I don’t want to do it, why would anyone else?” So I kept the work, grumbled through it, and unintentionally robbed others of opportunities they might have enjoyed or excelled in.

Challenge your thoughts: When you truly know your team—their strengths, preferences, frustrations—you can delegate with intention. Not to offload burdens, but to elevate joy. A win-win.

Stop Assuming—Start Knowing

Never assume that what drains you also drains others.I loathe doing taxes, yet some people thrive on organizing numbers and solving financial puzzles. They build careers around the very tasks I dread.

Own your strengths. Acknowledge your frustrations. Then, invite others in.

Old Leadership Advice: Fix Your Weaknesses

New Leadership Strategy: Play to Strengths

One of the greatest leadership blind spots? Not knowing your people.

Slow down. Ask better questions. Pay attention to what energizes and excites your colleagues. Every person is a unique combination of talents. If you don’t know those things, how can you lead them well?

Try this: 

• 1:1s – Take time to ask: “If you could rewrite your job description, what would it include?” This is a great way to invite creativity and awareness as to hidden talents.

• Learn Their Genius – I’ve used the Working Genius assessment (created by Patrick Lencioni) with countless teams, and the insights are always game-changing. It identifies each person’s natural gifts, competencies, and areas of frustration. It’s simple to implement and powerful for building trust and alignment. (Let me know if you'd like help using this with your team.)

  
  

What’s the ROI of Knowing Your People?

According to Gallup, when leaders invest in understanding and leveraging individual strengths, they see:

• Increased profits

• Higher engagement

• Stronger retention

• Boosts in productivity

• Elevated sales

These are measurable, bottom-line results. How could you not want this?

Final Thought: 

We shouldn’t just put people into jobs.

We should find jobs that expand the person.