The Fine Art of Finding Our Strengths

Gary Burnison is CEO of Korn Ferry and the author of Love, Hope & Leadership: A Special Edition.

To this day, I can still recall their faces.

There was Mr. Graber, a teacher and soccer coach who was all about potential. Mr. Dickey taught us to play basketball but really coached leadership.

From playgrounds to classrooms to dance studios, these teachers were probably the first people, other than our parents, who had a clear view of what we could do best. And thank goodness they also saw when our talents lay elsewhere—like the music teacher who knew I was not cut out to be in the band but perhaps should join the chorus.

We all have talents. But, then as now, it sometimes takes others to help accentuate our strengths and steer us to where we can thrive. Just as our teachers pointed out our potential—as leaders, we must do the same for others.

Of course, assessment and development play important parts. There’s world-class science to back this up, such as the 110 million assessments our firm has conducted. Add to that our almost 20,000 Success Profiles that capture the skills, traits, and experiences needed in specific roles, defining what excellence looks like.

Often the focus is on a person fitting a role. And that’s a great starting point. But how about the role evolving to fit the person? More elastic, more flexible, and more bendable.

First and foremost, it’s the ability to see the strengths of each person. Not to mention understanding how people are right for the roles that are emerging, evolving, and being redefined. It’s one of the most important aspects of leadership: putting people in the right role—and shaping roles to fit people—so they can succeed and excel.

But let’s not forget there’s art here, too.

It’s like a Sitzprobe, the first rehearsal when the singers and the orchestra perform the music together, integrating harmony and synchronizing melody and lyrics. And that’s the magic.

But for leaders, it’s hard enough to inspire others to believe. It’s harder to enable that belief to become reality. And even harder to synchronize thousands of people.

So, how can we do it?

Reflect. As leaders, the more we reflect on people’s talents, the more we see through a different prism. The result is a mosaic of complementary capabilities. As Coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs said in a conversation with our firm: “We all have strengths and weaknesses in what we do. Maybe my weaknesses you can take care of, and maybe I can help take care of yours.”

Shape. Customarily it starts with the job spec—a checklist of all that a role entails. Then it is a matter of finding someone who meets those qualifications. But with so much change it’s important to infuse flexibility and agility… painting the stage markings that invite and enable people to move fluidly as we reimagine roles.  

“You still have talent strategy driving organizational performance, but there are different ways to get there,” Stu Crandell, global leader of our firm’s CEO and Executive Assessment practice, told me just the other day. “Maybe roles can be configured in different ways—magnifying what each person does well. It’s a little like playing multi-dimensional chess. But that’s what a good leader does.”

Ours is not a linear world. It’s an image that calls to mind another scene from my schooldays. Back then, anything I wanted to know could be found in the library or in 24 big books known as the encyclopedia. All neatly bound A to Z—plus an index! I can remember being in fifth grade and fascinated by Antarctica. I took down volume 2 from a dusty shelf, flipped passed anacondas and Andromeda…. And when I wondered about zebras, volume 24.

Today, knowledge is at our fingertips; insight, however, can be elusive. Vertical is out, horizontal is in. Roles are morphing, responsibilities are broadening. Teams are changing.

So, as leaders, we ask ourselves. Are we harmonizing the melody and the lyrics?

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