Kids

How do you decide where to spend the bulk of your time and energy?

A few years ago, as we were building two new buildings and about to go from two campuses to three, I knew that my job responsibilities needed to change. At the time, I was the hands-on director of Waumba Land and UpStreet at the North Point Campus, as well as the multi-campus director.

The problem was, I had a limited amount of time that I could spend on work, and there was an unlimited amount of things to do. My choice was to go in a million different directions, trying to give a little bit of leadership here and there, or become very focused.

Things were changing, and the question was, how do I figure out where to spend the majority of my time? What should I be working on? How do I leverage my gifts for the greatest impact to the organization? Should I stay focused on the biggest campus?

As a leader, this could possibly be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. If you leverage your strengths, you will find yourself contributing to a growing and dynamic organization.

If you don’t, you will find yourself floundering, overwhelmed, and possibly in the way of others who are ready and gifted to lead.

Here’s how I decide where to spend the bulk of my time at work:

Step 1: Discover your strengths.

Know yourself and know what you’re good at. It’s miserable to be in a job where you are working everyday in an area where you struggle. Figure out what you’re good at.

Know your weaknesses. We all have weaknesses. Your team knows your weaknesses. If you aren’t sure, ask them!

This is a huge part of the process, and it can be an especially challenging part of the process if the “promotion” or the “next step”  is not a role where your strengths are what are needed. These are the decisions that require humbleness, honesty, and faith that God is in control of your future.

It is incredibly energizing to work in a role where your strengths come into play in almost everything you do. Want to love what you do everyday? Then work in a role that brings out the best in you. Work in a role where you get to be who God created you to be, everyday!

If you haven’t read Marcus Buckinghams book, Now, Discover your Strengths and taken the Strengths Finder assessment,  then you need to. Take the test and find out what your strengths are. This discovery process lends itself to great discussions on your team.

Another great resource is a profiling test called The Right Path. There are many great resources and tools out there. Find them and use them!

My strengths from the Strength Finders Test are:  strategic, maximizer, focus, achiever, and responsibility. My Right Path Profile is Driver. We’ll talk more about this later.

When you are working in your “sweet spot”, utilizing your strengths in the majority of your work – guess what? – you will look forward to, and enjoy what you do everyday. That’s the secret. You want to love coming to work everyday? Then do what you do best everyday.

In Part 2 we’ll talk about the other steps in the process for figuring out where you contribute the most to your organization.

What’s your “sweet spot”?

Post written by:  Kendra Fleming - Multi-Campus Children’s Ministry Director