What’s Your Knack? – Part 1…You

Time to Read: 2 mins...   

Knack is a special, innate talent – something you are naturally good at.

Some examples:

• Mary has a knack for numbers – she can look at a spreadsheet and quickly see its essence.
• Tim is a natural organizer of people and things.
• Anita’s knack is telling interesting stories that make you think.
• Julio’s knack is for graphics and design – need a logo? Ask Julio.
• Bob Iger, CEO and Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, was described as having a knack for forging trust with business partners – including former adversaries.

What’s your knack?  What are you naturally good at?  Not sure?  Ask anyone who knows you – your talents are obvious to them.

What does this have to do with leadership?

• First, knowing yourself – your strengths and weaknesses – is critical to your success. Self-awareness limits blind spots and allows you to take risks with more confidence.
• Second, it helps you surround yourself with people who complement you and each other. This makes for a stronger unit. (…the subject of Part 2 of this post) Having a bunch of people around you who are just like you and agree with you all the time can lead to serious problems and errors.
• Thirdly, it gives you a platform for personal development. How to better use, deepen and expand your strengths.

Action Steps: 

• Make a list of the things you are naturally good at. Rank them high to low. What are the top 2 – what’s the one that you instinctively use and feel the best about.
• Ask two or three colleagues who you’ve worked with for a while to make their list of what they see are your talents.
• Compare the lists – what insights did you get?
• Do this at home. Get together with your significant other and/or family and do this exercise. Share what you see each other’s strengths are and what that person does to demonstrate their knack.
• Important Tip: Do not bring weaknesses into this exercise whether at work or at home. It will be a buzz kill.  Leave any exploration of what you or others are not so good at for another time and place.

Tell me what you think – add your comments below.

Charles St.John