[March 23, 2016] During grade school my brother Phil always loved to draw. But his drawings were not typical; they were of bridges, buildings, and airports. Throughout his school years his ability to design these very things grew as did his interests. Lucky for him, a large engineering company representative saw his work at the High School Fair and realizing strength in his abilities landed him a job there.
There is no doubt that leaders have a keen eye for judging the ability of others. Realizing the strength in others is one of them; for a leader this one key to their success. Strength however is not just about a skill someone possesses. It’s also about their desire, their passion, or as my baseball coach always told me, doing well is about the will to win.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Mahatma Gandhi
We all have our strengths and weaknesses but when our strengths align with something in the workplace or at home, then we have the potential for extraordinary things to happen. When we’re able to combine a personal strength and a outward need, the results are magnified to the benefit of everyone.
We’ve all seen it happen; a school friend has an intense interest in music, math, or making things with their hands and from there their world takes off. Gandhi called this the indomitable will. That’s why I always tell young people that the fundamental character trait they need to succeed is passion. Whenever passion is injected into the equation, strong personal traits emerge.
My brother will soon retire from his job at this same engineering firm out of Houston, Texas. The firm said that he is “irreplaceable.” His desire to design things began before any of the family could remember but someone eventually recognized his interest long ago as a child. But no one was surprised that he did so well. And it all began with a leader realizing the strength that he possessed.
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