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Unlocking Leadership Potential Through Strengths
Agnes Roter
June 20, 2025
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Today’s edition of The Executiv was written by Agnes Roter, Executiv Network member and a marketing and transformation executive who deeply believes in the power of leadership.
The Transformative Power of Strength-Based Leadership
The most rewarding part of my job as a leader is to help the team discover their superpowers.
Each of us is a unique combination of traits and talents. As researcher Marcus Buckingham shares, our brains have more synaptic connections than there are stars in five thousand Milky Ways. That's one hundred trillion connections in each of us, producing unique combinations of interests and skills.
When we focus on those unique strengths instead of “areas of opportunity”, magic happens. We produce our best work and find more satisfaction in what we do. The opposite is also true: when we don’t utilize our talents daily (yes, daily), our satisfaction plummets.
Leaders play a powerful role
As leaders, we structure roles, assign projects, and interact with our teams every day. When we do that with a focus on maximizing strengths, we accelerate results, create a culture of growth, and create a place where people enjoy their work.
How do we do that?
Reward differences: Give space to unconventional perspectives. Demonstrate that diversity of thought, talent, and even ability brings new perspectives to the team.
Look for strengths: Observe what people volunteer for, what wins they celebrate or what they procrastinate on (opposite of strengths). Use tools like the Love / Loathe tracker with the team: ask each person to file their daily tasks in the Love or Loathe column. Discuss observations after a week or two.
Be precise: Is this person great at sales in general or specifically at overcoming objections? Are they an effective project manager or, more precisely, exceptional at getting buy-in from just about anyone?
Invest in the learning process: Put training dollars, project assignments, mentorship connections to work. And be patient. Strengths get better with time and repetition.
Create opportunities for practice: Offer talent for assignments or roles across the organization. They’ll get more practice and the experiences will help them grow.
Strength-share to offset gaps: Pair complementary skills. Need to get buy in for a project? Join the technical expert with a storyteller and someone savvy at translating impact into measurable ROI. The work will get done well and the team will enjoy contributing their individual strengths.
Tell them when they’re being amazing
No, it won’t give them a big head and no, they won’t start to slack off. Instead, it’ll fuel further momentum. Most people blossom with praise or positive attention.
Don’t forget to tell others too
See someone on another team excel? Tell their leader. Appreciate something your colleague does incredibly well? Tell your boss.
When just one person takes notice of our talents, it can change our day and our career. So it’s not an exaggeration to say that, as leaders, we have the power to give our team wings. I hope this inspired you to do just that.
Agnes Roter
Marketing | Transformation | Leadership
You’ll find Agnes at ajroter.com or on LinkedIn
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Many of us feel stressed and get overwhelmed not because we’re taking on too much, but because we’re taking on too little of what really strengthens us.”
Marcus Buckingham