Great Leaders and Big Rocks

Great leaders stay true to themselves. That means they understand their

limitations and they employ others with stronger skills than them to work in

areas where they are the weakest or where they have the least amount of

enjoyment. In the same way that Stephen Covey’s big rock theory, is applied to

productivity, a great leader focuses on his strengths first. When leaders

concentrate on their areas of strength and enjoyment they subsequently spend

little time and energy on the small rocks or the distractions and less enjoyable

tasks. They focus on strengths and therefore they build companies,

departments, and teams that are like them – strong. In return leaders with these

sincere characteristics avoid distractions, aggravating tasks, ego, and

micromanagement.

In order to hone in on the leadership characteristics aforementioned, it is

important to understand that being a leader does not require perfection in every

area. Furthermore, a true leader is not meant to be all things to all people in

every situation and task. The leader may not even be the smartest person on the

team. However, they are always knowledgeable regarding the areas in which

they excel. Practically applied, it is imperative that leaders do a self-assessment:

First, identify what you enjoy about your work, then, dig deep to determine why

that activity or task is enjoyable. Adversely, identify which tasks you least enjoy,

and why this aversion exists. Lastly, seek to understand the reasons behind your

responses, for greater clarity, i.e., if you decide that you hate making speeches,

well that doesn't necessarily mean that you don't like to talk to your team, you

may simply prefer to communicate face-to-face. So be detailed when going

through this exercise. It will serve you greatly as you become a powerhouse

leader.

Our next Moment with Manal will delve further into how to operate with sincerity

as you focus on being true to yourself.