Stay In Your Lane: Unleashing Your Strengths

Where are you strong? I'm not talking about muscles, I'm talking about gifts, skills, and calling.

When you take a step back and actually look at your life, relationships, and work, what strengths do you recognize? The reason this is so important is because we tend to focus so much energy on fixing the areas in which we are weak, but all the while we are not maximizing our strengths. 

Many of you have bought into the idea that in order to be a great leader, husband, friend, or worker you need to be well-rounded, a Jack of all trades. But that is so far from the truth. Andy Stanley, in his book "The Next Generation Leader," writes, 

"Don't strive to be a well-rounded leader. Instead, discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else."

Growing up I loved playing football, I loved tackling people. One of the funnest times during a

game for me was the kick off, this was the time you could really crack someone. But, as fun as it was trying to hit as many people as possible at full speed there was one rule that needed to be followed by the whole team in order to ensure that the kick off returner would not be able to run it all the way back for a touchdown. The rule was "STAY IN YOUR LANE." By each member of the team staying in their lane the whole field would be covered, but when someone tried crossing into someone else's lane a gap would open up.

Your lane is your "zone," that is the place where you are strongest. Your lane is the place you have trained for, the place where experience is on your side; it's your sweet spot. Your lane is the place where you are the strongest.

When you begin to recognize your strengths you can begin to unleash them and fully contribute to any team or relationship you are in, as well as activate others to step into the lanes around you.

You see, your weaknesses are not necessarily things that limit you, they are opportunities for you to empower those around you. As Stanley writes, 

"Admitting a weakness is a sign of strength. Acknowledging weakness doesn't make a leader less effective." 

It is not until you can actually recognize your weaknesses that you can be most effective. It takes a great leader to know where she is weak and, rather than try to do everything herself, raise up others who are strong in those areas to step up.

In your marriage, if you know you are the organizer and your spouse is the visionary, don't try to force one another into the mold, maximize each other's strengths and learn to work together. At work, if your boss is not good at seeing obstacles in the way of fulfilling a vision, but you are, don't criticize him. Rather, affirm his vision and then come up with a road map of positive solution that can help navigate through the pot holes. 

It's time to discover your strengths, unleash them, and empower others to step into the lanes around you.