Play to Your Strengths: Part 3

If you've been following along, we've already covered the importance of playing to your strengths and working to figure out what those strengths are. The quote we've been working with challenges us to "get better" at what we're already good at. That's the topic of conversation today. How do we go about developing our strengths?

First of all, you have to decide you're going to be intentional about doing it. Because it's easy to just float by in your areas of giftedness, it's easy to stand pat with where you are and not seek growth. If you don't have a plan to develop it, it won't happen on its own. That means it has to be a priority. And that means it's going to take TIME. Yes, that one resource you probably already feel that you don't have enough of.

How does this time need to be spent? In the aggressive pursuit of learning. This means having a heart of humility and a teachable spirit. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean there's not a whole lot more out for you to learn! And you need to be willing to learn from anybody and anywhere that learning is available.

One great resource is books. Are there any books out there that you could latch on to and soak up? I know when I first started in my job, my insecurities actually kept me from doing something like this. I felt that since I was hired to do the job, they expected me to already know everything I needed to know.* So to go seeking out more information was a sign of weakness - a sign that I didn't know. And my insecurities brought into question in my own mind whether or not I should've had the job in the first place.

*In hindsight, if today I was on the committee that was hiring someone for my job, I would hand them a copy of The Fuel and the Flame on day one and tell them they were not allowed to do anything else until they finished the book. Then we could discuss what was next.

Talking about books is easy and all, but how many books do you own that you've never opened? I have dozens.* Why have I never opened them? Because reading takes TIME! Once again, you've got to put your schedule where your mouth is if you really want to build on your strengths.

* In fact, I just ignored the offer to receive Mark Batterson's new book for free because I already have plenty of other books that I haven't read yet! I'm hopeful that the copies that are distributed freely actually get read.

If you don't know what books to read, just ask around! I feel that teaching and preaching is one of my strengths, and I would recommend Andy Stanley's book Communicating For a Change to anyone seeking to grow in that area. A few weeks ago I started (ahem: STARTED...) reading Spirit, Word and Story which was highly recommended, and last night I was encouraged to read Christ-Centered Preaching. There are good resources out there if you're humble enough to seek them out and willing enough to commit the time to investing in them.

Aside from books, another great way to grow in your giftedness is to observe others with the same gifts. Preaching is easy to observe, and through that process I've picked up a lot of helpful ideas along the way. Depending on your strengths, it might take a little more work to find a way to observe it in action. But it's a great way to learn and, incidentally, I think it's how the disciples got a great deal of their education from Jesus.

Along the same lines, you could consider seeking out a mentor. That same person that you could observe might be willing to give you some of their time. If they have the same giftedness that you do then they're going to be passionate about it as well. And if they're passionate about it, they're probably not afraid to talk about it with someone else who loves it too!

The last thing I want to toss out for personal growth is feedback. A friend once told me, "Experience is good. Evaluated experience is better." We certainly need to practice our craft, but we also need to be willing to ask honest questions about how it's going and what we could do better. We should constantly be practicing self-evaluation, but there are challenges involved there. At times we can be far too harsh, and at other times much too lenient.

The answer is to seek out those you trust who can give you honest, constructive criticism. Of all the things I've mentioned so far, this is definitely the hardest. Even when it comes from someone who loves you dearly, there's nothing fun about hearing what you did wrong or could have done better. However, if you really want to build on your strengths, you've got to embrace this idea.* A good friend visited with me last night and shared some things I could've done better while preaching. Even though each comment was a shot to my pride, I appreciated his candor and agreed with every word that he said.

* It's becoming somewhat cliche, but even Tiger Woods has a coach!

At times you may also receive some unsolicited feedback! In fact, you can probably count on it. In those times you want to be sure and respond with grace and try to step back and honestly consider what they have to say. As I said before, we need to be teachable and receive instruction in all different forms, even ones we never would have sought out on our own.

As Reggie McNeal said, your best chance at making your biggest contribution is to get better at what you're already good at. Do you believe that? Are you willing to be intentional about it? To take steps to put it into your schedule and to seek out the people and resources necessary to make it happen? I think it would cheating the Kingdom if you chose not to.