Strength Based Leadership – How is your wake?

I remember learning to water ski in my mid-20s. To the surprise of my cousins and myself I actually popped right up on my first attempt and was skimming along the surface of the water like a boss- until I veered too far into the surge of the boat’s wake while letting the tow rope slack. I was jerked, flipped, and sucking reservoir water like a chump. That was my first lesson in making waves and navigating wakes.

In many water sports paying attention to the surging billows of a boat is important. At Inpowering People, we also help people pay attention to the wake their thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors are leaving with others. We define that wake as how others experience us when we are working from our talents and the environment we leave behind.    

We all leave a wake with others- especially when we are in a position of influence or leadership. One of the tools that gives us a deeper view into our natural leadership style when we are using our Strengths is the CoreClarity CoreDrill. This is the circular graph resembling a target that shows us where our Top 5 talents show up in the four CoreClarity Quadrants of Connecting, Reflecting, Energizing, and Mobilizing.

When we are working from our Top 5 talents and have mitigated the Kryptonite side of these talents we leave a near placid wake that others find attractive to be around. That ripple effect makes sailing smooth for us and others on the road to productivity and collaboration.  However, when we are working out of our weaknesses, managing from mediocrity, or ignoring the Kryptonite of our talents we can leave the disruptive turn, churn, and burn of a choppy wake. Be it unseen riptides or minor tsunamis, it’s a bumpy ride for us and a canoe tipper for others.

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your CoreDrill gives us another layer of self-awareness to help us lead well from our Strengths. It will also help you understand the leadership style of others around you, including those who lead you. When we use the term “leadership” we are talking about the ability to motivate and influence others in the broadest sense, from directing a team, persuading a group decision, to training an intern or selling a service to a potential client.  For the year of 2025 we are going to look at the top 12 CoreDrills and the unique leadership style they exhibit as well as the blind spots they may produce. So hang on to your tow rope- Life Line Leadership will be coming to your inbox next week.