Optimize Your Strengths

Book excerpt: Discover your unique edge. Each of us has our own set of strengths, abilities and skills that allow us to shine and deliver exceptional results. These are our underlying qualities that energise us and we are great at (or have potential to become great at). But how do you understand and build upon your strengths and how do you inspire others to do the same? Optimize Your Strengths provides a proven strengths-based approach to achieving peak performance for you and your team. You'll discover your core strengths and learn how to use these to bring out the best in yourself and inspire passion, innovation and engagement in those you lead. Using the Stretch Leadership Model, leadership and organisational development experts, James Brook and Paul Brewerton, show you how to lead beyond boundaries and develop positive habits that drive you to continuously improve and take advantage of new opportunities. Through a fictional narrative that brings the subject to life; follow the journey of Joe (a leader facing both personal and professional crises), as you learn to: Discover, analyse and grow you and your team's natural strengths and abilities in pursuit of a compelling vision Develop an energising and powerful leadership approach based on strengths, solutions and possibilities Use a Stretch Toolbox of six step-by-step models to uncover your leadership edge and grow into an inspiring leader Get hands-on experience working through chapter exercises on an accompanying website Take real action to continually enhance your strengths and improve your weaknesses