Everyone has their own strengths and talents. What you bring to the table is unique and different than anyone else. Being in a position, in any area of your life, that matches your talents and your responsibilities is the very definition of value. Leadership expert John C. Maxwell says "Good things happen to a team when a player takes the place where he adds the most value. Great things happen when all the players on the team take the role that maximizes their strengths – their talent, skill, and experience."

Aces in Their Places

If people’s talents aren’t being used properly or at all, they will not be achieving their full potential. Not having the right people in the right position affects the entire organization. It wastes potential, and there is nothing worse than wasted potential. I’m naturally a person that wants to get every last ounce out of everything and everyone. I hate wasted potential. I have high expectations, which can be good and bad. Having high expectations and wanting to get the most out of everything sometimes allows me to have more success, but other times leaves me disappointed. In order to get the most out of everyone and every situation is to have the right people in the right position. Roles must maximize talent to benefit the organization most, or else, the opportunity cost is potential, which gets wasted. If aces are not in their places, it weakens the organization by wasting potential, lowering morale, impacting the organizational culture, and ultimately wasting money.

Utilizing Talent

Good leaders know how important utilizing talent is. The idea is to get people with the talent, skills, knowledge, and experience to complement each other. This way, the team is strong in a wide variety of areas. Each person brings strengths, and where they are weak, another person fills in with their strength. This is essentially what makes a strong team strong, having people with the right skills and the right talent in the right position. Good leaders realize the importance of positioning people in the organization where they add the most value.

In order to have people where they can add the most value, they need to know three things: the organization, the situation, and the person. Knowing the organization allows the leader to see where the organization is, where it’s going, and how it’s going to get there. By knowing the situation, the leader can assess what’s needed. By knowing the person, the leader can evaluate the person’s strengths and weaknesses, and see where the person fits within the organization to add the most value.

An easy parallel to make is to apply this to a sports team. For example, in football, the quarterback must arguably be the best leader on the team and must have the strongest and most accurate arm on the team. He may not be the fastest or strongest person on the team, but that’s not what his position demands from him. In comparison, almost every offensive and defensive lineman is over 300 pounds! Why? Because their position requires them to block other 300 pound men and use brute strength to throw each other around. On the other hand, skill players (wide receivers, running backs, and cornerbacks) are the fastest players on a team. Their position requires them to out-run the opponent and use sheer quickness to elude other players. Whatever their position, each player brings their own unique talent to the table, and that talent matches up perfectly with the position they play. The matching of the player’s skills and the position allows for the player to perform at his best, which translates to a better team and a better organization.

Leadership Ultimately Determines Your Value

Do your strengths, talents, skills, and knowledge match your current position? If they don’t, how do you feel about it? I know when I was working as a cook in a restaurant years ago I felt like I wasn’t being utilized the right way. I felt like I could bring more to the table. I was a pretty good cook if I do say so myself, but it wasn’t the talent I wanted to focus on. I wanted to work with people. I wanted to create ideas and implement them. But I was stuck cooking. I ended up leaving the company because it became obvious they had no growth plan for me or any intention of matching me with my talents and letting me do what I felt I could do. It was disappointing that the “leadership” in that organization didn’t see this. But, that will happen, so you move on and hope someone will give you that opportunity.