Time to read: 2 minutes
Article at a glance:
- Lean into your strengths. Like Messi’s legendary left foot, your strengths are what set you apart. Focus on what comes naturally and energizes you.
- Forget being well-rounded—be spiky. The most successful people don’t fix weaknesses; they amplify what they do best. Maximize your unique talents.
- Develop your strengths and collaborate on the rest. You don’t have to be great at everything—just exceptional at what matters most.
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of all time. He’s fast, creative, and nearly unstoppable on the field. But there’s something unusual about how he plays: he almost exclusively uses his left foot.
Everyone—teammates, opponents, and coaches—knows this. Yet, he still slips past defenders, scores goals, and makes it look effortless. It’s not that he can’t use his right foot—he just doesn’t need to. His left foot is so good that it makes up for any shortcomings.
In fact, Messi’s left foot is insured for hundreds of millions of dollars! That’s how valuable his strength is.
Watch this video to see for yourself!
So, what can we learn from Messi?
What’s a Strength?
Messi’s left foot is an example of something we all have—a strength.
Your strengths are the things that feel natural, energizing, and exciting.
Here’s how to recognize one:
- It makes you feel strong. Instead of draining you, it fuels you.
- You pick it up quickly. What’s hard for others feels intuitive to you.
- You have great instincts. You don’t necessarily need step-by-step instructions—you just get it.
- You enjoy it. Even when it’s challenging, you find yourself coming back to it.
Messi’s left foot isn’t just a skill—it’s a superpower. And we all have superpowers, if we learn to develop them.
Finding What You’re Wired For
At Redmond, we talk a lot about the 3 Circles Journey—the process of discovering your strengths, where you’re most helpful, and what fills your cup.
Think about the last time you lost track of time while doing something. That’s a clue that you were operating in one of your 3 Circles! When we work in our strengths, we’re more engaged, productive, and fulfilled.
Leaning Into Strengths (Not Fixing Weaknesses)
Most of us worry too much about our weaknesses. We try to be “well-rounded,” but the most successful people aren’t well-rounded—they’re spiky.
The term “spiky” comes from Marcus Buckingham’s work. Imagine a graph that maps your skills and abilities. If you were well-rounded, the graph would look like a smooth, even curve. But most people have sharp spikes in certain areas where they’re significantly stronger than the average person.
For example, Lionel Messi has a massive spike in dribbling and left-footed play but isn’t the tallest or the most physically dominant. His success doesn’t come from balancing out all his abilities—it comes from maximizing what he does best.
Instead of spending energy making your weaknesses slightly less weak, what if you focused on making your strengths unstoppable?
How to Find Your Strengths
Not sure what your strengths are? Start here:
- Follow your energy. What activities make you feel alive?
- Notice what comes easily. Where do you excel while others struggle?
- Ask others. Sometimes we overlook our own strengths. Ask a friend or mentor what they see.
- Experiment. Try new things and see what sparks something inside you.
Develop Your Strengths. Collaborate on the Rest.
The best part about strengths? You don’t have to be good at everything.
You don’t need to fix all your weaknesses. You need to develop your strengths and collaborate so well that your weaknesses become irrelevant.
Just like Messi doesn’t need a perfect right foot, you don’t need to be good at everything—you just need to know what you’re exceptional at and lean into it.
So, what’s your left foot? What’s the thing you do so well that it could change the game for you?
Find it. Develop it. And use it to score some goals.
