Every now and then it's a good idea to take inventory of your strengths and ensure that you are maximizing those talents. Make a list of all the things your employees have told you they appreciate about your leadership style. Go back as far as you can remember (which will be easy for some and challenging for others). This is important for long-time leaders as you may identify strengths that you are no longer using on a regular basis.

Typical leadership strengths I hear from class participants include: being a good listener, coaching with enthusiasm, setting a good example, showing sincere appreciation for a job well done, and allowing people to "spread their wings."

Now that you have your list, think about how often you are using those behaviors. Consider keeping an informal journal documenting each time you use a strength from the list you made. An example of an informal journal might be: a list of 4 or 5 positive leadership behaviors and each time you display one of those behaviors, you simply make a little check mark next to the behavior.

At the end of each week check your journal and see how you're doing. As with any talent, if you don't use it you'll lose it over time. Make a conscious effort to ensure you are consistently using your positive leadership traits.

While it's important to consistently use your leadership strengths, it is also important not to over use them. Many weaknesses come from an over-used strength. Consider the following examples:

• Being a good listener is a strength. When this strength prevents you from making timely, tough decisions, it can become a barrier to effective leadership.
• Enthusiasm is a pleasant leadership trait. Nobody wants to work with a leader who is negative. They also don't want to work with a Pollyanna leader who ignores situations that need to be addressed.
• Giving deserved recognition is what motivates people to do more and enjoy coming to work. If, however, recognition is given and undeserved, you perpetuate poor to mediocre performance in all workers. Many will just check out and become complacent about performance.
• Empowering employees and allowing them to spread their wings will boost confidence and motivation. But don't "push them out of the nest" to soar until you have adequately prepared them for the challenge. Such a misstep can backfire and result in decreased confidence and motivation.

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