Leadership: the strengths advantage

Leadership is about inspiring, guiding, and orchestrating the movements of others to achieve shared goals

For product and transformation leaders, it’s the strength that mobilises teams, aligns stakeholders, and delivers outcomes under pressure

At the senior Head of, Director, General Manager, and C-Suite levels, leadership becomes a defining quality. Just because you have the title doesn’t mean you can lead people. The success of your products and your transformations depends on your ability to influence, your ability to create clarity, and your ability to rally people around a vision

Examples of underuse. A Head of Product who come from a delivery background may retreat into their comfort zone of detailed delivery, but leave people feel like they’ve been micromanaged and without direction or confidence. A General Manager in Technology who avoids stepping into the limelight of leadership risks creating a vacuum, where decisions stall and momentum fades

Examples of optimal use. A Vice President in Transformation who applies leadership well might set a clear vision and reset governance so that it aligns diverse stakeholders and energises delivery teams. A Chief Product Officer who demonstrates leadership by modelling resilience and decisiveness during market turbulence builds credibility, steadies investors, and strengthens customer loyalty

Examples of overuse. Leadership taken too far can become dominance. A Head of Engineering who insists on controlling every decision risks stifling innovation and disempowering their teams. A Chief Transformation Officer who positions themselves as the sole driver of their initiative may overshadow others, creating dependency, and eroding collective ownership

The sweet spot is leadership that inspires without overpowering. Leaders who use this strength well create clarity, confidence, and shared accountability. Critical ingredients for product and transformation success

Research shows that leaders who know, apply, and maximise their strengths experience higher resilience, stronger influence, and improved performance outcomes. Leadership is just one of the 24 strengths that we explore in The Strengths Advantage

The Strengths Advantage

Book your team into the half-day workshop to foster an environment of shared accountability, or choose the 90-minute 1:1 leaders session to sharpen you own leadership capabilities!