50 for 50 Idea #16: Develop a Super-Strength

posted on: April 11, 2018
author: Brian Lomax, Ed.D.

When you reflect on one of your performances, do you focus more on what you did wrong than what you did right? Do you think more about the impact of your weaknesses on the performance rather than the impact of your strengths? If you’re like most people, you answered “yes” to both of these questions, and that approach is holding you back. Sorry to be blunt about that, but the path to your greatness does not go through the improvement of your weaknesses so you can become a well-rounded player. That is actually the path to mediocrity. Achieving greatness is a combination of maximizing your strengths, developing a super-strength (or 2) and managing your weaknesses to be “good enough.”

Tom Brady

Let’s look at an example of an elite athlete who embodies this: Tom Brady. Is Tom Brady well-rounded? Does he do everything a quarterback is supposed to do at a super high level? No! He is not very fast and he doesn’t move that well. There are probably several other quarterbacks in the NFL who throw the deep ball better than Brady. Depending on the level of your football knowledge, you might be able to come up with a few other things that Brady doesn’t do well. But is Tom Brady considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of football? Yes!

Even with these glaring “weaknesses”, he has established himself as a great quarterback. How? He focuses on his strengths and gets better at them year after year. The parts of his game that are his strengths are the things at which he is the best in the league. His strengths distinguish him from others. And for Brady, that also includes things like his mental game and his preparation. He is world-class in both of those areas.

Develop a Super-Strength

Let’s bring this back to you and 50 for 50 idea number 16: Develop a Super-Strength this year. To begin that process, you need to know what your strengths are. Make a list of what you are good at and include your best technical skills as well as any other strengths you have in terms of speed, strength, conditioning, competitive skills, etc. Review this list and ask yourself, which of these strengths could take my game to a new level if I improved it? This is going to be your super-strength. This is what is going to distinguish you from others around you because you are so good at this one thing.

When you look at the best competitors in the world, they all have at least one super strength that they are known for and that distinguishes them from their peers. For example, think of Rafael Nadal and the amount of topspin he uses on his forehand. No other top player does what Nadal does. He is unique in that way and it has been a huge part of his success.

Don’t strive to be a well-rounded competitor. Strive to stand out and be different by developing a super-strength this year.