Play to Your Strengths

“Play to your strengths!” every coach I ever had would say. We weren’t a powerhouse team at the plate but we could run bases and get the ball on the ground. Our game plan was to get on base and keep the pitcher on his toes; after all if we played to our strengths it was much harder for them to stop us.

“Play to your strengths,” my high school mentor would say. So I wrote a creative cover letter, talking about my sports experiences and upbringing on the ranch. It’s what set me apart from the other college applicants.

Ohh!! Look at the time, it’s lunch time. I’ll be right back……

Mmmm….

I love Jimmy Johns, good sandwiches and really fast. Hmmm..

“Play to your strenths,” someone probably told Jimmy. He makes a great sandwich but that’s not what he’s known for, his strength is in his delivery! Freaky fast isn’t an overstatement. Jimmy Johns’ brand is their strength, it keeps them above the rest.

Ha! See, it even applies to brands, but anyways, back to the blog.

Chances are you’ve probably heard the opposite advice too. “Take the path of least resistance,” someone, somewhere has said to you. Have you ever been told something similar to “If you want to stand out you have to work hard, do the things no one else is doing, become well rounded and be able to take care of everything.” Really? I mean it sounds good and sounds like a plan for success, but is that realistic? Do you honestly think you’re going to excel by being able to do everything well? That’s like saying you’re going to become a professional baseball player by being able to play every position on the field well, it’s just not going to happen because no matter how versatile you are there’s no such thing as a one man team. It’s called a team for a reason, on the field or at work; it’s a group of individuals with different strengths brought together to form a strong unit.

So instead of focusing on being the most well-rounded person in the office (trust me your boss will notice but it’s not going to get you the promotion) why not instead focus on being the best shortstop you are meant to be. Notice the verbiage I used there? “The best shortstop you are MEANT to be,” not “the best shortstop you CAN be.” Why? Because we’re not all meant to be shortstops, each one of us have different talents and strengths that combine to make us unique. So stop worrying about your weaknesses, instead focus your energy into developing and using your strengths, because when we focus on our natural talents it creates opportunities that we never knew existed.

Strengths don’t just apply to an individual, remember when I said my coach would say play the base game? Teams have strengths, as do brands (right Jimmy?). Do you know your brand’s strengths? Are you ready to focus on your brand’s strengths and turn them into the assets that separate you from the rest? Give us a call or shoot us an email, Peppershock is ready to help you find and market your brand’s strengths.

Thanks for reading!

— Erick Gutierrez