As a non-profit leader and consultant, I am forever looking at tools to help cultivate and build the best teams. But as I was reading one book by Tom Rath, author of Strengthsfinder 2.0, an anectode he discussed gave a great and immediate pause and my thought process changed from looking for ways to find personal strengths to why I need to find them. Stay with me.

This anectdote explains how in some way he was scarred by Rudy Ruettiger, the subject of the 1993 film, Rudy*. Wait, What? The all-American underdog hero, Rudy Ruettiger? The true story of one who was small and was not cut out to play big-league football, but with perserverance and practice, finally got to play with Notre Dame? That Rudy?

Rath reminds us that while Rudy did get to play, it was for only a matter of seconds, which were the result of thousands of hours of practice – at the expense of other things he could be doing which were more aligned with his natural talents. And while it made for a great underdog story, it’s not like Rudy went on to play professional football.

The whole premise of the Strengthsfinder test and strengths analysis is to discover in what areas you are most naturally talented in order to exploit them, rather than single-mindedly focus on your weakest areas to improve them. This premise goes against the grain of what most of us have been conditioned to accept in the American workforce. The message has always been – you can be whatever you want, if you put enough effort into it. But just as Rudy was never going to be a Tom Brady, some of us who struggle with numbers will never be physicists. Others who are squeamish around blood will probably not make the best surgeon.

Those of us in the nonprofit world know we often have no choice by to excel in areas we are not strongest. Leaders are asked to run organizations because they are believers and doers who can communicate a vision others can follow. Indeed, these are the characteristics that make great leaders. However, it is by far not the only strength needed to run an organization efficiently and effectively. Because of this, nearly all leaders will find themselves in positions of discomfort being in charge of areas in which they have little experience or natural talent.

If we were in the corporate realm, this would mean we hire a team of talented folks who shore up our weakest areas. In non-profit, we are often limited in what staff we can hire, if any. Funds we are able to secure for capacity-building are generally temporary and/or limited to front-line program staff.

While it is an overgeneralization, most non-profit leaders will find it difficult to admit when they hit these rough spots. Indeed, we are all Rudy in some way, determined to make it work. Many of us attack the problem head on, reading a frenzy of books, classes, anything to help our organizations come through the challenge. And we may get that new website up, or those new legal documents created from a free online template, or piece together a matrix of free software that measures sort-of accurate program outcomes.

In the long run, this is unsustainable. It is time to defeat our inner Rudy. It is time to admit we may not have the expertise for everything our organization needs. We can know and understand our strengths, build on them, and find resources around us for the rest. We must be able to talk to our Board of Directors and share our concerns about challenges for which we have little expertise or simply not enough hands on deck. Ask for help. Ask for funding for consultants if you cannot hire staff.

Our blind spots do not make us weak, but our lack of awareness of them does. Nonprofits are increasingly standing in the gaps of services no longer offered by business or government and those which are impossible for families to provide themselves. We must ensure our missions are carried out effectively and efficiently, and for the long haul.

Interested in consulting services catered to YOUR organization and its needs? Click here for an inquiry or email jhatchett@blindspotal.com.

*Featured image is poster from the film, Rudy, click here for more info on film.