Cyber Monday Sale! 50% Off All Access

The 4 Surprisingly Simple Words That Could Guarantee Your Success Instead of trying to do too much, people should focus on only fostering a few skill sets.

By Thomas Oppong Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Most people are socialized and trained to concentrate on managing their weaknesses rather building on their strengths. Don't be that person. Instead, position yourself for success by developing your talent and leveraging your skills instead of trying to overcome your weaknesses. The more you use your strength, the more capable you become at being your best. So, the four words you need to remember are:

Play to your strengths.

"Strengths are not activities you're good at, they're activities that strengthen you. A strength is an activity that before you're doing it you look forward to doing it; while you're doing it, time goes by quickly and you can concentrate; after you've done it, it seems to fulfill a need of yours." says Marcus Buckingham (an author and a strength strategist)

Related: Gary Vaynerchuk's Advice to Entrepreneurs: Focus on Your Strengths

You can significantly increase your chances of success in life and business if you narrow your focus on what you are great at. This is a belief that sometimes gets lost, as many people focus on achieving too much – gaining too many skillsets that they aren't excellent at just one thing. Instead, they need to focus on their strengths to make themselves indispensable.

Begin to narrow your focus today and force the best out of you by concentrating on your core competence.

Keep in mind, you can't play to your strengths if you don't have an idea about what makes you unique. Take some time to identify the one skill that makes you better than anyone in your team. The best way to determine this is to figure out what you are passionate about. One way to do this is to ask yourself what you would like to do during your free time at work.

Related: Five Creativity Exercises to Find Your Passion

If your current position doesn't allow you to pursue these interests, start by making small but significant changes that can get you closer to what you are best at. Take courses in your spare time that do not require your physical presence. Once you are able to enhance it, you can communicate with your employers and help them understand how to get the best out of you. It's a win-win situation: You do what makes you indispensable and happy and at the same increases your level of productivity.

Your success depends on leveraging your skill and talent in every possible situation. Give your skill a priority in your schedule, nurture it and make the most of it.

Related: Richard Branson on Finding Your Passion Project

Thomas Oppong

Founder @Alltopstartups

Thomas Oppong is the founder of Alltopstartups.com, a startup resource site, and the curator at Postanly Weekly, a digest of the best productivity posts around the web.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

'I Stand By My Decisions': A CEO Is Going Viral For Firing Almost All of the Company's Employees — Here's Why

The Musicians Club CEO Baldvin Oddsson fired 99 workers at once over Slack for missing a morning meeting. But there's a catch.

Business News

'Something Previously Impossible': New AI Makes 3D Worlds Out of a Single Image

The new technology allows viewers to explore two-dimensional images in 3D.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Franchise

Subway's CEO Steps Down Amid a Major Transition for the Sandwich Giant

John Chidsey will step down at the end of 2024, marking the close of a transformative five-year tenure.

Fundraising

They Turned Down an Early Pay Day to Maintain Control of Their Business. And Then Went on to Raise $190 Million.

Jason Yeh, co-founder and General Partner of Patron, explains the early-stage venture firm's creation and future outlook.