The Maxwell Leadership Reading PlanSample

Play to Your Strength: The 70-25-5 Principle

Great leaders play to their strength. They don’t spend vast amounts of time attempting to be a jack-of-all-trades. Instead, they deepen their ability to do what they do best, until they do it as well as anyone.

Solomon certainly lived by this principle. God made him the wisest and richest king of his day (1 Kin. 3:12, 13). Other monarchs heard of his wisdom and wealth and eagerly sought an audience with him. From all over the known world, powerful rulers from distant lands made the long trek to Israel to catch a glimpse of this young phenom. Solomon provided rich counsel and gifts to others, and quickly became known for his breadth of mind and depth of insight.

How did Solomon gain such fame? He focused on what he did best. Leaders would be wise to follow a similar pattern, called the 70-25-5 principle:

• Give 70 percent of your time to your areas of strength.
• Give 25 percent of your time to the areas you want to improve.
• Give 5 percent of your time to the areas of your weakness.