Checkers or Chess ?

How to tell a good manager from a bad manager? According to Marcus Buckingham ( management consultant and author of books such as; First, Break All The Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently and The One Thing You Need to Know...About Great Managing, Great Leading and Sustained Individual Success), there is a simple answer : Bad managers play checkers. Good managers play chess. The good manager knows that not all employees work the same way. They know if they are to achieve success, they must put their employees in a position where they will be able to use their strengths. "Great managers know they don't have 10 salespeople working for them. They know they have 10 individuals working for them .... A great manager is brilliant at spotting the unique differences that separate each person and then capitalizing on them."
This may sound elementary, but, according to Buckingham, “ a quick glance around the business world indicates that many companies have yet to grasp this simple concept of putting people's strengths to use,” meaning that the business world -- and the world at large -- is obsessed with weaknesses and finding ways to fix them.

The vital question here is ; where do I get the most benefits with the least effort, or to put it in business language how do I get the most return out of my investment , is it by working on strengths or mitigate weaknesses ?
According to Buckingham, the best managers share one talent -- the ability to find, and then capitalize upon, their employees' unique traits. "The guiding principle is, 'How can I take this person's talent and turn it into performance?' That's the only way success is possible." And yet not everyone has that knack, Buckingham states: “Truly inspiring business leaders, are rarer than many think “.

Quotes # 5

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

John F. Kennedy, speech prepared for delivery in Dallas the day of his assassination, November 22, 1963