Branson, Buffett and the truth about strengths-based leadership.

2 September 2025

It’s the most common question I hear when I work with emerging leaders. “Do I have the right strengths profile to be a senior leader?”

And I get it.  I’m a strengths evangelist.

Time and again, I’ve seen leaders get an exponential return by leaning into their strengths.  Not by obsessing over their weaknesses.

When I run these workshops with senior and emerging leaders using Gallup CliftonStrengths, the question always comes up.
They’re scanning their report, wondering if there’s a magic formula.  A perfect combination of strengths that unlocks the door to the C-suite.

📊 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 across government, business, charities, sport, the arts. And what did they find?

No single pattern.
No dominant domain.
No universal top 5.

💡 The only common thread?  𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

The best leaders don’t tick a specific strengths box:
They know who they are.
They know who they’re not.
And they build a strategy around that.

Take 𝗦𝗶𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻- dyslexic, not strong with numbers, famously poor at detail.
But he doubled down on his vision, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his ability to spot and nurture talent.
And he hasn't done too badly.

Another example: 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘁.
His strengths lie in focus, patience, and pattern recognition.
Not charisma. Not command. Not inspiration.
Yet he’s one of the most influential business leaders of our time.

🧭 So if you’re wondering whether your strengths profile is right for senior leadership. The answer is 𝘆𝗲𝘀…..𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴:

• You understand your profile
• You know how to leverage your strengths
• You build strategies to work around your weaknesses
• You surround yourself with people who complement you
• And you develop deep self-awareness to guide it all