I really believe it is important to play to your team members strengths while giving them a chance to build on their weaknesses. Too often I have seen managers assume that individuals are great at everything. Then these same people are surprised or disappointed when someone fails to accomplish something they aren’t good at. If you set someone up to fail they will. Chances are they will not get better at it and will feel discouraged increasing their tendency to fail at their task. If you give people assignments that they are good at then you are setting them up to succeed. When people are successful they feel accomplished and encouraged. Evaluate your team and know their strengths and weaknesses. Challenge their strengths and grow their weaknesses when you can. If you have a tight deadline and need something accomplished go to the person who can get the job done. If you have time to work on a part of a project that someone isn’t very skilled at give them that opportunity to take that time to get better. Partner them up with someone who is skilled at it. Let them learn from the best. Mentoring is important to growth and building strengths. Never set your team up to fail, instead give them every opportunity to succeed.
Managing the Game 