In this episode of Powered by Instinct, Amy Bruske and David Kolbe, the President and CEO of Kolbe Corp, respectively, discuss what it means to be an effective leader in modern times. They do so by asking questions every manager should ask themselves:  Do you spend the majority of my time working in ways that energize you versus on tasks that drain you?   Do you impose my way of doing things on others?    Do you know how each person on your team solves problems?  Do you know how to strategically group people together to solve problems and get desired results?  Do you effectively help each member of your team minimize stress in their position?   As your company grows, are you confident in your ability to create or redesign roles for the future?   Follow along to see how your answers these essential challenges compare with Amy and David’s experiences, and to learn how you can grow as a strengths-based leader!  Hosts-at-a-Glance  Names: David Kolbe and Amy Bruske  What they do: David is the CEO of Kolbe Corp and Amy is the President of Kolbe Corp.  Company: Kolbe Corp  Noteworthy: Amy is one of Kolbe Corp's three senior master consultants. She is a sought-after speaker for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and entrepreneurial organizations in various industries. David works to empower individuals, businesses, and non-profits to use conative strengths in the ways they care about most. His combined experiences as a Legislative Director, lawyer, and CEO, while being a husband and father of four, bring an unusually interesting perspective to his work and presentations.  Where to find Amy: LinkedIn  Where to find David: LinkedIn  Podcast Insights  🎙️As a leader, you are also a team member, and it is in everyone's best interest for you to be aligned with your strengths. It means that no one expects you to know all the answers. But they need you to meet your needs and focus your energy on resolving the issues you are best at. That way, you lead by example and encourage them to do the same. ''There are enough challenges out there. So I want to remind everyone that mental energy is finite. You only have a certain amount of it to give. So you have to make hard choices every day. There are times when you have to work against your grain; that is the reality of being a leader. But you wanna minimize that because you need to have some energy left over for some of the most important decision-making.''  🎙️An effective leader knows their success formula. So, aside from building or delegating experienced employees to build processes and selecting a high-quality tech stack, an effective leader also understands the importance of gathering excellent individuals and encouraging them to establish and use their strengths. ''Building a team around you takes time, but getting the right people in place means I don't have to do those things. So that is my constant focus.''  🎙️A team of like-minded individuals doesn't guarantee success. On the contrary, a collaboration between different approaches is more likely to get results. In addition, such a team allows a leader to focus on more strategic tasks. Therefore, if you’re wondering what makes a good leader effective, it is the skill of delegating and building a diverse team. ''The team of the best players at every position isn't necessarily the best because they might not fit well together. [...] If you get too many people with the same strengths, it's not an effective team.