5 Ways Leaders Can Make The Most Of What They Already Have

Forbes

12-05-2025

Your team can be your greatest asset
Today's leaders are operating in a challenging business climate, often with squeezed budgets and stretched resources. At the same time, they are under huge pressure to innovate, perform and deliver results.
Given that many leaders are unable to secure more budget or more people to achieve their objectives, how can they draw on the resources they already have at their disposal to drive real business value?
Here are five ways leaders can make the most of what they already have:
Leadership involves making tough decisions and navigating challenging situations where things don't always go to plan. Past events can cloud our future actions, increasing our reliance on external reassurance or resources.
Yet to succeed as leaders, we must be able to break free from the limitations and misconceptions holding us back, according to Sukaiyna Gokal, founder of self-healing platform Garden of Ayden and author of The Human TOUCH.
'Many leaders don't realize how suffocated and weighed down they may be by the events they have etched into their hearts and minds,' Gokal explains. 'Our feelings that accompany those events muddle our experiences, with cognitive biases reaffirming the unhelpful narrative.'
Gokal recommends that instead of looking outward in, leaders should measure themselves 'via the eyes of how others view you.' She says: 'Untangling yourself from the past and self-imposed limitations is the key to unleashing the true leadership potential that is already within you.'
While constant learning and upskilling are vital to leaders, so is tapping into the wealth of expertise you've already amassed to uncover new possibilities. 'From technical expertise to industry knowledge and unique processes, it's easy to forget the vast amounts of knowledge at our fingertips when we're faced with an unfamiliar challenge,' argues Lucy McCarraher, founder of publisher Rethink Press and author of Book Magic.
'When you take the time to recognize your existing knowledge and intellectual property, you begin to see just how much value you already deliver and how this can be applied to new situations,' McCarraher explains. 'Expand this to encompass the expertise of your team, partners and network and it's clear you're sitting on a knowledge goldmine.'
Your team is probably the greatest asset you have, but are you making the most of it? Georgina Woudstra, founder of training provider Team Coaching Studio and author of Mastering the Art of Team Coaching, believes that when leaders work with what is within their teams – rather than what should be – the extraordinary becomes possible. 'The wisdom a team needs is often already within reach; it simply hasn't been fully seen or heard,' Woudstra says.
Woudstra advises that to reinvigorate your team, you should start by paying attention to what's emerging in the here and now. 'Instead of rushing to fix or change, create space for honest dialogue, reflection and connection,' she says. 'This allows the team's innate intelligence to surface.'
Woudstra adds that teams don't need more tools or tighter control; they need leaders who can 'hold the space, tune into the energy of the team and foster collective awareness.' She recommends: 'Ask what's working well? Which stories, strengths and successes already exist? Invite the team to own its process and purpose. Often, a renewed sense of shared meaning is all it takes to spark fresh energy in an existing team.'
'For many organizations, their existing data assets could unlock a wealth of determinate value, yet data analytics continues to be confined to unactioned reports and dashboards,' notes Karl Dinkelmann, CEO of data consultancy Nexus Data and co-author of Drive RAPPID Results from Data. 'To understand how to maximize the resources at your disposal and drive your company's strategic priorities, you cannot neglect the power of data insights,' he says.
Dinkelmann argues that valuable data-led solutions do not always require expensive advanced analytics, machine learning or emerging artificial intelligence. For example, he suggests that equipping customer service agents with contract renewal dates means that if a customer calls about an issue that is then resolved, they could be transferred to the retention team while on the line, which could potentially result in a renewal. 'This is not possible if high-value data use cases have not been identified across the organization,' Dinkelmann explains, 'with frontline teams equipped with the reliable data to deliver against defined objectives and key results.'
It is important to bear in mind that optimizing yourself and your resources should not come at the expense of your own wellbeing or that of your team. 'To be in the strongest position to deliver value and see new opportunities, you have to invest in your performance sustainability,' says Lesley Cooper, founder and CEO of consultancy WorkingWell.
'Intentional recovery has to be a priority,' Cooper explains. She advises leaders to work with their body's ultradian rhythms, recovering energy in different dimensions every 90–120 minutes to create the best conditions for high performance. Cooper suggests: 'You can achieve this by engaging major muscles of your body, eating nutritious food and participating in activities that break linearity, like switching tasks, connecting with others or even listening to short bursts of your favorite music.'
Recovery should not be confused with rest. Rather, it is a series of conscious acts to replenish physical resources and redirect mental focus. 'Leaders can do a lot to nurture a culture where recovery is properly seen as a vital and deliberate investment in the next performance wave – and one that requires no capital investment,' Cooper says. 'Recharge and you'll see the difference in your ability to problem-solve.'
Making the most of what they already have is not a second-best option for leaders compared with having a bigger budget or a larger team. By promoting agility, wellbeing and positive thinking, it can actually be a highly effective strategy for enhancing competitiveness in an increasingly uncertain and volatile business landscape.