Using Your Strengths
Todd Turner on Unsplash
Have you ever struggled to present yourself to a potential employer lacking the language to put your best foot forward?
Have you wanted to assess where there are opportunities that best fit with your innate talents?
Do you feel you have untapped potential?
Do you want to build your confidence with a better understanding of your innate abilities?
Have you wondered how to maximize your impact at work?
Do you want to be a more effective leader?
Do you want to develop better relationships at work and personally?
Do you want to build a more cohesive team?
If the answer to any of these is yes, then it’s time to start developing your strengths self-awareness. Armed with this knowledge, you can then put those strengths to work in addressing these questions and more.
Recently, I spoke with a potential corporate client and explained that I used a strength-based approach to my coaching. To my dismay, I was unexpectedly rebuffed because their professional development training was primarily deficit focused. That is, their focus was around fixing the deficiencies of the staff and overcoming weaknesses versus capitalizing on their strengths. Too little attention was being given to their natural abilities or strengths.
This interaction so reminded me of the performance feedback I’d received in the past and how much of it was centered on what could be improved versus where I excelled. You simply get better results by focusing on people’s strengths than you do by obsessing about their shortcomings.
Numerous research studies have shown that the best way to become more confident, resilient, and productive is to focus on strengths. You are more motivated to grow, learn, and build relationships. A strengths-based mindset for an organization, team or individual can increase engagement and performance. It can move you towards greater professional and relational success. Leveraging your strengths helps when looking at new opportunities or wanting to reach your full potential.
What’s most important is to first become aware of yourself and then of the people around you. It’s critical to realize what your strengths mean, how they manifest positively, and how they can work against you. It is truly one of the best entry tools into the discovery of self. The more you develop your strengths the more you create your brilliance and opportunities to thrive.
Several of my clients have been surprised at how helpful it has been to put words and context to their strengths. There have been numerous “ahas” as they begin to better understand themselves and what has or has not worked for them in the past. And this knowledge prepares them to move forward and answer questions beyond those above.
Here are three strength assessments I feel are worth considering and they’re free. Interestingly, the StandOut is situational versus question based.
Gallup CliftonStrengths
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Gallup has investigated the nature of human talents and strengths for over 50 years. These investigations have resulted in the CliftonStrengths, an online assessment of individual talent that identifies areas in which a person has the greatest potential for building strengths. More than 12 million people have taken Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment.
VIA Character Strengths
https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths-via
The VIA Survey of Character Strengths is a free self-assessment that takes 10 minutes and provides a wealth of information to help you understand your best qualities. VIA Reports provide personalized, in-depth analysis of your free results, including actionable tips to apply your strengths to find greater well-being.
StandOut® Assessment – the next-gen strengths assessment
https://mailchi.mp/marcusbuckingham.com/standout-assessment
This brief assessment reveals your top “StandOut Roles,” the combination of traits that helps you stand out at work. While many other assessments ask you to rate your own qualities, this assessment is designed to give a series of situations and asks what you would do in those situations. Although everyone has all nine Roles, The StandOut assessment ranks you on all Roles to reveal your top two. The results give you a new perspective on your own strengths and help you become more aware of where you are at your best. The results give you practical strategies for how to accelerate performance.