Have you ever wonder and ask others “What am I good at”?
The answer may be described as an experience, accomplishment, or a skill.
You are really good at math
You make very polished presentations
You are amazing at keeping in touch with people
What about another question “How are you uniquely good at what you do”?
This is where Strength comes in. It is less about the specific job or skill you are good at currently or previously, but what you naturally bring to the table regardless of your role or environment.
In many cultures (ethnic, educational or company), more emphases are placed on fixing our weaknesses or improving our “opportunities”, while not enough on maximizing our strength. If you subscribe to the theory, the modern career paths have made us more average and replaceable instead of unique and exceptional.
While we need to be good with essential, universal skills such as communication, relationship, critical thinking, our results over time are a product of the application of our strengths, throughout a whole career. Borrowing a sport analogy, would Michael Jorden and Tiger Woods be as successful had they swapped games?
What is Strength Profiles Good For?
- Career Planning – Understanding your natural strength will guide how you can apply it to your current role and future possibilities. Each strength combination is unique and enable you to bring “your take on the work” to the world, similarly to how a chef brings a different character to a traditional dish. Longer term, try to move to roles where your strengths can be applied.
- Team Collaboration – Best performing teams leverage collective strengths and cover shortcomings. While our contributions are often defined by the job function, we also bring our strengths in “how” we carry our work. e.g. A Sales person with Discipline will bring structured process and system to what is generally considered an art. Facilitated Strength profile discussions can help teams discover how to apply this additional dimension to elevate performance together.
My Own Experience
I took the Strength Finders assessment twice over the past 10 years and 4 of the Top 5 Strengths have stayed the same. With role and company changes, it’s interesting to note my natural tendency to think or act a certain way, driven by my strength combination. Some things are just more natural and easier. My results and growth were significantly better when the nature of the role and relationships lined up with my natural strength. Well, surprise, surprise.
For Further Reading, go to StrengthCenter. Over 18 million people have taken the assessment and learned about their strengths! (I receive no compensation for making the suggestion – I hope you find value)
P.S. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but if you leave a comment or email me your Top 5 Strengths, I will happily share mine with you!
