Do You Know Your Strengths?

What a silly question – do you know your strengths? Some people know them explicitly, many “have a pretty good idea,” and others may ask “Why should we want to know that?”

My answer to that is — because maximizing our strengths is a great way to accelerate our successes

When I think of Michael Jordan, one of the most amazing basketball players who has ever lived, taking a sabbatical and trying his hand at another sport – baseball – it didn’t work all that well. His strength was his basketball prowess. That’s where his success came from.

And just as we move on in our lives, knowing our strengths allows us to capitalize on and to maximize them.  And to maximize your strengths, you first need to know what they are. Right?

In the coaching world, there is a belief that the more you know yourself, the more effective you can be. Self-knowledge is key to self-actualization, personal development, and even happiness.

One key area of self-knowledge is finding clarity about what your strengths really are. How far along the spectrum are you?

There are 3 sources of finding the answer to this challenging question. We will focus on the first two.

1. Personal reflection
2. Feedback from others
3. Assessments

Personal reflection can help you clarify what you believe are your strengths, and feedback from others can give you insight into how others perceive your strengths.

Here are some questions that you can use to bring even more clarity. I suggest you go with your first impressions and write quick answers to each one of these questions. Then, review your answers and find common threads.

1. What were you doing when you felt most successful?
2. What comes easy to you?
3. What kinds of problems do you like solving?
4. What excites you?
5. What excited you as a child?
6. What do people ask you for help with?
7. What do you believe are your best assets?
8. What attracts others to work with you?
9. What do you trust most about yourself?
10. What is your “superpower”

Feedback from others. The same can be done by involving others. Asking for their feedback might open the door to something you did not realize about yourself or confirm what you have already suspected or clarified. Here are some sample questions:

1. What do you admire about me?
2. What do you think others admire about me?
3. What 3 words would you used to describe me?
4. What do you see as my passions?
5. What do you believe are my greatest strengths?

A quick word about assessments. There are a multitude of assessments available either in book form or online. As an example, one of the more popular books about this is called “Strengths Finder,” by Tom Roth. These too can be excellent sources for self-discovery and can also be used as you increase your self-knowledge.

One word of caution. Just because you have a strong ability to do something, it may not energize you. And if that is the case, is it really a strength? Marcus Buckingham states, “just because you are good at something doesn’t make it a strength. You must have a passion for what you are doing.” I agree.

Take action. Once you have begun to zero in on even more clarity about the strengths you have, it opens the door for you to find ways to use them to enhance your work. Knowing what they are is only half the battle. Taking action to strategize how and when you use each of those identified strengths allows you to take the action that can enhance your effectiveness and your success overall.

As you look at your personal and professional goals and strategies, cross check them with how they are using your strengths, skills and passions. Audit your to do lists to make sure your skills are being used to their best abilities. Allow yourself to dream the “big job” that uses all those strengths, then put that dream into action.