If you think you can be anything you want to be but you don’t know your strengths, you are wrong. And, if you think turning a weakness into a strength will give you an edge, again you are wrong. The key to success is clearly identifying your strengths and weaknesses and deciding to develop your strengths rather than getting frustrated and wasting energy trying to improve your weaknesses. You will become more effective and experience more career success and advancement. Promotions are given to those who have clearly identified and demonstrated their strengths, who have identified their passion and know how they can and will add value.
There can be no argument against the fact that we are most engaged in our work when we feel that we are doing our best and competently contributing every day. But this is only possible when we play to our strengths.
Here are some tips to help you bolster your role in the workplace:
Know Thyself: If you’re going to hone your strengths, it only makes sense that you are certain what they are. Some amount of independent thinking and introspection is required. Beyond your skills and knowledge what might set you apart from someone of equal talent. For example, a trained accountant, with no background in client servicing who gets a charge when speaking with a clients may be a manager’s first choice when it comes to meeting a potential clients and developing relationships with potential clients.
Take an inventory of your past and present performance and identify the things that you look forward to doing. This will help you arrive at what your unique core competencies are and where your strengths are.
Lend an Ear: When it comes to deciding what your strengths are, public opinion need not be your absolute barometer, but your peers and colleagues are a good resource to help you identify them if you are not able to. However, it does make sense to pay heed to what people think about you, especially those in your field. For example, you may think that you write excellent feature articles, but your editor may find you better suited for writing pithy taglines for ad-campaigns. This doesn’t mean that you quit brochure-writing altogether. You can, however, consider, working more extensively on ad campaigns.
Peter Drucker has an objective method of analyzing accuracy of your perceived strengths and those suggested through feedback from colleagues. Before performing any activity or taking any decision, first make a list of your expectations. After a few weeks or months, write down details of your performance in these areas. A comparison of the performance against your expectations will help you understand which areas you are strongest in and where your strengths lie.
Be Strong: Now that you know what your strengths are, focus on these. Do not try to overcome your shortcomings. To put it simply, it is not worth it. Marcus Buckingham is considered to be the pioneer of ‘the strengths’ revolution’. In his stint as a researcher at Gallup organization, he extensively studied the world’s most successful individuals and organizations to understand what drives their performance. He concluded that these people and organizations focus on what they are good at and continue to get better at this. Buckingham postulates that employees who get to do what they are best at, are more engaged, fulfilled and successful.
Here’s how this applies to you: spend your professional development energy honing your strengths, instead of attending workshops to remedy your weaknesses. Work on projects where you can showcase your best abilities. Do not worry about being sidelined for what you cannot do. Simply shine in what you can do extremely well.
From Individual to Organization: This ‘strength-based’ approach pays off even at an organizational level. Studies indicate that when leadership does not focus on an individual’s strengths, employee engagement is only approximately 9%. However, this quotient increases to a whopping 73% as soon as leadership starts focusing on an employee’s strengths. Help your boss to decide to send all assignments which will benefit from your strengths to your desk. Know your strengths and be able to describe how your strengths can achieve the best outcome.
This focus on strengths is not a new phenomenon. In the ‘80s, the process of ‘Artificial Inquiry’ was first employed to enhance organizational and individual growth. The idea was to focus more on successes and learn from what worked, which was in contrast to the prevailing notion at the time, that individuals and organizations would learn more from mistakes. Although we do learn from our mistakes, less mistakes will be made if we play to our strengths.
Weaknesses Are Not The Point: You may be giving your weaknesses a lot more importance than they merit. Your weakness will be obliterated by someone else’s strengths. Similarly, your strengths will carry a project through despite someone else’s limitations. Gallup observes that good leaders choose well-rounded teams. Every member is selected based on their strengths that complement those of others in the team, regardless of their weaknesses.
It’s a truism, that we all have our strengths and weaknesses. They make us complete. But it’s the former that make us successful.