Better Days Ahead
I had a miserable job.
Every day felt like I was swimming against the current, struggling to get the work done, feeling like a failure, and walking out exhausted. On Sunday mornings, I would start to feel anxious, knowing that in a mere 24 hours I’d be back in my cubicle, churning through the tasks of the day. It makes me uneasy just thinking about it!
It wasn’t that I had a bad boss, nor that my working conditions were unmanageable, nor that I disliked my co-workers. Quite the opposite! The workplace was comfortable and friendly and I felt quite a bit of camaraderie when at work.
Looking back, I can see that it was simply a POOR FIT. The requirements and parameters of the job were a perfect recipe for disaster, given the way my brain works. For someone else, this would have been a dream job, but for me, it was a personal nightmare.
I wish I had known then what I know now—STRENGTHS matter. If you want to make the greatest possible impact in the time you spend at work, and if you want to enjoy greater ease, energy and fulfillment, understand your strengths and put them to work!
Why Understanding Your Strengths Matters
Understanding your strengths is more than just an exercise in self-awareness; it's a strategic advantage that can significantly impact your performance and satisfaction. When you learn about your strengths you can develop and experience:
- Greater Self-Awareness: By identifying your strengths, you gain a deeper understanding of what drives you, what tasks energize you, and where you naturally excel. This self-awareness is the foundation for personal and professional growth.
- Improved Performance: When you leverage your strengths, you can perform tasks more efficiently and effectively. This leads to higher productivity, better quality of work, and greater job satisfaction.
- Better Team Dynamics: As a leader, understanding your strengths helps you build a more cohesive and collaborative team. You can delegate tasks based on team members' strengths, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. Even if you don’t lead others, you can contribute at a higher level and lean on others more effectively when you understand your strengths.
- Increased Confidence: Knowing your strengths boosts your confidence. You're more likely to take on challenges, innovate, and lead with conviction when you are aware of your unique abilities.
Understanding your strengths allows you to harness your full potential and create a fulfilling and impactful career.
Discover Your Strengths
If you don’t already have a sense of what your strengths might be, start here:
- Take an Assessment: There are a number of really wonderful assessment tools. I’m a big fan of The Six Types of Working Genius®. This tool provides insights into your natural abilities and areas where you can make the most significant impact. (Haven’t taken it yet? Click HERE.)
- Reflect: Reflect on your past experiences and achievements. Consider the times at work (including the tasks and circumstances) that you found most enjoyable and where you performed exceptionally well. What was easy? What work are you compelled to do? Look for patterns that indicate your strengths.
- Get Feedback: Seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, and team members. Ask them to share their observations about what you do best and where you excel. The perspectives of close friends and colleagues can provide valuable insights.
By combining these methods, you can gain a deeper understanding of your natural strengths and how to leverage them for greater impact.
Learn About & Leverage Your Strengths
Once you have identified your strengths, keep learning and leveraging! Try these strategies:
- Use the Time / Impact / Energy (T.I.E.) Tracker: There is a resource on my RESOURCE PAGE called the T.I.E. Tracker. This resource will help you track your activities throughout the day (Time), along with the Energy you have while doing those activities and the relative Impact of the activities. Doing this kind of “audit” can yield great insight into what you are doing that is energizing and impactful—two hallmarks of strength! (Resources Page HERE)
- Keep a Strengths Journal: Grab a journal and jot down situations where you used your strengths and the outcomes that resulted. This will help you track your progress, identify areas for improvement, and even prepare for future conversations with your manager!
- Update Your Assessments Periodically: Revisit your Working Genius (or other assessment results) periodically to refresh your memory and gain new insights. As you continue to attend to the development of your strengths, you’ll get better and better at putting them to work!
- Set Personal Development Goals: Based on your strengths, set specific, measurable goals for personal and professional growth. Focus on areas where you can further develop your strengths and make a more significant impact. Doing this will help you make faster progress toward sculpting a GREAT work experience!
Leveraging your strengths is an ongoing process that helps you stay aligned with your natural abilities, continuously improve, and ultimately contribute at your highest level. It is the key to unlocking your full potential. By identifying and leveraging your strengths, you can enhance your performance, build stronger teams, and make a more significant positive impact in the world!
Ready for an assessment? Take The Six Types of Working Genius® assessment to discover your strengths. Then call me to learn how to put your GENIUS to work with your team!
