Identifying your strengths and leveraging them can help you excel at work. It can also increase your overall well-being and energize you.
Try the following methods for identifying your top strengths:
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Take An Assessment
An online strengths test is a great way to know your top strengths. These tests usually present you with a series of statements that are paired together and ask you to choose the one that best describes you. They will then give you a list of your dominant strengths and describe each one.
Strengths assessments can also help you understand your unique talents and how they work to make up who you are. They can also provide you with suggestions on how to leverage your strengths in the workplace. For example, someone with Communication strength may want to focus on improving their public speaking skills and seek out opportunities for advanced training to boost their career potential.
Many different strengths assessments are available. Individuals, teams, and managers can take these assessments. Identifying your strengths is important in becoming a more effective employee and finding a role that suits your abilities and interests. However, it is important to remember that weaknesses are also a part of your personality and should not be ignored.
Ask Your Friends and Family
A strong sense of personal strengths is beneficial in nearly all industries. Using your strengths leads to greater productivity at work and improved health and wellness, according to research by Gallup.
Asking friends and family for their opinions on your skills and talents is a great way to get a fresh perspective. They may notice things you’ve failed to recognize about yourself.
Getting a range of opinions will make it easier to pinpoint specific areas of strength that may not appear in your assessment. This could include your creativity, motivation, or leadership abilities. A coach or mentor can also provide valuable input on leveraging your strengths for success. They can teach you strategies to create a life aligned with your natural talent, passions, and personality. They can also be a cheerleader to keep you on track when you’re struggling. This can be particularly important when identifying and using strengths that conflict with other parts of your personality or life. For example, if your creativity and sociability are strengths, they might clash with your desire for perfection or balance.
Talk to Your Manager
A manager can give you valuable insights into your strengths because they see you in action regularly. They’ll have a unique perspective on how your strengths work together and with other team members. They’ll also be able to provide specific examples of your top strengths, which makes them more concrete.
Shifting from focusing on weaknesses to leveraging strengths takes energy and time, but it’s worth it. When you focus on your strengths, you can perform better in your job and thrive in the best role for your skills and interests.
Look At Your Resume
The best way to figure out your strengths is by examining your skills and experiences in the workplace. However, it can be challenging to identify what sets you apart from others and how these qualities make you a valuable employee. Having a professional coach or mentor guide this process may be helpful.
It’s also important to consider how your strengths work together or with other skills. For example, suppose you have communication strengths but aren’t great at public speaking. In that case, it might be beneficial to add additional communication training to your portfolio or seek out opportunities to speak with groups of people.
Knowing that each strength has a “shadow side” that can manifest as a weakness if not managed properly is critical. For example, Jessie’s strength in Responsibility could cause her to overcommit to projects if she’s not careful to balance her commitments with other demands on her time. This is why finding beneficial, sustainable ways to leverage your strengths daily is important. Doing so will help you succeed in your role and position you for future success in the workforce.
Take Action
It can be difficult to identify your strengths, especially if you’re not very good at assessing yourself. This is why it’s important to seek the opinions of others who know you well. Talking to friends and colleagues about your top strengths can help you determine what those are and how they apply to the workplace. For example, you may find that a strength you thought was your communication ability could be something else altogether, such as being an introvert who enjoys one-on-one conversations and prefers listening to podcasts or mentoring people.
The more you know about your strengths, the easier it will be to put them to use in the workplace and in life. Identifying your strengths takes time and effort, but it’s crucial to building personal and professional success. Putting your strengths to work is the only way to ensure that you maximize your potential and become your best version.