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Let Your Strengths Lead the Way:
Written by: David Wolf
The Road to Professional-Improvement
“Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. When you ask them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer.” ~Peter Drucker
“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.”~Baruch Spinoza
Most of us have a poor sense of our talents and strengths. Throughout our education and careers, there is a lot of attention paid to our weaknesses. We are acutely aware of our faults and deficits, our “opportunities for development,” or whatever euphemism is popular for naming them at the time.
Parents, teachers and managers are all experts in spotting deficits. In fact, most parents, teachers and managers consider it their responsibility to point out flaws and try to help us correct them.
We have become experts in our own weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair our flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected. The research, however, is clear: we grow and develop by putting emphasis on our strengths, rather than trying to correct our deficits.
Most people don’t concern themselves with identifying their talents and strengths. Instead, they choose to study their weaknesses. A Gallup poll investigated this phenomenon by asking Americans, French, British, Canadian, Japanese and Chinese people of all ages and backgrounds the question: “Which do you think will help you improve the most: knowing your strengths or knowing your weaknesses?”
The Path to Improvement:
Strengths or Weaknesses?
The answer was always the same: weaknesses, not strengths, deserve the most attention. The most strengths-focused culture is the United States, but still only a minority of people, 41 percent, felt that knowing their strengths would help them improve the most. The least strengths-focused cultures are Japan and China. Only 24 percent believe that the key to success lies in their strengths.
The majority of people in the world don’t think that the secret to improvement lies in a deep understanding of their strengths. Interestingly, in every culture the older people (55 and above) were the least fixated on their weaknesses. Perhaps they have acquired more self-acceptance and realize the futility of trying to be what they are not.
Why are Weaknesses so Attractive?
Why do so many people avoid focusing on their strengths? Because weaknesses may be fascinating and strangely mesmerizing, like watching soap operas or the Jerry Springer show. But the attraction lies in the fact we deeply fear our weaknesses, our failures and even our true self.
Some people may be reluctant to investigate their strengths because they may fear there isn’t much in the way of real talent or strength inside them anyway, or that they are just average (again, ingrained from education models). Or, maybe there is a feeling of inadequacy, an “imposter syndrome,” and an underlying fear of being found out.
Despite your achievements, you may wonder whether you are as talented as everyone thinks you are. You suspect that luck and circumstance may have played a big part in your getting to where you are today.
However, if you do not investigate your strengths, for any of the above fears and feelings of insecurity, you will miss out on discovering more of who you really are. You will miss out on becoming who you are really meant to be.
An aha moment that lead me to discover and be more conscious of strengths.
In February, 2001 I relocated to Seattle, WA from the Midwest. I moved west with my dog, a 1990 BMW that had seen better days, $4,200 of credit card debt and about $3,000 in my checking account. Twenty months later in Seattle my career was solid and growing, building a fantastic circle of friends, I bought a home, was driving a new vehicle and had nine months of savings tucked away for a rainy day fund. A nice achievement and yet I felt there was more I needed to feel secure. On a trip to Michigan visiting my family in November of 2003 during a conversation with my father, he made this suggestion based on what he was hearing; “look at what you’ve achieved David since your move to Seattle! That must account for something, don’t you think?” His words really struck a cord that resonated. I realized in that moment my focus was on what I perceived as weaknesses rather than strengths. Sometimes a few simple words can create huge shifts in self perception. “We are the thoughts we feed, so feed the good ones.” ~Mike Dooley
Too Close to See?
You may not be as cognizant of your strengths as you could be because most of us take them for granted. We are so embedded in our strengths, that we don’t recognize them as strengths. We think everybody is this way. It never occurs to us to be any other way; it is just natural for us.
This way of thinking excludes developing our strengths and becoming even stronger and more brilliant. You can’t develop what you don’t recognize. You can’t expand what you’re not aware of.
Building on your strengths is also about responsibility. You probably don’t take pride in your natural talents any more than you would take pride in your sex, race, or hair color. Natural talents are gifts from God and your gene pool.
However, you have a great deal to do with turning your talents into strengths. You can take your talents into the realm of excellence. It involves becoming acutely aware, developing an action plan, and exercise “simple specific steps daily” to anchor and reinforce your strengths. Viewed in this light, to avoid your strengths by focusing on your weaknesses is almost a sign of irresponsibility. And all of us can be responsible.
The Courage to Be Brilliant
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure… We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.” ~Marianne Williamson
The most responsible, yet the most challenging thing to do is to face up to your natural talents. It is an honor to have such blessings. Do not waste them. Step up to the potential inherent in your talents and find ways to develop your strengths and maximize results. Be true to yourself by challenging yourself to be more of who you really are.
This is easy to say and challenging to put into practice. It is easier when working with a trained professional. Working with a professional coach or facilitator can make it easier for you to identify your talents and strengths. There are also a number of online self-assessments available to help. Once your top five strengths are identified, you can examine how they show up in work and life.
It is a process of a few steps back, a few steps forward, and learning as you step forward. It is not the same as book learning. The only way to learn about your strengths is to act, learn, refine, and then act, learn, refine. Open yourself to feedback. This means you must be strong and courageous. Professional development is not for sissies.
Discovering your true strengths is the path towards professional improvement and success. When you pay attention to your deficits and try to overcome them, you are placing emphasis on becoming what you are not. You wind up living a second-rate version of someone else’s life rather than a world-class version of your own. Take the challenge to maximize results through being aligned with your natural talents and strengths today.
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Resources
http://www.gallup.com
http://www.authentichappiness.org
