Who are you and what are you good at? What are your strengths?
If you don’t know the answer to that question, you better find one fast, because one of the most frequently asked questions in a job interview is “so Johnny, tell me about your strengths and weaknesses.”
A great tool for determining your strengths is a resource called StrengthsFinder. StrengthsFinder gives you a profiling exam that tests your personality preferences. The good people at StrengthsFinder have boiled down human attributes into 34 defined strengths.
After your exam results are compiled you’ll receive a list of your top five strengths.
Discover Your Strengths
Are you a person who connects people with places and events? You have connectedness as a strength. Maybe you see the potential in others. You are a developer. Do you like to explain things to others in different ways and in different venues? You have communication as a strength.
Several books have been published in the StrengthsFinder series including StrengthsFinder2.0, StrengthsBased Leadership, and Discover Your Strengths by New York Times bestselling author Tom Rath.
Three Practical Steps to Use Your Strengths
The cool thing about StrengthsFinder is you receive tips on how to use your strengths. I like to encourage people to implement their five strengths into their work routines.
First, meditate on the strengths. Read and reread the descriptions provided in the book. Decide whether you actually have that strength or not. I predict that you will agree with the results and come to realize that indeed these particular strengths are observable in your life.
Second, brainstorm on ways to utilize your strengths in the work place, in home, and even in your leisure life. You’ll be surprised how many ways your strength not only shows up but brings benefits to your life.
Third, develop each strength in ways unique to your context. If you have empathy as a strength, show care for others. Are you futuristic? Dream until everyone around you gets tired of hearing “what if…” Keep making your strength stronger.
StrengthsFinder is a Development Tool that Will Benefit You
Recently in a training session I was encouraging a young lady to use her strength of communication in her fundraising efforts. After the session she replied, “I didn’t realize that being a communicator could really work to my benefit!”
StrengthsFinder is a development tool that will benefit you, your family, and your employer. StrengthsFinder is no gimmick. It has benefitted me. I am now in the process of determining how best to use my strengths as…strengths – how to make my strengths work for me. What I previously thought were simple repetitive aspects of my personality are now treated as benefits I can bring to others to influence the world for good.
