How to identify and communicate your strengths.
A guide to the power of strengths, unlocking insights about your own and using them to do the work you were supposed to do.
Hello!
A penultimate newsletter before the end of the year, so I’ll save the covid-chatter and 2020 reflections and get straight into it!
Did you know you are 1 in 33 million?
That's what my email report from Gallup told me, along with my results from their Strengths Finder test.
Described as 'talent DNA', Gallup has identified what makes someone special and powerful in a work context through decades of research. The assessment delivered a 25 page report about my top five strengths, and what they mean for me at work.
I did the assessment a few years back and realised a refresher was due, since I work extensively with my coaching clients on this it was high time I reviewed my own. To my relief, the top 5 from Gallup tells me I’m well suited to running a coaching & content business (making things happen; looking to the future; communicating concepts; understanding the individual and being focused in my work).
This test is just one way of identifying strengths.
In fact, I have been massively geeking out on Strengths lately. In the last week alone hosted two online workshops on strengths, and have been absorbing many books, articles and podcasts.
People are happier, more engaged, and stronger when using their strengths each day in work.
So in order to truly maximize your potential at work, this relies on strengthening what you naturally do best and then seeking ways to do more of it.
The positive psychology movement has long encouraged people to tap into their strengths to improve their overall health, happiness, and wellbeing. Researchers and psychologists like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi have widely taught us the benefits of finding your flow state and seeking fulfillment through rewarding work. Martin Seligman in his 2002 book Authentic Happiness wrote “recrafting your job to deploy your strengths and virtues every day not only makes work more enjoyable, but transmogrifies a routine job or a stalled career into a calling”.
My advice to you?
Don’t ignore this fact, power lies in using your strengths (literally) and continually honing in on what they are, developing them further, and finding ways to communicate them to the world.
Strengths are not a zero-sum game. Me using my strength does not negate you using yours. In fact, when we are displaying positive attributes, in alignment and so on we create more engaged workplaces that have a ripple effect and can inspire others.
The key components to strengths as I see them:
Identifying your strengths
Using them in the right context
Communicating your strengths to the world
Developing your strengths further by working with me
Lets get into it.
Part 1: Identifying your strengths
There are three ways to identify your strengths, which I believe should be done in parallel to one another (to avoid an over-reliance on a single method).
In my workshops I shared some of the tools I use (below) which I invite you to research and review some for yourself sometime.
Part 2: Using your strengths in the right context
Here I’ve identified some key criteria that are important for the context in which you use your strengths use:
There is sufficient stretch in your use of this strength. The goldilocks level of challenge: you should feel you are in your learning zone, but not totally outside of your capabilities.
You should find tasks that are enjoyable. You may be good at things that you hate: but this isn’t the kind of strengths focus we’re aiming for.
You’re aligned with your values. If one of your values is harmony, it doesn’t matter how good you are at debating a key point in a conflict resolution, until the harmony is restored you may not feel aligned with this strength.
Get feedback. To know that your strength is being recognized by others is one of the greatest feelings. Without exposure to others, and recognition, a strength can easily fade away. An active feedback loop is key, (it’s also a key characteristic of Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state).
Part 3: Communicating your strengths to the world
So you’ve done the work in understanding why strengths matter, what yours are, and how to use them. The next step is to be vocal: shout your strengths from the rooftop!
Ok, that may not sound very British. But does your boss know your strengths (the ones you don’t use daily?), does your LinkedIn profile acknowledge them, do your clients know they can tap into this strength of yours?
It’s important to share your strengths. If others know your strengths too, more relevant opportunities can come your way, you can command more dollar, and you can work more effectively in teams, you act as the missing puzzle piece.
Finding the right language for your strengths is key for times you are:
Interviewing for new roles
Seeking a promotion or payrise
Building a brand/business/offering
Seeking funding
Switching careers (here you need to spell out why your strengths can transfer to this new domain)
The more adept you are at putting the right words to your unique strengths, the more powerful they become. You have the phrases to win people over: to hire you, give you more money, or work with you. You’ll find people even begin to reach out to you more.
Look at Eli. She spent a few weeks with me honing her story, her value, and her messaging around her work. A recruiter for a leading startup contacted her out of the blue. Read the full story here.
Part 4: Develop your strengths further
Convinced but unsure where you start developing and owning your strengths?
Then I invite you to work with me.
For a short sharp coaching engagement — if purchased before 21st December — you can work with me 1:1 for a significantly reduced rate to my usual coaching services.
Working with a coach will enable you to gain a new perspective, expert analysis as well as the right language to fully step into and own your strengths for good.
I’ve interviewed thousands of people in my work as a headhunter and talent consultant. I know that the people who package themselves with the right story always manage to land the best opportunities.
Humans buy stories. Let me help you tell your story…
Here’s how it works:
Part 1: In-depth review
Fill out a bespoke questionnaire that covers all bases, as a deep dive into your strengths. I will review the results, identify key themes, and opportunities.
Part 2: Expert analysis
60-minute coaching session on your strengths. Reviewing your responses and coaching around your career history, together we’ll uncover the top strengths and ways you can harness them further in your day-day.
Part 3: Personalised report
You’ll receive a report from me, detailing your key strengths, the opportunities that they present as well as suggestions for harnessing them further. You will have key phrases and stories to bring your personal brand to life more effectively.
Book before 21st December for just £195
This is a Christmas Special offer (normal retail price £420). So move quickly to make the most of a significantly reduced offer than my typical 1:1 services.
Sign up by visiting www.the-ask.uk/strengths or simply replying to this email and we will go from there.
Need more strengths inspiration? Here are some stories from recent coaching clients…
Marie, a long-time dentist seeking a new career change identified how her top strengths give clues to the kind of work she is meant to be doing and explain why she’s long found the dentists' life unfulfilling.
Hannah, a new entrepreneur building a business with many strings to her bow has struggled to articulate why she is the person to build this company. Reviewing her strengths has unlocked the insights that help her to double down on her purpose, ready to impress investors and customers alike,
Rihanna, a generalist, has found how her strength in learning is being underutilized in her current role and is ready to uplevel by moving into a field where she can develop more depth and experience the love of learning again.
(Names have been changed for privacy)
Thanks so much for reading! If you learned anything today about strengths or just enjoy this topic, let me know by hitting <3 — it really does help!
