Strengths... do you have the opportunity to…

Written in 2016 and published here as it was. Any figures quoted were the current ones at the time.

Last weekend, I competed the Gallup StrenghtsFinder and I wanted to share with you my thoughts.

It never really occurred to me how much we tend to concentrate on the things we see as our ‘weaknesses’. It’s important to recognise what we are not so good at, and try and become better or greater, right? However, the concept of fixing our weaknesses can become quite tiring, unmotivational and a relentless focus in our lives. Almost all learning is to help us become who we are not. For example, if you are not naturally talented with numbers, you’re still forced to spend an enormous amount of time in that area in order to get to a certain level. If you are not naturally empathic, you get sent on a course in order to infuse ‘empathy’ into your skills set. Now don’t get me wrong - learning is essential - however, what I am saying is that we devote more time to our shortcomings rather than our strengths. Unfortunately, this is taking the path of most resistance.

As children, we are told ‘you can be anything you want to be, if you just try hard enough’. I like most children embraced this idea. I spent a huge part of my childhood wanting to be an actress, yet was told by a career advisor that this was the path of most resistance (coming for a small town in the North of England apparently wasn’t the ideal route to superstardom!) and suggested Leisure and Tourism was the best path… unfortunately this led to me to path of no motivation! I also struggled with math, I was more creative… in reality, I was very unlikely to become an accountant.

You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a lot more of who you already are.

It is known that we change over time, our personalities adapt. Scientists have discovered that our core personality traits are relatively stable throughout adulthood, as are our passions and talents. And recent research suggests that in fact the roots of our personalities might be visible at an even younger age that originally thought.

So let’s look at some of the evidence, Gallup’s scientists discovered that ‘people have several times more potential for growth when they invested energy into developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies’.

With regards to employee engagement, Gallup further caught my eye. He has surveyed over the past decade over 10 million people worldwide and only one-third ‘strongly agreed’ with the following statement ‘At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best each day’. He further stated that for those that do not get to focus on what they do best (their Strengths) the costs where staggering. He reported that for those that had ‘strongly disagreed’ or ‘disagreed’ with the above statement, not one single person was emotionally engaged on the job.

In contrast however, Gallup’s studies indicated that those that did have the opportunity to focus on their strengths everyday are ‘six times as likely to be more engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having and excellent quality of life in general’.

What also interested me about Gallup’s work was the research which suggested that having someone at work who focused on your strengths could make a significant difference. They explored what happens when managers primarily focus on strengths, weaknesses or in fact simply ignore their employees.

If your manager primarily: The chances of you being actively disengaged are:

Ignores you 40%

Focuses on your weaknesses 22%

Focuses on your strengths 1%

What these results suggest is, that if you have a manager who ignores you, it is even more detrimental than a manager who simply focuses on your weaknesses. What we cannot ignore is the simple fact that the more we focus on our strengths the more we decrease the odds of being miserable at work.

Isn’t it simple then, in order to improve employee engagement, we just need to focus on and help those around us develop their strengths.

Research and knowledge of human strengths have expanding drastically over the past few years - one of them is Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0, a tool which is designed to give you an in-depth analysis of your strengths over 34 themes. StrenghtsFinder measures the elements of your personality that are less likely to change – your talents. Of course, knowledge, skills and practice are equally as important, as without these, talent can go untapped. It is much easier also to add knowledge and skills to your repertoire – we can take a course, learn a new skill.

It may of course, be possible to add talent where little exist, but research suggests that this would not be your best use of time. In fact, the most successful people start with a dominant talent – then add skills, knowledge and practice into the mix. When you do this raw talent actually serves as a multiplier.

Some of you, will have at some point already completed the StrengthsFinder assessment - but for me this is something I just completed only last week. By completing the assessment, I was then provided with a comprehensive and unique Insight book to help me understand how each of my top five themes played out in my life. These results describe what makes me stand out, when compared to the millions of others they have studied.

Learning about your strengths can be an interesting experience, but offers little benefit in isolation. If you want to make an impact in your life, if you want to take yourself to the next level, improve your own and the lives of those around you…you have to take ACTION. Share your strengths, then help those around you develop their own. Chances are if you do so, you will find yourself in a much more productive and enjoyable environment.

I therefore, wanted to share with you my strengths:

My top 5 themes:

Individualization – intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. You have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively. You assist others by creating innovative ideas to perform tasks, solve problems etc. Because of your strengths you may assist individuals by sharing information you have acquired, skills you have mastered, or experiences you have had. Instinctively, you may help people put things in order. You probably help people see how their special talents, knowledge, or skills benefit others on the job.
Empathy – can sense the feelings of other people. Driven by your talents, you have a keen awareness and insight into the moods of individuals. You tend to be highly responsive to others’ thoughts and feelings. Not everyone can sit with a person as he or she experiences a full range of emotions: happiness, anger, frustration, gratitude, contentment, sadness, elation, despair, or grief. You rarely distance yourself from those who you sense need you to be there for them. Chances are good that you have quick and ready insights into the moods and emotions of individuals. This awareness amplifies your effectiveness as a trainer, guide, or coach. Your sensitivity allows you to help people express what they are thinking and feeling. By nature, you are keenly aware of people’s feelings, needs, and thoughts. You can interpret what someone is saying as well as what the person is not saying. You naturally translate the meaning of nonverbal cues, such as smiles, frowns, raised eyebrows, crossed arms, or handshakes. You are aware of how a person feels at the start of a session. This enables you to adjust your coaching techniques to fit the current moods and interest levels of the individual.

Strategic - create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, you can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues. By nature, you sometimes know what has gone wrong. You try to uncover facts. Perhaps you are not intimidated by an overwhelming amount of information. Like a detective, you might sort through it, attempting to identify pieces of evidence. Following a few leads, you might begin to see the big picture. Maybe you generate schemes for solving the problem. You might choose the best option after considering some of the prevailing circumstances, available resources, or desired outcomes. It’s very likely that you may pay attention to some of the things going on around you. Perhaps you listen, quiz people, read, or take notes. As you accumulate information, you might disregard what is unrelated, and pay heed to what seems important. Sometimes the more you reflect on what you know, certain problems reveal themselves, and eventually some solutions start taking shape in your mind. Then you try to select the best plan from your list of options. Because of your strengths, you sometimes acknowledge you have an ability to identify specific types of obstacles, difficulties, or dilemmas. You might respond to questions others refuse to consider. Perhaps you recognize answers or solutions as they evolve naturally. Chances are good that you can reconfigure factual information or data in ways that reveal trends, raise issues, identify opportunities, or offer solutions. You bring an added dimension to discussions. You make sense out of seemingly unrelated information. You are likely to generate multiple action plans before you choose the best one. Instinctively, you might have a knack for identifying problems. You might generate alternatives for solving them. Sometimes you consider the pros and cons of each option. Perhaps you factor into your thinking prevailing circumstances or available resources. Maybe you feel life is good when you think you may be choosing the best course
Maximser - focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb. Instinctively, you may realise you have a gift for talking about certain ideas or feelings. Perhaps you speak more freely with individuals who openly share with you whatever is on their mind. Driven by your talents, you occasionally give yourself credit for routinely producing quality outcomes. Chances are good that you sometimes engage newcomers or strangers in conversation. You may seek out these individuals. Making the acquaintance of certain types of people delights you. Perhaps your outgoing and personable style causes a few of them to want to spend more time with you. By nature, you occasionally set aside time to reflect on your unique abilities. You may ponder some of the things you do well. Perhaps looking at what is right about yourself or your life energizes you. Dwelling on your shortcomings might strike you as a waste of time. It’s very likely that you may accept that no two people are exactly the same. This partially explains why you ask so many questions. Sometimes you are trying to figure out what makes an individual different from everyone else. Perhaps this knowledge allows you to inspire, coax, demand, challenge, or pressure various people to do their finest work.

Woo - love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person. Instinctively, you may feel deep affection for people. You might befriend many of the individuals you encounter. Maybe some of them appreciate your kind and caring nature. Maybe you actively search for reasons to like and appreciate them. This partially explains why you notice good qualities they fail to see in themselves. Chances are good that you might find something likeable in just about every person you meet. Perhaps you go out of your way to surround yourself with an array of people. Some represent different backgrounds, interests, cultures, economic strata, races, nationalities, religions, or levels of education. Maybe you argue there is always room for one more person at a meeting, in a group, on a trip, or at a meal. Your pleasant, friendly, and cordial disposition may attract many interesting individuals.

Reading the above results, I admit I was quite reflective. From completing the assessment, it is easy to see how I have ended up doing what I do. I wasn’t surprised by some of the results, as a coach I need to be self aware, and have a greater understanding of myself. However, it has given me a deeper understanding of how I use my natural talents and how they have manifested in my life over over the years. Each of my 5 top strengths have led me to become a coach, mental health practitioner and all round individual who is passionate about people – helping people grow.

My parting thoughts are this:

Our natural talents and passions – the things we truly love – last a lifetime.

Every human being has talents just waiting to be uncovered.

Stacy

Executive Coach