Starting 2023 with Strengths
How many of us focus on what we can improve in the new year? The self-help industry is booming with books on how to recognize our weaknesses, address shortcomings, and achieve our goals. Improving oneself is a worthy journey, however, what if there was an easier path to achieving your goals and unlocking your potential? What if we changed the narrative and instead of focusing on our weaknesses, we maximized our strengths? Seems easy enough, right? But how do we identify our strengths? Coming up with a few descriptive words is simple enough, but how do we translate those into values that drive career progression? I found this task very challenging until I deployed tools to help me articulate how my innate strengths drive value. One tool, in particular, proved very useful in conversations with leadership, during performance conversations, career plan development, and when preparing for interviews. The tool Clifton Strengths Finder can be leveraged online at the site above or you can purchase the book from Amazon Clifton Strengths. Finder 2.0 (be sure to purchase a new book to get a unique access code to access the assessment). The assessment should take about 35-40 minutes to complete. Once completed you can request a full report or just a summary of your top 5 strengths. Using this is a perfect way to start the year focused on strengths. The report includes a description of your top 5 strengths and how these deliver value to your performance. Below I included an example from my report describing my top strength, Individualization.
‘Individualization in an individual is about appreciating difference and uniqueness, in a leader it is not just appreciating those things but highlighting diversity. It is not just being inclusive to different people personally but being inclusive and noticing things influentially. The ability to customize the approach with team members is going to strengthen the emotional bond that exists within teams and organizations that can then be more resilient to change, distances and challenges.’
You will see I call out my strengths on my Team Page. These are fundamental parts of how I approach maximizing my potential. I also leverage the assessment as a leader with my teams to align the team members with their core strengths and drive effectiveness. As you start your 2023 journey, I encourage you to explore your strengths and build goals that align with these strengths. This is a refreshing way to start the year with a positive outlook. Focusing on the assets that are most natural to you could be the key to unlocking new growth and realizing your potential. Have fun on your journey and let me know by posting below what you uncover in your strength journey.
