Too many of us have bought into the myths that yes, we may have strengths, but it is really our weaknesses that we need to work on. Hence the term, performance improvement. We have got it all backwards. We need to identify our strengths, and then assertively push our work activities toward those strengths, and away from activities that we are either not good at, drained by, or not motivated by.
The focus of this post is to help you identify the four key characteristics of what a strength is, so that you can start stepping back from your work, and taking an objective look at your key strengths.
Mr. Buckingham uses the acrostic SIGN, as an aid in explaining what a strength looks like.
S is for Success:
--How effective or successful, you feel when you are performing a certain activity, is a solid first indicator of a strength.
--How energized you feel when you are accomplishing a certain activity is another great indicator of a strength.
--To summarize, in order to be a key strength that you want to organize your work around, it must be something you feel great at, and are energized by.
I is for Instinct
--What is something that slightly intimidates you, yet stretches you in ways that are exciting and motivating? For me, it was teaching a college level class: I was petrified, yet I found myself drawn to put myself out there, until I finally got the opportunity.
--You should examine your current and past life to remember and become aware of specific activities that you put yourself in in order to challenge yourself. That is another sign post of a strength.
G is for Growth
Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi, author of the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, has shown that a strength is a specific activity that ties concentration and happiness together. It is an activity that, when engaged in, completely takes you in, so that you lose track of time. You are completely focused and honed in on that activity, and when you look up at the clock, it is as if you have awakened from a dream.
In the words of Mr. Buckingham, "You feel challenged (by the activity), but in just the way you like to be challenged. You actually want to concentrate. When you do, you become immersed. You are lost in the acitivity, for a long moment."
N is for Needs.
Instinct refers to how you feel about an activity before you get started; Growth refers to how you feel about an activity while you are working on it. The Needs sign post points to how you feel right after you have completed the activity. You may feel tired and challenged, but you also feel fulfilled. I have felt this way after giving a presentation in front of a large audience. It was challenging to put the presentation together, to practice giving my talk, and to get up and talk about it. But once I am done, I feel very content and satisfied. By contrast, other co-workers of mine hate speaking in front of people. They do a very good job, but once they are finished, they are drained and sweating. For them, public speaking and presenting is not necessarily something they would want to focus on as a strength.
Action Step:
As you go through your work this week, you may want to keep these SIGN posts in mind. Make notes in your daily journal as to what activites you are good at. Pay attention to the activities you volunteer to become involved in week after week. Develop awareness for the activities that you are good and and that energize and fulfill you. As you do this, you can start actively seeking to bring more of these activites into your weekly schedule, and start eliminating and delegating those activites that drain you, do not fulfill you, or have no significance to you.
Is this possible? Yes it is! How, you ask? That is the subject of another post! But for now, developing awareness of your strengths is the first step toward fulfilling and meaningful work.
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