Strengths are the natural tendencies we have in how we think and act. They identify activities and modes of operating which bring us joy, growth and flow. And by getting clear on our strengths we can build sustainable success.
“Strengths” came into the personal development space when Don Clifton created a way for us to focus on what’s RIGHT as a way to grow, instead of focusing on what’s wrong. His work came into the mainstream in the late 1990s. By the early 2000s his StrengthsFinder Program was so well researched and crafted, many large companies began using it as part of their staff development.
One of Mr. Clifton’s research partners, Marcus Buckingham, describes a strength with the acronym SIGN.
Success: a strength helps you feel effective (successful) in what your doing
Instinct: as you anticipate doing an activity which uses a strength, you instinctively look forward to it, you are eagerly drawn to it
Grow: while you are doing your strength you’re in flow and can almost feel your brain growing, synapses firing
Needs: after using your strength, you feel more fulfilled, energized and invigorated, not drained
Strengths vs Values
Strengths are different than values in that they are more about thinking and acting, values are more about our core beliefs. They both can shift during our lifetime, but values tend to do so much less than strengths. You can read more about values here, including some journal prompts and exercises for clarifying yours.
So what about our strengths is so helpful anyway?
They help us identify what brings us joy and fulfillment. And by knowing that, we can make conscious efforts to spend more time and energy doing those activities, which then increases our satisfaction and happiness. These activities feel so energizing it feels like second nature, so effortless.
Getting an understanding of our strengths also helps us see ourselves beyond the roles we play, especially in our career.
Let’s say you have the strength called discipline which centers on routine, order and predictability. You might have been an accountant for the past 20 years, but that’s just one way to express your discipline strength. Maybe your natural tendency to have order and routine could be expressed as a project manager in your next career phase.
My own strengths have been expressed in several different ways throughout my career. In fact, when my career journey came to a crossroads a few years ago, knowing my strengths helped me pick a direction.
One of my strengths in particular really stood out: Learner. In my marketing and advertising phase, my Learner strength was expressed though constantly learning about rapidly-changing industry trends. I also engaged it when I had to learn about a client and their product or service we needed to promote. There was always something to learn and it felt so natural.
But as I began to explore a career pivot and knew I wanted something different, I took time to reflect on what activities had that same natural feeling to me. I reviewed my strengths, keying in on the Learner aspect. That’s when I thought about all those client conversations I’d been having.
When I was listening to the client, hearing their work situations, asking them questions to get deeper, I felt such flow and energy. What if I found a way to express my Learner strength through having more of these conversations? What if I was able to learn about people, about the person in front of me, instead of learning about products, services and marketing trends?
I had made a conscious decision to find ways to express Learner. And by exploring what it would mean to focus on people instead of products & services, I instinctively brought along other strengths: Positivity & Connectedness.
My move into coaching absolutely has given me so many ways to use my strengths and express my values. I feel more in flow more often. The work gives me energy. I am definitely putting in lots of effort and hard work, but it all feels so much more meaningful and joyful.
So how can you discover and clarify your strengths?
The best way is to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment. You can do that through their website or you can buy the book, which has a code in it for taking the assessment. As of this writing (Summer of 2023) the website version was around $40 and the book was around $20.
Another option is to take the StandOut assessment. This approach was created by Mr. Buckingham, mentioned above as a research partner with Mr. Clifton. So it uses the same principles, it just uses the information a little differently. The assessment provides the user with “roles” instead of “strengths”. This assessment is free (as of this writing).
Whichever way you decide to go, the information you glean about your working and thinking styles will definitely help you build a more sustainable success.
