What are your strengths?

A common (and oft dreaded!) interview question…”What are your top 3 (or 5) strengths?”  And a powerful question to ask yourself, when you are contemplating your career choices.  Firstly, know thyself!  Also, it is great to know what you are naturally good at and gain energy from doing, so you can seek to do more of it.   Wisdom from the emerging field of positive psychology suggests that we are best served concentrating on our strengths than pouring lots of energy into trying to improve on our weaknesses.

So, how do you know what your strengths are?  There are a few ways… survey, strength cards and stories.    Two surveys or questionnaires to establish your strengths that I can recommend are Dr Martin Seligman’s Strengths Survey http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu, which is free (you do have to register).  A good value paid survey from the UK, which provides a useful report is found here http://www.strengths2020.com/.

St Luke’s Resources publish some excellent cards too http://www.innovativeresources.org/ – I have Strengths Cards for kids and used them recently with my daughter.  It was terrific to see her recognising her strengths (one was “I am Happy”), and gaining a sense of self.

Often we fail to see our own strengths, but can recognise them in others.  The hallmark of a great leader is being able to see others’ strengths and harness them in the workplace, group or team.  If you have a conversation with someone about a time that they achieved something, you will find in their narrative and descriptions, that there are clues as to what their key strengths may be.

If you’d like to know more, on July 29 in Perth, I’m speaking at LunchBox List’s The Making of Me, You As a Leader Workshop, on “Realise Your Strengths, and Own Them”. http://tinyurl.com/23yn4kn

I wish you well in discovering your strengths. Drop me a line if you’d like to share them with me.

Until next time…

Go well !

Lois

Lois Keay-Smith, Career Wisdom

www.careerwisdom.com.au