Owning your Strengths
Weaknesses. We learn how to discuss them in job interviews, analyze them on children’s report cards, and generally obsess over them. But according to the folks behind a relatively new and progressive assessment, weaknesses don’t matter nearly as much as we act like they do. This assessment, aka the Clifton Strengthsfinder (Gallup, 2009), is a tool that’s becoming all the rage at universities across the country. Grounded in “Positive Psychology”, the idea is simple: discover your innate talents, and develop them into strengths. Devoting your energy towards the cultivation of your strengths is way more productive than channeling all that energy towards “fixing” your weaknesses. In other words, stop focusing on what’s wrong with you, and turn your attention to what’s right.
The premise probably sounds obvious enough, but how often do we really do this? More often, we look for “room for improvement”, ignoring the gifts that come naturally to us. In many ways, we’re urged towards change in our society—to find what’s wrong, and change it. I’ll admit—I love the idea of not changing. I love the idea of seeking an intimate awareness of my talents, and sticking with them—building on them. What a lovely concept for a change-phobe! But after a 2-day workshop devoted to the subject, I realized it’s harder than it sounds.
I had a ball at the workshop…soaking up all that positivity. But there was one hitch. My results. Allow me to share with you FIVE of the strengths that make up my top ten. See if you can find a pattern here.
Hmmm...maybe his strength is "intellection" too!
Learner: Have a great desire to learn and improve–the process, rather than the outcome is exciting.
Input: Have a craving to know more.
Ideation: Fascinated by ideas…find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Intellection: Characterized by intellectual activity.
Context: Enjoy thinking about the past; understand the present by researching history.
(Definitions taken from the Clifton Strengthsfinder materials, 2008.)
Wow. So, apparently my strengths are…sitting around and thinking??? That was seriously my first reaction. I mean, a couple of these would have been fine. I see myself as a pretty academic gal, so I’m all for “intellectual activity” being a strength of mine. But 5 OF THEM? In my TOP TEN? I looked down the list of 34 strengths, and found the one I was looking for: “Activator.” A strong “activator” is someone who “can make things happen by turning thoughts into action.” My heart sank as I located its position on my list. 25. I wanted it to be higher. I want all my supposedly fabulous thinking to become something. And I immediately began strategizing how I could become a super-duper activator of thoughts. And in my desperate flurry of thought (strength!!), I realized…
Check it out!
I would totally be missing the point. And I was amazed that I so easily fell into this trap. How quickly I threw aside my own talent (albeit, for thinking), and jumped ahead to fixing my weaknesses. Ultimately, I hope I don’t need to become quite the activator I’d like to be. But perhaps I can use that overactive noggin of mine to create something—maybe some strategies for turning even a few of those thoughts into an outcome. Which made me think…it’s no wonder I love writing. We enjoy using our strengths. So please…use yours…whatever they may be.
Which occupies more space in your life…capitalizing on your strengths, or fixing your weaknesses?
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:47 am
I love the idea of this! It reminds me of a consultant I saw on Oprah years ago who said that 75% of our work activities should build upon our strengths. Instead, most performance evaluations in the workplace are built upon getting you to improve your “weakness areas” and branch out. He said we — and our workplaces — would all be better off being left to do what we’re best at.
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I’ve never really thought about this. Sadly, I’m not sure that I focus on either – strengths or weaknesses. I go about my life, doing the things that I do, and I suppose to some extent I capitalize on my strengths unconsciously. But this is definitely something I should do more. Not sure where I’ll begin, but I’ll start thinking about it.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Move over Thinking Man! Hello Thinking Anne!
November 24th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I did a similar Strengths Finder, but only got my top 5. In case you are curious, they are Input, Woo, Achiever, Communication, and Empathy. I felt like I got 2 sets of 2 that were very similar, too. But, I can see that these fit, whether we like them or not!
November 24th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
This is a late reply, poste on Tuesday, so it may never be read. But, I really like this concept, although I never even new it existed in any kind of academic study.
Like many people, I grew up believing that each area of my life where my ways of thinking and dong were different from my father’s, were areas of weakness that needed improvement, rather than just differences between two different people’s way of thinking and doing. Sort of like, “I like chocolate ice cream and you like vanilla” doesn’t really constitute a right/wrong conflict, but rather just a difference.
Although I wasn’t conscious of this inner-conflict for the longest time, I went through the early years of my career trying to make my way of doing (a sort of entrapreneurial, put deals together, mindset) more like my father’s way of doing,which is meticulous and a stickler for details (he even reads the small print in nsurance policies). Obviousy, these two ways of thiking and doing don’t mesh well, and thankfully, I eventually came to this subcontious conclusion on my own.
I still think I would be a better person if I were more like my Dad, but at least now I focus on my strengths, and trust that there are enough people in the world to read the insurance policies that I never will get to.