Leverage your strengths and let go of the rest
Image: Becca Matimba
We are not all playing the same game. We’re not meant to.
If you're trying to run a business, lead a team, make decisions about what’s next for you or have a meaningful impact in your work without sacrificing the rest of your life, you might notice that the maze of so-called rules, best practices, conflicting career advice, formulas, and must-dos can leave us all a bit overwhelmed. Disengaged. Looking at too many external sources for ideas and answers.
Resonant connection is often missing outside the work realm, too. We click and like and follow the crowd. We compare ourselves to others and take advice that may not be relevant to us, while judging others who are doing something different.
The truth is, there is no blueprint for how you should design your life or direct your career.
There’s no one-size fits all key to unlock work-life integration.
Whether you're building a business, positioning yourself for your next life or career step, reinventing your life for more balance and sustainability or pursuing a long-held dream, you need to decide what game you are playing and what inner resources you can tap into and develop to make that game fulfilling for and authentic to you.
One of the best ways to do this to better understand your strengths. To use them effectively. To be who you are and do what you do best.
Understanding your strengths is clearing away the clutter, focusing your attention in an affirming and energizing direction and giving yourself much clearer paths to action.
You are naturally good at and energized by certain activities and ways of being. These are your strengths, and we've all got a unique set of them. If you're a little fuzzy on what they are, it’s time to find out. Ask friends and colleagues. Notice how you feel when you're interacting with others or promoting your work. (You can also work with me to uncover your strengths, explore them fully and identify how you’d like to put them to use in Rooted in Strengths.)
Why is it important to develop your strengths?
Research shows us that high performers tend to operate within their strengths more than 71% of the time. And those people who do use their strengths more often report feeling:
Happier and more positive
Better energy management
Higher levels of self-confidence and self-esteem
A greater sense of overall wellbeing
More resilient and able to overcome obstacles
Much more engaged in their work
More likely to set goals that reflect their real priorities and achieve them
A better ability to deal with change
Broader mindset and more openness
Improved job performance and productivity
Maybe you are energized by speaking or creating videos. Maybe you’re the go-to person for brilliant brainstorming. Maybe you've loved to write since you were in third grade. Maybe meaningful one-on-one conversations that develop your people light you up. Maybe you're the one everyone comes to for hard-hitting advice when the unexpected hits.
Perhaps you're a generous person who lives to give. Or you thrive in autonomous, flexible workplaces. You might prioritize fairness and justice above all else, or have a research brain and a hard drive full of information to prove it.
Whatever it is, pay attention. Get very clear on what your strengths are, how often you use them and how you relate to them energetically so that you can then use them much more effectively.
First: Start doing less of what does not energize you.
That thing that drives you crazy, that you’re not great at but feel pressured to keep doing. Please delegate that, or tap your strengths to work around it. It's time to take a solid inventory and make adjustments to reduce the time you spend on activities or ways of being that consistently drain you or that take time away from the things you’re best at doing.
There is always another way to get to your goal. In fact, there are plenty of ways. Every time you eliminate one that feels soul-sucking or just not-quite-right, you open up room for all of the ones that put a smile on your face. Those are the activities that will get done regularly and without drama, anyway. And — surprise! — those are the ones that tend to be a more effective use of your time. The best way to feel authentic is to clear that energetic clutter and show up authentically.
Next: Start doing more of what energizes you. Much more.
Go back to your strengths list. What do you love doing? How much of that are you doing now? Might you do more of that? Where can you build on what is working and on what clearly works for you? Where are the opportunities to use a strength that you have in a new way that feels fun, exciting and compelling?
You don't need to do it all. And you don't need to spend so much time on what doesn't feel completely aligned with who you are. Leverage your strengths and let go of the rest.
Coach Challenge
What's one low-energy activity that you're going to start dialing back? Which of your strengths would you most like to be using more? How easy or difficult was it for you to identify these strengths? No right or wrong answers here — we're all continually evolving and developing within our unique set of strengths.
If you’d like support in developing your strengths so that you can use them more effectively in your personal and professional life, schedule your Rooted in Strengths Strategy Session here.
