Identifying your strengths
I studied anthropology and journalism, and both helped me become a better listener, be mindful of body language and cues, and develop better self-awareness. I know these are my strengths, so I use them to my benefit and to those around me. Developing and honing self-awareness is a continual opportunity for growth. Many people underestimate the benefit of acknowledging their own feelings, motives, and desires, and how these can affect business relationships and team dynamics.
You must learn what your own strengths are. No one will do this for you. It is up to YOU. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is part of developing emotional intelligence. So what is emotional intelligence? A quick Google search will provide you with hundreds of definitions. Let’s keep it simple: Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions, as well as the ability to identify others' emotions and manage your response to them. It is not about managing other people’s emotions, although your emotional intelligence and how you use it may influence others’ behavior.
Where to Start
In the age of Google, there are countless places to go. I have a few favorites that I’ve tested. Note that many of these require a fee, but if you are serious about learning about yourself, and you should be, it’s worth the small investment.
One note before starting any test: Be sure you have enough time to complete the test in one sitting. Find a quiet place away from distractions. As you answer the test, answer as to how you are today, not what you hope or wish to be. A good way to distinguish this is how you behave with your long-term spouse/partner/friend versus how you behave on a first date. Do not idealize yourself. You will not derive meaningful data if you pretend you are on a first date with these tests. Be your comfortable, real, sometimes unpleasant, you. The answer you should apply is almost always your first, or gut, reaction.
Strengths Finder 2.0 from Clifton by Tom Rath
You can access StrengthsFinder2.0 online or via book. Online: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths
Purchase the book. On Amazon, the hardcopy is $16 and the Kindle version is $21. When you purchase the book, you will receive a code to access the StrengthsFinder2.0 online test. I have the book, and I love this little book. I love the way it is organized. The strengths are presented in alphabetical order, and have a shaded box on the right margin, which gets lower on the page with each subsequent strength. It’s almost like having little tabs, but they don’t protrude from the page.
Each strength is presented with an overview, then a story of a person utilizing that strength, followed by a list of “Ideas for Action”, and closing with tips on how to work with others who have this trait. This is a great tool if you are a manager, and you know your team’s strengths. It can provide some insight into how to best work with them.
I find myself going back and reading my strengths over and over to see what I can glean. My top 5 strengths are:
Individualization - I am intrigued by the unique qualities of others and see their value. I have an awareness and appreciation of everyone’s likes and dislikes and can use my talent to help others understand one another. This is true and part of my anthropological interest. It spurred the 16personalities test at one of my organizations and it helped us better understand each other's quirks.
Learner - I love to learn and get energized by the journey from “ignorance to competence.” Funny, in my journal this year I wrote down the things that provide me energy, and one of them was learning. I hadn’t looked at my Strengths Profile in several years! The danger to this, however, is that I can become easily bored by routine. I also want to master everything I learn, and that often isn’t possible. Be careful of setting yourself up for disappointment and know that everyone has limits.
Analytical - I challenge other people by insisting their theories be proven. I love data because there is no agenda - it is the truth. Data can reveal patterns, which can help to understand behavior. I want well-researched sources of information to back up points. The danger with this strength is that one can get stuck in the thinking and not get started with the doing.
Restorative - I love to solve problems. When a project breaks down, rather than getting frustrated, I like the challenge of analyzing what went wrong and looking for ways to fix it. The danger here is trying to fix others’ problems.
Harmony - I look for areas of agreement and often look at the practical side. I don’t think conflict provides much value and so seek to avoid it by trying to find common ground between the parties involved. Based on this I should avoid roles that require me to confront people on a daily basis, such as cold-call sales. I have never wanted a job in sales. I know I would be terrible at it, and I cannot think of anything more uncomfortable for me.
Strengths Profile by Cappfinity
Strengths Profile can be found online at https://www.strengthsprofile.com/. You can purchase the online Introductory Profile test at https://www.strengthsprofile.com/en-GB/Products/Profiles for 10 euros plus VAT (the company is based in the United Kingdom). I chose the second tier, which is the Expert Profile, and costs 30 euros plus VAT. I wanted the full debrief on my strengths and weaknesses and the Expert Profile assesses 60 strengths areas.
With my Expert Profile purchased and my test complete, I couldn’t wait to see my results. It’s pretty exciting to me. I always hope to learn something completely new about myself. I clicked the results and saw my Quadrant Profile. The Quadrant shows Realized Strengths, Unrealized Strengths, Learned Behaviors, and Weaknesses. (Side note: you will see results written in British English, i.e. “unrealised, behaviour” however for the purposes of this book I am using American English.)
A Realized Strength is something you use and enjoy and should use to your advantage. An Unrealized Strength is a strength you have but don’t use as often. A Learned Behavior is something that you’ve learned but might not necessarily enjoy doing, and Weaknesses are things you don’t like to do and might even find difficult. Each quadrant has up to 7 words, ranked in order of significance. My top results are as follows.
Top realized strength: Legacy
I care deeply about future generations and enjoy working on things that make a difference
strategic awareness, personal responsibility, curiosity, growth, explainer, and esteem builder. I am particularly proud of these, as I know them to be true. I am most energized when I am helping others and speaking of my team’s accomplishments.
Top unrealized strength: Pride
I take pride in what I do, set high standards for myself, and like to deliver work that is of high quality. I also like the recognition from others for the quality of my work. *This has been a downfall at times. More later.
Other unrealized strengths include: unconditionality, connector, humility, rapport builder, service, and prevention.
Top learned behavior: Moral Compass
I know the difference between right and wrong. I am clear on my values and ethics and make decisions and take action based on these. *This has caused me to leave jobs I loved. It’s hard taking a moral high ground, and you can be seen as self-righteous, but I believe in sticking to your values.
Learned behaviors include self-awareness, emotional awareness, and adherence.
Top weakness: Bounceback (ouch, I knew this one but didn’t want to admit it)
When I face setbacks or disappointment I can find it hard to carry on and may need time to recover.
My other weaknesses include resilience and innovation.
Although this test didn’t give me a huge boost on what I should be doing, it helped me feel better about the choices I had already made. And that type of information can be empowering. I had left one job because I thought I was being treated poorly, continually being asked to do more and more work with no additional benefits or pay. I was also being treated in a dismissive manner, by being skipped in roundtable meetings and not being invited to interview a marketing coordinator applicant, and I was the Marketing Director! The supervisors on our team, who I believe felt threatened by my rising star, were the primary reason I left. Leaving this job, which I truly loved, was the most difficult choice I have ever made in my professional career. It took me more than a year, along with therapy, to not feel a huge sense of loss over it. My values, ethics, and morals are steadfast. I have made personal and professional mistakes and terrible misjudgments, but I also know in my heart what is right and what is wrong, despite having been on either side.
16 personalities.com
This is a free online tool. It’s so much fun! Our team used this tool after our office had some interpersonal difficulties. I wrote about this on my blog, and I still think this is one of the most meaningful examples of change based on learning about co-worker’s personalities.
A co-worker leaves the office at the exact same time every day. He turns off his computer, puts on his coat, and walks out the door. Never does he say good-bye , have a good night., or see ya! The remaining staff, over the course of several months, talk about this behavior and decide he is rude, weird, and inconsiderate.
The team takes the 16 Personalities test. Each team member shares their result. This employee is a Logistician (ISTJ) - with Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Judging personality traits. “These people tend to be reserved yet willful, with a rational outlook on life. They compose their actions carefully and carry them out with methodical purpose.”
Taking the test opened up the communication channel within the team. It gives them a place to start. One of the team members finally feels comfortable voicing her opinion. She asks why he doesn’t say goodbye at the end of the day. It makes her feel like he doesn’t like her, or any of the team, for that matter.
The employee is shocked. He doesn’t say good-bye because he doesn’t like to be interrupted when he is working, so he provides the same courtesy to the rest of the team - by not interrupting their work when he leaves. Therefore he makes a quiet exit. In his mind, he is being incredibly considerate. Now that he knows the rest of the team likes to hear goodbye when he leaves, he starts doing it.
This small action changes the team dynamic. It improves team collaboration with this individual by removing the judgment and negative feelings around him.
I am an ENFJ-T - The Protagonist. Protagonists tend to like helping others and have strong morals and values. From the website: “Protagonists take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community. ...Protagonists easily see people’s motivations and seemingly disconnected events, and are able to bring these ideas together and communicate them as a common goal with an eloquence that is nothing short of mesmerizing.” A full description can be found at https://www.16personalities.com/enfj-personality.
Results
Did you see a pattern emerge? I sure did! The purpose of sharing these examples with you is to show that there is merit in them. You don’t need to take all the tests I took, or any of them for that matter. Perhaps you’ll find a test recommendation elsewhere that you prefer. Regardless of which test you use, I urge you to give a personality or strengths test a try. You will learn something about yourself, and that might be the seed you plant to begin new growth. You won’t grow, however, if you spend all of your time taking a barrage of strengths or personality tests, trying to find “the right one”. Just like a writer won’t write a book by reading about how to write, the real work comes from doing, from taking action.
Top Three Tips
Take a test. Any test! Just get started. I recommend taking no more than three, however, because the information will become unwieldy and you will have a more difficult time putting the results into action.
Review the results. If you have more than one test, as I did, find the common themes. This will help you feel more confident in the results and where to start developing your strengths and working on your weaknesses.
Develop a plan to utilize two of your strengths. Start with only two. If you are looking for a career change, use these two strengths to guide you to your new path. If you are stuck in your current job, use these two strengths as a place to start a conversation with your manager about changing some of your job scope and providing you with new opportunities. It is always easier to start a challenging conversation when you have somewhere to begin.