It’s normal in employment and business to focus on our weaknesses, and most training and development is to help us become something we’re not.
But our greatest potential for success is to build on who we naturally are, and if we develop our natural talents there’s extraordinary room for growth.
This week we’ve been working with our coach learning about Strengths Finder and about the idea that if we each work on what we’re best at, and keep improving in those areas, our business will grow faster and be more successful
You’re not normal!
Strengths Finder is an online assessment tool created by Gallup, with a best- selling book that’s sold over 4 million copies. There are 32 million combinations of the 34 strengths, with a 275,000 to one chance that you’ll have the same top 5 as someone else. So you truly are “not normal”!
I found out that my top 5 strengths are:
- Futuristic – inspired by what I can create in future
- Activator – make things happen, do it now!
- Responsibility – doing what I say I will, keeping my promises
- Ideation – fresh ideas and creativity
Learner – a huge desire to learn and acquire new skills and knowledge
So no surprises there, but it was rather fabulous to feel I could celebrate those areas I love the most and have permission to grow them even more, than thinking I have to fix the stuff that doesn’t come naturally.
And it gets really fascinating when you look how your strengths fit with your closest colleagues or partner. One of Sean’s top strengths is Analytical, which means he takes an objective and dispassionate approach to all my futuristic and creative ideas, basically saying “prove it” at every turn! Which on its own is pretty annoying, but by understanding that’s the way he’s wired means I can appreciate that critical thinking approach (or I can at least try to!) and we can work better together.
How remarkable could your business be?
Just think how awesome your business would be if you kept developing and growing your natural strengths. The Gallup research proved that when you multiply the natural talent you already have with time and effort to develop it, the results are the difference between great and remarkable. It kind of goes against the beliefs we’ve been fed that say you can be and do anything. Yes you can, but you’ll never be as good as the guy who has natural talents in that area.
So why wouldn’t we want to focus on being the most amazing versions of ourselves rather than trying to become someone else? And how special could our businesses be if we use more of what makes us unique?
And have a think if your core business activities reflect your key strengths. I can see now why I didn’t enjoy running an accountancy practice. As brilliant (and modest) an accountant I am, I hate routine and discipline. My core business activity was at odds with my strengths and it drove me and my business partner barmy, although I didn’t really get why at the time.
“But I’m a creative; don’t bother me with the finances…”
However bought into this idea I am, we do need to be careful. It would be very easy to say “oh I’m a creative; I can’t be doing with all this finance / marketing / selling stuff. As business owners there are key skills we have to master if we want our businesses to make good money and to survive more than year or two. Doesn’t mean we have to be brilliant at them, but we can’t afford not to have those skills at some level. I’ll never be a natural marketer, but I work really hard to learn all I can because without marketing I don’t have a business. And without finance skills you’ll likely never have much money.
Find out your strengths
This process has been a huge eye opener for us, and we’re only really just getting started, but I really recommend you having a go and finding out what your unique strengths are too.
You can download / buy the book (link is external)for £9.40 from Amazon which includes an access code for the profile test to find your unique strengths
Or just sign up on line (link is external)for $9.99