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With a strengths-led approach, there are several solutions here: 1. Minimise: Work on getting the weakness up to an OK, minimum level but nothing more — if you do send John on presentation training, make it clear he only needs to be OK, not perfect 4.
Making teams more productive StrengthsFinder can help teams work more efficiently and effectively, by identifying the strengths, and the blindspots, of team members. For those who develop a growth mindset, a weakness is not a fixed state, but an opportunity to grow and develop. However, if we have a fixed mindset, we are more likely to believe that additional effort will not yield positive results. Thus we may be less willing to invest in our weaknesses as we see them as unchangeable. Her answer was grit, which is defined as sustained effort over time.
So if we actually devote time and effort to develop a skill, we should see improvement. Once again we see that we can be led astray if we believe that our talents are innate. If we recognize that performance is related to effort, then we might be more willing to work on our weaknesses. So if we believe in the work of Dweck and Duckworth, we might advocate that you should spend time addressing your weaknesses. At the very least we should be able to move a weakness to more of an average performance with some sustained effort.
We often rebuff skills that we lack innate talent and convince ourselves that we just don't like them. Unfortunately, the idea that we could actually improve our skill if we put in sustained effort isn't widespread.
However, there is still another way in which to apply the learnings on growth mindset and grit. I've never been the type of person who was comfortable interrupting tense group conversations. But when I took a step back and thought about the conversation some more, I realized there was a strength buried within the criticism: I have good ideas.
If there was a place where I could share my ideas strength without the expectation that I'd have to scream them louder than others weakness , I might thrive. Sometimes you have to look at things a little deeper to find your strengths. Unexpected praise for something you didn't put much effort into could be a sign. So could a compliment buried within a criticism. If people talk your ear off, you might be a good listener.
If people consistently come to you for advice, you might be a good leader or problem-solver. Life has a way of showing you your strengths if you pay attention. We think of strengths as things we're good at and weaknesses as things we're bad at. But a better way to think of strengths and weaknesses, Buckingham argues, is to figure out what energizes us.
Strengths make us feel strong; weaknesses make us feel weak. So, he says, one way to identify your strengths is to think about how activities make you feel. Something is a strength if:. It fully engages you; when doing it, you often find yourself in a flow state. After doing the activity, you feel energized, fulfilled, and powerful. In his book, Buckingham gives the example of a man who, as a young boy, showed incredible talent as a swimmer. His mom noticed his talent and got him on the swim team.
He was on the swim team for many years and won lots of awards, but he hated it. So in high school, he quit the swim team and started pursuing something that energized him instead: making music.
It's definitely possible to be good at something you hate doing, but that's not the type of strength you necessarily want to improve. Instead, think of the things that energize and excite you—even if you don't excel at them yet. Those may be the strengths you set out to develop and grow. It may be hard to see your own strengths, but the people in your life probably see them quite clearly. Ask your friends, family members, boss, coworkers, or a mentor to tell you what they think your strengths are.
Some people may be uncomfortable responding, and that's okay. Others may respond in a way that's unhelpful my mom says I'm good at everything. That's okay too. The goal is to identify things that you wouldn't have thought of on your own—or to find patterns. Then, consider the responses: Do any of the strengths people reported make you feel excited and energized when you exercise them?
If so, those may be the strengths you want to grow. Another option is to take a test designed specifically to identify strengths. Gallup's CliftonStrengths test is a popular option that's used by both individuals and companies. For a free option, you can take the HIGH5 test. It asks questions, each showing you a statement. You weigh in using a scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree as to how well the statement describes you. When you're finished, you get a brief report listing your top five strengths, each with a short description.
Finally, strengths tests and personality tests share a lot of the same qualities. In addition to providing information about your personality, your results will tell you some jobs that are often compelling to people who share your personality type, which could help you brainstorm some possible strengths.
In The Introvert's Complete Career Guide , Jane Finkle recommends an exercise where you think of your proudest accomplishments to identify your interests, skills, and values. But the exercise is also a way to identify your strengths. Think back over all of the accomplishments you're proud of. It could be something like getting a promotion, getting a book published, or even teaching yourself how to change the alternator in your car.
Think about accomplishments that energized you—they don't necessarily have to be things you'd include on a resume—and try to narrow down your list to only three. Then, look at those accomplishments and try to determine what each says about you.
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