Play To Your Strengths

In honor of the new Harry Potter movie, there were reruns of older Potter movies on tv last weekend which kept me glued to the tube.   I’m such a fan.  In Goblet of Fire before Harry faces the dragon challenge Professor Moody asks him, “what are your strengths?”  He goes on to say:  the other contestants are older and more experienced – they’ll have a strategy that plays to their strengths.  What are Harry’s strengths?  After thinking a minute Harry says, “I can fly.”  But he’s worried that the rules don’t allow him to bring a broom to the challenge.  Moody responds:  “You’re allowed a wand.”  Harry then uses his wand to call his broom, and the dragon chase is on. 

There are a number of great lessons in this sequence.  Harry used what he had (his wand) to call on resources that would enable him to use his strength (flying).  He wasn’t limited by the constraints of the rules.  In fact, those rules were designed to push Harry to get creative. 

Once Harry takes off on his broom, his challenge (a really mean dragon) breaks its chain to follow.  The same thing can happen to you.  The challenges you face can follow you to cause problems no matter where you go.  The key is to always look to your strengths to help you.  Even after Harry got knocked off his broom, he worked hard to it back because he knew the only way out of danger was to fly.  He didn’t try to conjure up something else.  He stuck with what he knew was his strength and triumphed in the end.

Do you know what your natural talents and strengths are?  When do you shine?  Have you ever done something that was challenging for some but effortless, easy and fun for you?  Discover the answer to these questions and then find ways to orient your job to play to those strengths.  You’ll be amazed at what you’ll accomplish and how much your confidence will grow. 

I often hear from clients that they don’t know what their strengths are, and they don’t know how to adjust their activities to play to those strengths. Just like flying, it takes practice, but it’s a life-changing journey worth starting. Once you become aware of your strengths, when you really own and appreciate them and consciously put them to work in your life, wonderful results happen.

So, if you don’t know what your strengths are, how do you find out?  Sometimes it’s hard to see what you look like when your nose is pressed up against the mirror.  You need to create a little distance to get some perspective.

One easy way to do this is carry a little notebook with you and anytime you feel like you’re really firing on all cylinders write down what you’re doing.  Don’t judge, just write down a brief note.  After a few weeks, look back over your notes and identify trends.

My favorite resource, however, is Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment.  The current version, StrengthsFinder 2.0, is a really powerful tool.  Once you take the online assessment you’ll get a detailed report listing your top 5 talent themes along with some great ideas on how to put those strengths to work. (Hint:  don't buy  this book used.  You need the one-time login contained in a sealed packet at the back of the book to take the assessment.)  

This is the heart of my coaching practice, and I’ve developed a four week package called Excavate Your Best Self Intensive where we work together to uncover your strengths so you can begin to put them to work for you every day.  If you’re interested in learning more, contact me at pnorton93@comcast.net, and let's get started.