It is the current practice of Human Resources departments to train employees to do better at the parts where they are weak on the job.
I remember the evaluation processes and form I had to fill out. If I was doing something right, or even above what was expected, then OK. That got acknowledged with a little more than a nod.
If there were parts where I wasn’t up to par, or was underperforming, then we’d spend time on that. And that would get noted and remembered by the supervisor or the HR specialist I was speaking to. And I would get recommended to take training or mentoring related to that specific area or skill.
That didn’t really make solid sense to me.
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We are all built differently.
And the way I’d like to think about it, we not only have weaknesses, but we also have strengths. Areas where we are good at, where performing at a high level comes naturally for us. Where we feel we are more effective with less effort.
A quote attributed to Albert Einstein goes:
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Unknowingly, we live in a world where we teach fishes to climb trees.
This is more evident in our educational system, where we were graded and evaluated based on a set of criteria, that applied to everyone. So if you were a really good musician, but flunked at science, no gold medal for you.
What about at work? Where people’s performances are measured, and everybody has to reach a certain minimum standard?
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Gallup, an American based research and management consulting company, asked more than 11,000 employees the following question: “Every week, I set goals and expectations based on my strengths.”
And a whopping 36% of respondents agreed strongly with that statement.
Leaving an even larger 64% of the respondents saying that what they’re good at, what comes naturally for them, where they excel at, doesn’t factor strongly into what’s expected from them for the week.
And that’s such a shame. Think about it.
How great would your workplace be if everyone was able to make use of their strengths in their day-to-day tasks? How much faster/better/greater/ would your work be if you were able to bring your strengths to bear on what you had to do for the week?
I feel it would be really awesome.
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Find out what you’re good at.
If you haven’t already.
Or if you haven’t accepted it.
We all have somethings that we are good at. It comes naturally for us. It can also be our go to solution, or go to action for certain situations.
You can be good with people, great at relating or getting people to come to a decision or agreement. Making people feel comfortable, safe, and accepted. Or really great at making other people understand complicated stuff.
Or you can be great at analyzing stuff, and breaking it down into its simplest components. Or even using simple components to build magnificent, complicated stuff.
And the list goes on and on.
In fact, Gallup has a tool, called the Clifton Strengthsfinder, where you can take a quick online assessment, and have a report discussing your top strengths, as well as how to make best use of them and how to become more effective at using your strengths.
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Work on your strengths.
Instead of spending so much time shoring up weaknesses, focus on using and getting better on your strengths instead.
So the fish has to stop getting better at climbing trees, and get to getting better at swimming.
put yourself in situations where your strengths can be used. Find nuances or opportunities to do what comes naturally for you, and what fills you up with energy and momentum.
Get clear on what you want to accomplish. And then figure our how you can use your strengths to achieve that. We’re all taught the best ways, or sometimes the only way, to achieving certain tasks and getting results. I’d like to think we people are more creative than that.
Set the goal, and let your strengths get you to where you need to go.
Be mindful of your strengths and what comes naturally for you. Also be aware of your tendencies that block you from using your strengths. Be aware of what’s stopping you.
Keep in mind that action and taking the first step, is important in getting to use your strengths. We can be caught in self-doubt and uncertainty, but once you’re moving, and the focus is on the action, not on yourself, then what’s holding you back seems to fade away into the background.
Get working with people who have different strengths from yours. The best teams are not the teams with people having all the same strengths, but people with different talents and strengths. In this way, you’re there for each other to help cover up each other’s weaknesses, allowing each other to focus more utilizing your strengths.
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It’s a journey.
As with any story of personal development and improvement, changes don’t come overnight.
Focus on little improvements, and focus on using your strengths consistently.
If you stumble, pick yourself up, and start again. Don’t let these learning opportunities and lessons slip you by. Be aware of what you’re learning, what’s not working, and more importantly, what’s working for you.
Higher and higher, better and better.
Sources:
The Albert Einstein really tied everything nicely. Good work! 🙂
Thanks ST! It really is all about using what you’re good at.