When you invest in developing your strengths, you highlight your unique DNA which helps to set you apart from the crowd and turn your strengths into your superpower. Using your strengths has been shown to be a proven way to achieve success.

People who use their strengths report feeling more engaged in their work, show increased performance and productivity, feel more resilient and have improved communication.

Additionally, organisations find that they are more likely to retain staff when they cultivate a strengths-based culture in their teams.

So how do we harness them?

What is a strength?

When I ask delegates or coachees this question their answer is often:

Something you are good at.

Yes, absolutely. And, there’s more…

Using strengths can give us a huge sense of accomplishment and joy.

We tap into our strengths more frequently and use them because they come to us so naturally.

They feel organic as if they live within us.

We often climb out of bed and wouldn’t have to think twice about our strengths – they are just there.

And finally, when we use our strengths they energise us! We feel more invigorated, alive and enthused.

Cath Kidson, entrepreneur and designer, advises:

Don’t expect to do everything… You need to work out your strengths as none of us can do everything.

So, a strength can be thought of as something that we are good at, that energises us, and that we use often.

Identify your strengths

Many of us struggle to talk about what we are good at – yet, we can easily identify all the things we are less effective at. Identifying our strengths really takes an attentional shift.

Imagine a spotlight. At the present moment, it may be focused on the stuff we find challenging or struggle with. Now imagine shifting that spotlight to a different spot. Now it is focusing on what you are good at. Our brain works like this. We just need to shift that spotlight of attention.

And we can do this in a number of ways.

During your working day, pay attention to when you experience positive emotions like joy, excitement, contentment, and calm. Notice what you were doing at that time. Our emotions are a great source when it comes to understanding what makes us tick. For example, a coaching client recently told me that they felt most motivated when they were with colleagues bouncing ideas off each other. This sparked her creative thinking and energised her and so she wanted to work in a collaborative environment.

Take a look at your diary or schedule, and review your working week. As you look through it, think about what energised you and what drained you. This simple process can give you insight into situations where you are most naturally working with your strengths.

And finally, ask others what they see as your strengths and how they would describe you. Seeing ourselves through the lens of others can be an added helpful dimension to understanding ourselves better and knowing what we are good at.

After all, leadership is about how we impact others. And they may be seeing something in us that we take for granted, underestimate or are completely unaware of.

Consciously work towards strength development

Finally, how do we actually make traction towards enhancing our strengths?

Behavioural change most effectively works in small, incremental and achievable steps.

It’s important to be deliberate and conscious when choosing to change.

Firstly, make an intentional choice about which strength you would like to develop further. Be clear about your motivation behind this; and why it is important for you now to focus on this particular area. Tapping into your motivation (sometimes referred to as your “why”) can help drive you towards your goals.

Secondly, identify goals or areas for development that will enable you to put your identified strength to use. Remember, strengths are about how much we are utilising them. Some strengths may remain under-utilised or you may have a strength you want to make your superpower. Either way, strengths are like muscles in the body. The more we use them, the stronger they get.

Your superpower

So you now know what strengths you want to hone, and why. You have identified areas where you can put them to good use.

It’s important to remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Ask for support. Let your manager, peers, colleagues, friends and family know what you are working on and how.

Ask for support and rally the troops!