Leverage Your Strengths to Achieve Success in Your Career

Amanda Wrangham

Associate Partner

Gallup Consulting

twincities@gallup.com

gallup.com/consulting

Topic: Open Column

But the truth is that our greatest areas of potential are in our greatest areas of strength.

The foundation of Gallup's Strengths practice is the Clifton StrengthsFinder. The StrengthsFinder assessment -- featured in the New York Times bestselling book StrengthsFinder 2.0 -- provides you with your personalized Top 5 theme report and resources for taking strengths discovery and development to the next level. 

If you haven’t taken the StrengthsFinder, you can still start identifying your unique talents. A talent is a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

Step back and observe yourself. Do you find you are you naturally inquisitive? Competitive? Persistent? These are all talents. Have you ever completed complex projects and thought, “How did I do that?” Have you discovered activities you enjoy so much that you can’t wait to do them again? Are there tasks you are naturally drawn toward? Do you have assignments you “pick up” right away? Can you remember any moments where you were so focused that time seemed to stop completely? By understanding your dominant talents, you can leverage them in your existing career or position them for success while securing a new position. 

Take time to solicit candid feedback. How are you perceived by others? When have they witnessed you at your best? What talents were observed? What results occurred? Write down some of your insights.  

Think about the role’s requirements. When considering how your talents apply to your current or future positions, think about what you get paid to do. Are you being paid to take care of people? Are you being paid to analyze complex data? Are you being paid to come up with winning ideas? What do you have to do at a near-perfect level to achieve success? Do you have the raw talent to deliver excellence in the role? Where will your talents be best applied or how can they be better applied in your current position?

Apply your improved understanding of talents. Strengthen your personal brand and take your résumé to the next level. Instead of calling yourself “a hard-working people person,” differentiate yourself as “a highly competitive salesperson, with a natural gift for networking.” A great brand is authentic, consistent, distinct, memorable, valuable to your customers, and part of a clear brand strategy. 

As you continue to build your current career or ponder future career paths, embrace your strengths and define your personal brand. Knowing what sets you apart from everyone else will give you a chance to do more of what you do best every day.