Diana Gabriel

Certified Professional Coach

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • COACHING
  • WORKSHOPS
  • BOOKS
  • TOOLS
  • BLOG
  • ARTICLES
  • FAQ
  • CONTACT

Discovering Your Strengths

January 25, 2016 by Diana Leave a Comment

I, like most people throughout my life, had a poor sense of what my true strengths were. I thought my strengths were the things I was good at. But that belief was shaped by or reinforced by the feedback of others – what others said I was good at. The very first time I took the StrengthsFinder assessment in 2001 I was amazed at how spot on the results were – I felt affirmed for behaviors others often misinterpreted. Two of my top strengths, Activator and Command, made perfect sense to me but over the years had been identified as problematic behaviors in some of my performance reviews. I felt different and misunderstood. This began my fascination with and study of the Strengths assessment.

discovering-your-strengths_DG-bp1

Our strengths are just there, underutilized at best or lying dormant and neglected. Click To Tweet

Most of us have a poor sense of our talents and strengths, or we confuse what we do well with our true strengths. Yet, we are acutely aware of our weaknesses and flaws. When most people are asked about their strengths they begin by talking about their flaws or the things they need to improve upon.

Throughout the education system, subsequent careers and performance reviews there is often significantly more attention placed on how to improve and fix our shortcomings rather than enhance our strengths.

“Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. When you ask them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer.” — Peter Drucker, management expert

Parents, teachers, and managers are well versed in spotting deficits. In fact, most people — partners and spouses included — consider it their duty to point out our weaknesses with the intention of helping us improve. As a result, most of us have become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to fix these flaws or accept them as permanent character defects.

Consequently, our strengths are just there, underutilized at best or lying dormant and neglected. The tragedy of a weakness- or flaw-focused culture is that it leaves many people feeling unhappy and unfulfilled. The research, however, is clear: we grow, we develop and we are happier by focusing on our strengths, rather than trying to correct our faults.

Over the last decade, coaching and leadership professionals have become aware of, lift up and celebrate placing greater emphasis on developing personal strengths. The goal is to help individuals unlock the power of their strengths, build on their natural gifts and talents and manage their weaknesses.

Large corporations like Wells Fargo, Intel, Best Buy, Toyota, and Yahoo now require that employees take surveys measuring talents and strengths. Their CEOs recognize that company success depends on leveraging individuals’ strengths instead of trying to fix or improve upon their weaknesses. When careers are aligned with one’s strengths the quality of life is greatly improved.

What has been your experience with the strengths assessment? Does your organization and/or manager focus on your strengths or weaknesses? I would love to hear from you; you can connect me or let’s connect on LinkedIn.

Filed Under: Articles, Authentic Leader, Authentic Story, Awareness, Coaching, Effective Leadership, Growth, Leadership, Newsletters, Self-Awareness, Self-Fulfillment, Strengths, StrengthsFinder, Weaknesses Tagged With: Authentic Leader, Authentic Story, Authenticity, Awareness, coaching services, communication, develop authentic connections, develop executive presence, know your strengths, Know Yourself, Leader, leadership, leadership coach, Make individual connections, perception, Purpose, Self-Acceptance, Self-Awareness, Self-fulfillment, Strengths, StrengthsFinder, sustainable leadership, Values, Vulnerable

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Connect with Diana

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Testimonials

Working with Diana was great. She helped me identify my leadership strengths and find ways to use them to maximize my value to the organization as I transitioned into a new role with greater responsibility.
Executive of a NonprofitMissouri
The main benefit of coaching was simply the reworking of my priorities to bring some semblance of balance back into my life as it applied to my family relationships and personal well-being.
Stephen S. TalmageBishop, Grand Canyon Synod

Creating a Framework for Success as a Sustainable Leader in a Socially Connected Environment
Being a sustainable leader isn’t just a ‘touchy-feely’ term. It’s about creating innovation and collaboration within your environment. It’s about accomplishing goals that matter. And yes, it’s even about improving the bottom line of your business.

Because nothing is sustainable if it doesn’t “increase profitability and your competitive advantage.”

Download my Complimentary Workbook: “Creating a Framework for Success as a Sustainable Leader in a Socially Connected Environment.”

Recent Blog Posts

  • Authentic Leaders Make Passion Contagious
  • Authentic Leaders Put Values Into Practice
  • Direct Communication is Required for Authentic Leadership
  • Adaptability is Required for Authentic Leadership
  • The Need for Authentic Leadership

Blog Post Archives

Contact Information

DianaSmLogo Diana Gabriel, PPC
Professional Certified Coach

diana@dianagabriel.com
507.345.7090

Top Posts & Pages

  • The 4 Components of Trust
  • What are the Crucibles of Leadership?
  • The Ten Commandments to Human Relations

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Home
  • About
  • Coaching
  • Workshops
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Site Map

Copyright © 2021 — Diana Gabriel, PPC • All rights reserved. • Privacy Statement • Legal Notice

  • Home
  • About
  • Coaching
  • Workshops
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Site Map