Lesson #2 Think strengths not weaknesses

What’s a strength?

How many times have you been asked by an interviewer to talk about your strengths and weaknesses? How do you know what your strengths and weaknesses are?  For that matter what does that really mean anyway?

Marcus Buckingham (depicted as a bobblehead doll in the JB book)  says that a strength is something that you do that makes you feel strong. Conversely, a weakness is something that you do that takes your energy away. Ironically, this can actually be something you are skilled at but just don’t WANT to do!

How do you identify your strengths?

Think of a time when everything was going right and you were at your supreme best. What were you doing, where were you, who were you with? What words describe you at that moment? These are some of your strengths!

When you are operating at your peak, doing something you love, chances are you are using all your strengths. That’s why you are able to operate with so much energy and focus. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (also in JB as a bobblehead doll) would call this FLOW. It is the “mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.”

Martin Seligman (also a bobblehead doll in JB) has done a great deal of work studying happiness. He suggests that when people use their innate strengths most of the time, they feel fulfilled and happy. So the trick is to identify your unique strengths and look for ways to use them most of the time. Visit the Authentic Happiness website and take Seligman’s VIA Signature Strengths Questionaire. The results will probably validate the words you used to describe yourself when you were at your best!