Identifying Personal Strengths

Ask most Directors and VPs what they are genuinely best at, and you will get a job title, not an answer. They can tell you what they are responsible for. They cannot tell you what makes them exceptional. This is not a humility problem. It is a reflection problem. Most people have simply never done the work to find out. Here is how to find the answer in your own history: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 List your biggest professional wins. Then for each one, ask what you specifically did that made it happen. Not the outcome. The move. Your strengths are hidden in the how, not the what. 𝟮. 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 Your challenges reveal as much as your wins. Look at the moments that tested you and ask how you responded. The way you handle difficulty is often your most distinctive strength and the one you are least likely to notice in yourself. 𝟯. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 The work that energizes you points to your natural strengths. The work that drains you points to the roles you should stop chasing. Most people ignore this signal and end up excellent at things that quietly exhaust them. 𝟰. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 Look across every position you have held and find what stayed constant. The skill you brought to every environment, regardless of title or industry, is your real edge. It is the thing that is uniquely yours. 𝟱. 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 All of this stays useless until you can say it simply. Distill your strength into one clear sentence you could say out loud in any room. If you cannot name it, you cannot position it. And the market will define you by your title instead. You cannot position what you have not named. The professionals who get recognized are not always the most accomplished. They are the ones who can say, clearly and without hesitation, exactly what they bring. Save this and actually do the exercise. Most people read it and never do. And if you get stuck putting your edge into words, comment EDGE. That is the part I help with most.

Discovering your strengths doesn’t require a career coach or a personality test. Sometimes, all it takes is paying closer attention to your everyday life. Here are five practical ways to spot where you're already equipped to serve and grow: 1. Notice What People Ask You For Help With People are always giving clues. What do your friends, coworkers, or kids come to you for? Encouragement? Discernment? Clarity? Keep a list. You might not see the pattern right away. But over time, themes will emerge. God often reveals your gifts through community. 2. Pay Attention to What Energizes You You can be good at something and still feel drained by it. But the tasks that energize you? They’re worth noticing. Ask yourself: • What makes me lose track of time? • What do I look forward to? • What gives me life—even when it’s hard? Energy is a compass. Pay attention to where it points. 3. Reflect on Past Wins Think back to moments when things just clicked. Not just what you accomplished—but how it felt. • When did you feel most useful? • What made you feel a healthy kind of pride? • What projects lit you up? Tools like CliftonStrengths, Myers-Briggs, or journaling prompts can help too. They’re not magic—but they can give language to what’s already true. 4. Ask Someone You Trust Self-awareness is a team sport. Ask a friend, mentor, or manager: “When have you seen me at my best?” You don’t need a panel of experts. Just one or two people who know you and care about you. As Proverbs 27:6 reminds us: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” 5. Try Something and Reflect Clarity doesn’t come from thinking alone. You have to do. Try a new role. Volunteer. Pick up a new hobby. Then ask: • Did this feel life-giving or draining? • Was I helpful? • Did it stretch me? Even small steps create momentum. These practices won’t give you all the answers overnight. But they will give you direction. Over time, they’ll help you grow in both self-awareness and stewardship. Start small. Trust God to guide the process.

Most people bomb interviews for one reason: They try to be someone they're not. After 25 years of studying human strengths, I can tell you—the biggest mistake isn't a weak handshake or forgetting to ask questions. It's showing up as a generic version of yourself. Here's what actually works: Stop trying to be perfect. Start being precise about who you are. The best candidates I've seen don't memorize scripts. They get crystal clear on their unique pattern of strengths. They can tell you exactly when they're at their best—not in theory, but with real moments. Instead of: "I'm a people person." Try: "I thrive when I'm connecting individual team members to work that energizes them." Instead of: "I'm detail-oriented." Try: "I get energized by organizing complex information so others can make faster decisions." The science is simple: Specificity about your strengths beats generic perfection every time. So before your next interview, ask yourself: • When do I feel strongest at work? • What kind of problems do I love solving? • When have others recognized my unique contribution? Your job isn't to impress with flawless answers. It's to show them exactly who you are—so they can picture you succeeding in their environment. Your uniqueness isn't a nice-to-have. It's your competitive advantage. Save this for your next interview. Follow Marcus Buckingham for more strengths-based career insights.

You're going through a career transition. Don't forget your strengths. One pattern I've observed over time: senior-level professionals navigate career transitions and quietly let their strengths take a back seat to the unknown. I've been guilty of it myself. I've seen this happen with high-performers who take on new initiatives. Individual contributors who become people managers. And experienced leaders taking over new teams. Our strengths have gotten us this far. But they get buried under our desire to prove ourselves. What I keep coming back to in these situations is that your strengths are exactly what will carry you through this next chapter. This is where building emotional intelligence helps. It helps you pause, reflect, and recognize what you bring to the table. Your strengths didn't suddenly disappear. Fear has a way of overshadowing them. Here are 4 ways to rediscover your strengths: 1️⃣ Think back to a previous transition. What strengths showed up then that you're underutilizing now? 2️⃣ Ask someone who knew you before. A former colleague, a mentor, a peer from a previous team. Sometimes the people who watched you work in a different environment can see your strengths more clearly than you can right now. 3️⃣ Notice what feels effortless. In the middle of the chaos, what are you doing when time moves quickly? What do people come to you for without being asked? Effortless typically indicates that something is often deeply ingrained. 4️⃣ Write down three strengths and one specific example of each from the last 90 days. If you can't find an example, that's useful information too. It may mean you haven't been creating space to use them. Everyone has unique strengths that add value. Don't forget them in this season of change. 📌 Save this post for the next time you're navigating something new. 👉 And follow me for more.

Most 'Top 5' lists tell you what books to read. This one tells you who you are. Here are the five profiling tools I've worked with most over the years. Each one answers a different question. → The Crystallizer Assessment Start here. Gino and I created this specifically to help founders discover whether they're wired as a Visionary or an Integrator. The results sometimes surprise people in ways they don't anticipate. Take it before any of the others: https://lnkd.in/gGyZKGhA → Kolbe A Index The question this one answers: how do you instinctively execute? Not your personality. Not your IQ. Specifically how your brain is wired to act. Kolbe calls it your MO: Method of Operation. It's the only validated assessment that measures conative strengths: the part of you that drives action rather than thought. Mine surprised me. My instinct to generate and initiate scored high. Follow-Thru did not. It explained something I'd been experiencing my whole career without quite naming it. I need someone alongside me who is wired to keep what I start from stalling out. That's a significant part of why the right Integrator changes everything. → Culture Index The question this one answers: how are you likely to interact with the wiring of others? Culture Index has a named archetype for each significant profile pattern. When your team speaks this language together, conversations that used to be confusing start making sense. Mine confirmed something I already suspected: being direct is my natural setting. Not a style I've practiced. A reflex. Culture Index gave me the language to say that to my team without it sounding like a personality quirk. It's just how I'm wired. And it turns out some people really value that. Who knew? → Clifton Strengths The question this one answers: what are your top natural talents? 34 possible themes. For Visionaries, the results usually cluster around ideation, strategy, and big-picture thinking. The frame isn't about fixing weaknesses. It's about leaning harder into what you already do best, then building the team around what you don't. → The 6 Types of Working Genius The question this one answers: which kinds of work give you energy, and which lead to frustration? Patrick Lencioni built this one specifically around work, not general personality. For Visionaries, it finally gives you language to explain why certain meetings drain you and other conversations light you up. Then you can design your role accordingly. I wrote something in VISIONARY that I still believe: Don't treat any of these as the end-all, be-all. Each one is a data point in your journey toward self-discovery. The Visionary who knows how they're wired makes better decisions. Delegates more accurately. Builds a team that fills the gaps instead of duplicating them. Know thyself first. Lead from there.

I coached a COO who had been told for years that motivating people was not her strength.   We will call her Rose Marie.   She did everything... → Mirror practice. → Toastmasters. → Speech rehearsals before every meeting.   Still no improvement.   When she came to me, I told her to stop trying to become a great speaker.   (She was never going to be a high-energy platform speaker, and that was never the point.)   She had a different gift, an innate talent.   An innate ability to take complex problems and distill them into easy-to-understand models, and create step-by-step plans for addressing them.   That was what had made her a successful COO.   I told her she could leverage this gift to motivate her team.   Turned out, people actually responded positively to her ability to simplify complex situations. She developed an organizational transition plan and unveiled it to her team, step by step.   The response was immediate. Her team understood exactly where they were going and why.   Most leaders run a development strategy backwards. They identify a weakness, work on it for years, and never close the gap.   But Rose Marie did the opposite and identified her signature strengths and doubled down on that to become an even more effective COO.   This is the fourth dimension of Intelligent Leadership: Leveraging Your Gifts and Addressing Your Gaps.   P.S. What signature strength have you been ignoring because you were busy trying to become someone you are not?   - John

Are you clear on the value you deliver? ◾What problems do you solve? ◾What unique strengths set you apart? ◾How do you deliver exceptional results? ◾Why are you an invaluable asset? Most people aren’t fully aware of their strengths or confident in their ability to leverage them effectively. Many struggle to identify what their strengths are, how to showcase them, or how to communicate their value to others. This often holds them back from advancing in their careers. Recently, a friend came to me for coaching. He felt frustrated and stagnant, wondering why he hadn’t received a promotion in years when he believed he deserved one. He needed clarity and direction to move forward. Through a series of structured coaching sessions, we devised a plan with actionable steps that brought him closer to his goal of securing a leadership position. Key Areas We Focused On: ◾Awareness▶We pinpointed his unique strengths—his ability to take initiatives to the next level, solve complex problems, and deliver substantial value to his team. Together, we clarified how to effectively communicate these strengths to showcase his value as an asset to the organization. ◾Mindset and Action▶We addressed mindset challenges that lead to staying stuck, such as self-doubt, fear of failure, and an unwillingness to get uncomfortable, which often results in complacency. Generating awareness of one’s strengths and taking action can be difficult on your own; having a coach or trusted advisor can help you gain the clarity and direction you need. Self-awareness is the catalyst for change, but action is key. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Consistent progress comes from taking small, uncomfortable steps toward one’s goals. ◾Maximizing Value▶We focused on strategically leveraging his strengths to maximize impact for the organization and clients. This included enhancing his time management skills to work smarter, not harder, and improving his communication skills to clearly articulate his contributions. He began volunteering for projects, leading presentations, and suggesting initiatives that benefited clients. By taking these steps, he built trust and credibility with others and gained confidence in himself and his abilities, enhancing his performance. Now, he is being considered for the leadership position he dreamed of. ♦ The Takeaway ▶ Everyone has value to offer. To advance your career, clarify your strengths, articulate the problems you solve, and understand the value you deliver. Recognize that taking action and generating self-awareness can be challenging, which is why working with a coach or trusted advisor can be invaluable. ♦ Share your thoughts and experiences. ▪ How do you effectively communicate your value to stakeholders? ▪ How have you overcome self-doubt to showcase your strengths? ▪ What advice would you give to someone struggling to identify their value?

I recommended this FREE tool for years to my MBA students at the Stanford Business School given how useful I found it and how consistently students confirmed it had also been helpful to them. When current executive clients feel “stuck” I often recommend it to gather data that might point to paths that can help them get “unstuck” – since feeling stuck is often a function of incongruence between what we value and where we are spending our time and energy. I decided to take the survey again, before posting about it since it has been over a decade since I first took it. The results remain wonderfully (and not surprisingly) consistent. My top signature strengths are 1) love/humanity 2) perspective/wisdom 3) social intelligence/humanity, 4) leadership/justice, and 5) honesty/courage. This clarifies why it so important to me to have close relations with others in which sharing and caring are reciprocated, why I am so happy when providing counsel and have ways of looking at the world that make sense to both me and others, love the part of my job that depends heavily on understanding what makes people tick, love leading (and teaching about leadership) and so value speaking the truth. The VIA Character Personality Assessment is a scientific instrument measuring our strengths, and it’s widely used in academic, corporate, and other settings (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). VIA stands for Values in Action. It is free and takes roughly 20 minutes to complete. Check it out and LMK what you learned! https://lnkd.in/gWi2Zt6b

Still unsure what makes you stand out in your career? You're not alone. But you're also not stuck. Here's a proven way to uncover your career superpowers—no personality test needed. I've helped 100+ professionals discover their career strengths. And this process? It works every time. Here’s how to find yours: 1. Track your energy levels • Notice when you feel most alive at work • Which tasks make time fly by • What you'd happily do even without pay 2. Collect feedback patterns • Save compliments from peers, managers, or clients • Observe what people frequently ask your help with • Reflect on what mentors highlight in you 3. Analyze your wins • List your top 5 accomplishments • Identify the skills you used in each • Look for patterns in how you approached problems 4. Study your free time • What do you enjoy teaching others? • What topics do you research for fun? • Where do people naturally seek your guidance? 5. Document "flow state" moments • Tasks that feel effortless • Projects where creativity flows • Problems you can spot and solve instantly 🔁 Here's what to do next: ✔ Track patterns for the next 30 days ✔ Maintain a daily “wins” journal ✔ Ask 3–5 trusted colleagues for feedback ✔ Compare your findings to job descriptions ✔ Review your past performance reviews This clarity becomes your career compass. Save this post if you’re planning your next move. And tell me what’s one strength people always see in you? P.S. Want to turn these insights into a real job-winning plan? Join my free webinar “Get Your Dream Job with My Career Spotlight Framework.” 📌 Register Here - https://lnkd.in/gq7ZrvDj #CareerGrowth #StrengthsFinder #JobSearchTips #CareerCoaching #PersonalBranding