When Harry Potter found himself desperately out of his depth and at risk of mortal injury from the Hungarian Horntail, he had only one choice. To play to his strengths.
Strengths—the characteristics that pull from our natural talents, skills, and knowledge—are really often given short shrift in the work place. It’s more common to have a managerial discussion about areas that need improvement than areas where performance is consistently outstanding with employees, and that’s a shame.
When you visit our homepage, you have the option to take our assessment for free. If you’re wondering what it will amount to, read on…
What our assessment tells you
Our assessment results in telling you what your top three strengths are and what characteristics you value most in yourself. No matter what three words are presented to you in the end, remember that they are strengths and therefore valuable. They don’t become valuable however, until you utilize them in some way to assist your effectiveness in the world.
As a Software Engineer at StrengthsInsight, I have the opportunity to work on all parts of our software stack, from flipping bits on a server to polishing pixels on a web page. This can be a blessing and a curse, as not all tasks are ones I would otherwise volunteer for. My engineering teammates are in the same boat – they get to work on everything, like it or not. Fortunately our team is made up of diverse personalities, and by understanding this we can use it to our advantage.
As a Software Engineer at StrengthsInsight I have the opportunity to work on all parts of our software stack, from flipping bits on a server to polishing pixels on a web page. This can be a blessing and a curse, as not all tasks are ones I would otherwise volunteer for. My engineering teammates are in the same boat – they get to work on everything, like it or not. Fortunately our team is made up of diverse personalities, and by understanding this we can use it to our advantage.
We’re now a month past the date when we set our New Years resolutions for 2013. Are we still engaged? Some people committed to losing twenty pounds, some people said they’d find a new job that they actually like, and others may have promised to quit smoking. No matter what our goals are, we want to reach them. Whenever we make a commitment or start something new, we want to carry through with it. Similarly, when we walk into the office every morning, we want to be excited to start the day. But how?
We’re now a month past the date when we set our New Years resolutions for 2013. Are we still engaged? Some people committed to losing twenty pounds, some people said they’d find a new job that they actually like, and others may have promised to quit smoking. No matter what our goals are, we want to reach them. Whenever we make a commitment or start something new, we want to carry through with it. Similarly, when we walk into the office every morning, we want to be excited to start the day. But how?
Earlier this year I saw a phenomenal production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman in New York. Toward the end Miller eloquently sums up the profession, describing a salesperson as “way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine.” To sell, you have to be tenacious. You have to have passion and humor and social intelligence and not a little bit of courage. Google “become a salesperson” and you’ll get a flood of similar claims. My favorite? “Become a leader.” Thanks, it’s on my to-do list.
These strengths are certainly important, and luckily anyone can grow and develop these strengths through effort and engagement. But the most important sales strength is more obscure and ultimately more actionable. To sell, you need a love of learning. Strong sellers learn all the time and in every possible way.
In November, America will select its next employee-in-chief. Evidence from positive psychology shows that strengths-matching can boost employee success. As the (albeit distant) managers of our president, maybe we should take a cue from positive psychology when making our next hire:
In a recent interview with Gallup’s leading workplace researchers: Tom Rath, leader of Gallup’s workplace research division and author of bestsellers including: How Full is Your Bucket? and Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements and Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management — the experts explain the research behind why companies should care about the well-being of their employees.
In 2004 Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson published their “manual of sanities,” titled Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. They built on the growing field of positive psychology to develop a science of human strengths, creating a tool for measuring and improving positive psychological traits. Here is an introduction to one strength of character, vitality.
Vitality is the distinction between living and actually being alive. Vital individuals are energetic and highly functioning, with a deep and present feeling of their existence. Not all energy is vital – vital energy is positive and controllable, accessible by an individual on a physical and psychological level.
