How to share your awesomeness
When I coach people and ask them what their strengths are, I'm often met with blank stares and a few mumbles. However, when I ask them their weaknesses, they can easily rattle off a list of things they're not good at. I find it intriguing that it's so easy for people to reel off their faults but difficult for them to pinpoint the things they love and excel at.
Do you also find it hard to share your strengths? If so, this blog post is for you.
Let's go over the three layers of strengths and how you can apply them because when you take the time to audit your toolkit and savour your achievements, you can consistently and confidently share your awesomeness.
Remember, when you are very clear on what you have in your toolkit, you can know exactly what you're naturally good at and the things that come easily to you. As well as recognise the moments when you're working against the grain!
Three Layers of Awesomeness
Skills
Unlike strengths, skills are areas that you have to learn. You can acquire them through repetition, either through practice on the job or through studying. If anything sparks your curiosity, you can look up classes online to enhance that skill. For example, I have been learning learned Japanese by using the app Duolingo.
You can highlight how your skills are a great addition to a future employer or a manager in a different department you want to pitch to. Or, even if you're not planning to move away from your current job, you can look at how you can bring your skills into your workplace.
Passions
Passions help us stay fueled through difficult times. These are the things that make us feel awesome and enthusiastic. So even if some of your passions are not connected to your career, don't think of them as a waste of time. On the contrary, they can help you to give your best at your workplace.
Values
Values are kind of your personal code; they're your judgement call of what's important to you in your life. So when you find yourself struggling to make peace with work or having difficulty finding jobs, it may be because they don't sit well with the standards or values you've set for yourself.
Do you have a "strengths portfolio"?
One thing that my clients and I work on together is creating a "strengths portfolio". I highly recommend setting aside a time for this when everything is going "right" in your career so that you can bask in all your awesomeness and not dwell on your weaknesses.
Bring out your journal and reflect on these questions to complete your "strengths portfolio":
Brainstorm the achievements you have contributed to the company, big or small, over the past year.
Which area are you continuously delivering great value?
How did you manage to coach your team to excellence?
How did you and your team nail that pitch?
Because really, when do you get the chance to celebrate yourself and remind yourself how awesome you are? So take the time to really dissect these questions and determine your level of brilliance at each moment, then you can make a plan that will allow other people to see your brilliance as well.
If you don't highlight your achievements, you will be passed over for opportunities. You need to get into the habit of thinking that it's fine for you to pitch yourself. You're not being arrogant when you share value with others.
When you have taken the time to build your "strengths portfolio", you'll be able to confidently and consistently showcase your value, especially in moments where you feel a bit nervous. In addition, you'll eliminate the chance of going blank when asked about your strengths, skills, passions and values since you have already prepared for it in advance.
Remember to keep this habit of recording your achievements daily and reflecting on them each week so that articulating your success will be much easier. When the time comes that you have to negotiate for a pay raise, a promotion or a new job, you are in a place where you already know how incredible you are and what you have to offer. Nobody else will do it for you if you don't do it for yourself.
So hopefully, this has been a really good roundup to get you supercharged and thinking about your strengths and skills, passions and values and all the amazingness that makes up you. If you want to level up your confidence,
In this session, leaders or managers will learn how to:
Strengthen confidence and create ultimate trust in their actions
Deepen their strengths: understand which ones energise and how to use them successfully
Constructively with everyday situations: Gain extensive knowledge and skills to deal and overcome obstacles and imposter syndrome
Exert control over their behaviour, goals and environment: to accelerate their ability to make competent decisions efficiently