Chapter 12
Career Plan Step #2: Discover Your Strengths
Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it is going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.
—H. Jackson Brown Jr.
It was 2003 and social media was in its infancy. Tech companies were popping up by the dozens. One particular company was launching a new platform they hoped would prove to be a game changer. The organization had a plan to revolutionize music and podcasting. With an ex-Google leader on board, and numerous programming whiz kids, the company hoped to become one of Silicon Valley's next rising stars. By July 2005, the company, called Odeo, had a viable product and strong investors and was ready to launch. Then disaster struck in unprecedented proportions. An announcement from Apple changed the future of Odeo. Apple was launching a breakthrough product called iTunes to revolutionize the way people listened to and downloaded music. Along with the music, iTunes would also include a podcasting platform automatically built in to every one of the 200 million iPods Apple would sell. In one day, with one announcement, Odeo was considered finished.
With 14 full-time employees, the CEO and leadership team decided to exit the podcasting business and head in a different direction; they just didn't know which direction. In fact, they had no “Plan B” and time was short to develop a new product or platform.
To solve the problem, the company started holding “hackathons.” Hackathons were full-day events in which employees would work only on new potential projects. As the projects began to develop and show promise, the individuals involved in the idea would form teams to continue development. One idea for a service revolved around individuals sharing with friends what they were doing at any given moment. It was a platform that allowed people to update friends on their current status. In February of 2006, the idea was far enough along that they decided to present it to everyone at the company.
Originally, the idea was a system in which you could send a text to one number and it would be broadcasted to your friends, but evolved into a social site where you could follow friends' short updates and they could follow yours. It was initially known as Twttr, but the name would later be changed to Twitter. At this time of writing, the company is worth 5 billion dollars and is only expected to continue to grow.
Case studies from top business schools have analyzed and explained Twitter and the process of their reinvention, but I see the event differently than most. When Apple announced iTunes, Odeo knew it was over; they were out of business. Instead of focusing on improving or modifying their current platform (and in some way try to salvage all the work they had done), they did something I consider brilliant. They pulled their employees together—employees who were smart, creative and talented—and told them they needed to help create a new business model. Few companies do that today. Instead, most leaders close the business and start over when everything goes south.
It was an exciting time at Twitter. Employees were paid to use their strengths and talents to create something new. Twitter is an example that great things can happen in your career and life when you tap into your inner strengths and talents. The cherry on top is that in so doing you will also create career happiness, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose.
What Are Your Strengths?
“Dr. Bray, I have no idea what my strengths are, let alone how I can put them to use.”
According to Gallup,1 strengths are defined as, “the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity.” I would add that strengths are something that comes easy to you, you are naturally good at, and you find interest and enjoyment in. Strengths include your talents, skills, knowledge, and (some) personality traits.
Several thoughts are hopefully popping into your mind about what your strengths may be. A few clients have come up with their own original strengths:
“I am good at napping.” (I think that is considered a universal strength! And it doesn't make you stand out.)
“I am really good at video games.” (I didn't consider video games strength for this 36-year-old father of three—and neither did his wife. Although the amount of hours he spent practicing were commendable! And yes, kudos to me for saving a marriage!)
“My strength is the ability to almost read people's minds with my intuition.” (After laughing out loud at what I thought was a really funny joke, I realized she was dead serious. I badly wanted to ask her why she needed my help if she already knew what I was thinking, but I missed the opportunity and have regretted it ever since.)
Another client responded with, “I am really talented at cleaning my car. I even Q-Tip the vents.” I once again laughed out loud, after which he told me he was somewhat offended. I told him the answer was so good I wanted his permission to put it into my book. He agreed.
Identifying your strengths and talents will help you recognize what specific traits and abilities you possess that help you stand out from everyone else.
Identifying Your Strengths and Talents
Recognizing your strengths can sometimes be difficult to do on your own. To solve the problem, here are three suggestions to easily pinpoint your strengths.
Option One, take the StrengthFinders 2.0 assessment by Tom Rath. StrengthFinders 2.0 provides an assessment that is excellent at finding what your five core strengths are in the work environment. It provides you with insight and in-depth information that helps you focus on your strong points. (Warning: If you are buying the StrengthFinders 2.0 book used, be sure that you find out if the assessment number has already been used. Each book has one assessment number that can be used only once.)
Option Two, ask your boss, your fellow employees, good friends, and even your loved ones what strengths they notice about you. What makes you stand out at work and what are you really good at? Be sure to ask people whom you trust to provide you with straightforward and sincere feedback.
Option Three, take a personality test (as I recommended in Chapter 5). I highly recommend the DiSC profile or MBTI. Both of these personality assessments help to increase your self-awareness, identify your motivations, and recognize how you react to problems and how you solve them.
Combine this with the strengths assessment and you will have a strong indication of what type of personality you have and how well it matches your current position. From the MBTI, you will learn whether you are an extrovert, introvert, thinker, or feeler (along with other traits). From the DiSC profile, you will learn about your behavioral differences in the following four areas: dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness.
This information will provide you with a glimpse into your behaviors and the manner in which you work. People who use their strengths and talents at work have been shown to be happier about their job, work environment, and co-workers.
Building Strengths and Talents
A debate has been raging the past 10 years or so over whether employees should focus on developing their strengths or working to improve their weaknesses. The correct answer is both.
It is important to build your strengths, while also monitoring areas that may keep your career from progressing. When you do work that is consistently using your strengths and abilities, you will be fulfilled and happy, and continue to progress. It is also important to work on your weaknesses and find ways to minimize their effects on your career. We all have aspects of the job we detest; sometimes that's the nature of the job. Other times we detest parts of our work because they play into our weaknesses. If we aren't aware of our weaknesses, they can become career killers. You may have incredible talents and abilities at work, but if you can't get your reports in on time, your other strengths are negated. Your objective is to be constantly developing your strengths and abilities while continually minimizing your weaknesses.
Jackie, a top salesperson in her company, lost $25,000 of her bonus because she received a B rating on her end-of-year review, instead of an A rating. She was shocked to receive the lower evaluation, as her sales had remained in the top 10 percent of her company. When she questioned the lower rating, her manager explained that she had submitted only three reports on time the whole year. Even though her sales were phenomenal, she was unable to complete her work in a timely manner. “You are lucky I gave you a B and not a lower rating,” he told Jackie.
Even though she was the top salesperson on her team, Jackie was no longer considered a top performer. Her inability to complete and turn reports in on time had affected her branding, her year-end rating, and ultimately her bonus. An old-school human resources and training department would say, “Teach her how to do it correctly, help her plan and schedule time to complete her reports during the day, and strategically help her understand how to focus on the right tasks.” However, that would put the responsibility back on her managers when the responsibility should rest squarely on Jackie's shoulders. I would tell Jackie that she will never, not ever, like completing expense reports, but they are an important part of her job that she must follow through on. Did she need to become the best employee at filling out expense reports and help other members of the team with theirs? No way! She needed to find a way to minimize her problem and it was an easy answer. “Get your reports in on time and make sure they are done correctly… It is that simple,” I told Jackie. “By doing this simple monthly activity, it will solve your bonus problem, your B rating problem, and get you back in good graces with your manager.”
It's Time to Compare
Once you have identified your strengths, it is time to compare your four main job responsibilities (Chapter 11) to the strengths you have identified in this chapter. Does the work you do every day match your identified strengths or are there inconsistencies between the two? Comparing the two just might surprise you, but it may also give you the information you need to make changes (if needed) or to confirm you are on the right track with your career.
If you find that your strengths and your work responsibilities are polar opposites, keep reading for ideas of how to begin to align them in Chapter 14 when we discuss your one- three-, and five-year career plans.