Dance with Your Strengths!

What happened at your last performance review at work? Perhaps a manager started naming strengths, but zeroed in on "areas for improvement." And, once a deficiency's mentioned, likely an action plan follows... If you're like me, when your mind replays such a scene, all you recall is the weakness. Seems this dance is a bit out of step... Here's why...

People are much more intimately acquainted with their weaknesses, largely because evaluations throughout life — from grade-school report cards to job performance appraisals — are aimed at identifying and fixing weaknesses. Following "yearly reviews," most people do not think about "strengths," and how to tap talent since the mind tunes in to what's wrong and negatives. Do you find that the case?

Unfortunately, many people move from one "yearly fix" to the next, according to Tom Rath, never quite feeling satisfied at work because the dance shoes are too tight. In fact, Rath, best-selling author of Strengthsfinder 2.0, reports that out of 10 million people surveyed in the workplace, 7 million fall short of playing to their strengths according to Gallup research.

Added to that, another Gallup Poll found 69 percent of Americans aren't engaged at work, a sure sign most aren't employing their innate strengths according to Marcus Buckingham, senior vice president of the Gallup Organization and co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths.

No doubt that leads to many grouches at work...

"The opinions of others exert especially strong influence on individual attitudes," according to Indiana University researchers, "when these opinions are negative." Even more important, "negative opinions cause the greatest attitude shifts, not just from good to bad, but also from bad to worse."

So, how do people shift from a lifetime focus on weaknesses rather than strengths?

You can literally shift your brain's focus. It takes targeting your strengths. The good news is that your brain has great plasticity, that is by changing old routines, you can begin to be the person you most want to be.

I'm more productive when I play with words and express ideas through images, which are two of my strongest intelligences. Best work comes when people tap strengths since the mind easily goes into "flow" and optimizes outcomes. Has been your experience? Here're strategies to get your gifts and talents up and running where you work.

Want to dance to a new tune? Step to the beat of the drum and see the big picture... More in the next post.