What if we really knew our strengths and what would it be to apply that to our whole life?
‘What are your biggest weaknesses?’
The notorious interview question. Probably as prevalent is the contrasting ‘what is your biggest strength?’
You can find endless online guidance for how to best answer both those questions.
Yet how often do we truly answer that question and how often do we really reflect on our strengths?
And even if we could list 5 strengths we have, how detailed can we go into that strength?
How far can you get through the questions below:
What is a strength you have?
What does that look like day to day?
How do you use that strength?
What difference does that strength make in your life?
Where else could you apply that strength?
If you applied and honed that strength for decades what could you create?
If you brought that strength to every area of your life what would that look like?
How does that strength enhance your other strengths?
If you were to bring that collection of strengths, that only you hold in that unique balance, embodied and infused with you, to all aspects of your life, what would that look like?
What would be possible?
But what if we can’t think of any strengths?
What challenges have you overcome or accomplishments have you achieved?
What qualities did you show to overcome or achieve those things?
If you’re still struggling for challenges or accomplishments, what qualities have got you to this point today?
If today has been straightforward then what has made it straightforward for you?
How have you contributed to that? If it hasn’t been straightforward how have you continued to navigate it?
Still struggling?
Ask people you trust and just trust what they say? What is it you take for granted in yourself that astounds them? And simply trust what they say even if you don’t believe it and imagine if you did have that strength how may you use it moving forward?
Still not sure?
If you knew you have strengths, what would they be?
Other than for job interviews, why does this actually matter though?
Probably as frequently as those infamous interview questions, we might also hear the advice: ‘play to your strengths’.
If you’ve been following the Six Nations you may have seen reporters’ frustrations at England’s performances, despite the wins, as they seemingly aren’t harnessing the strengths their players have.
To play to our strengths, assumes we know what they are and how we can play with them in the situation.
If strengths are like tools, the better we know the tools we have the easier we can apply them. In some ways strengths are like the supplies we have on a quest, no doubt the quest is much less daunting and easier to navigate knowing what we have for that journey.
In short, if we don’t take responsibility for our strengths, for nurturing them, for growing them, it is unlikely anyone else will. They may point them out but they can’t apply them like you can.
Plus, no doubt the best way to approach the things we’re less strong on, our weaknesses, is using our strengths. For example if I wanted to be better at public speaking, knowing I’m strong in planning and have the strength of curiosity I can apply those to my pursuit of being a better public speaker.
What would it be like to apply all our strengths in every aspect of our lives?
Strangely we may notice our strengths in specific contexts, while those contexts may create the conditions that more easily draw out those strengths, they are our strengths.
So what would it be to take all those strengths and apply them to all contexts in our lives?
For example, what are the strengths we show at work that we could use in our relationships or vice versa? What are the strengths we show in living my life and pursuing my hobbies that I can bring to fulfilling my loftiest dreams?
What if the situation doesn’t play to our strengths?
Maybe this is what has drawn frustration for England fans despite their recent victories in the Six Nations. Yes they’ve won but they’ve just not played to their strengths as a team of gifted players with ball in hand (as they’ve largely kicked the ball away).
One argument could be that the conditions aren’t quite right, no doubt that can influence how effective our strengths are, but if we don’t apply them unless they are drawn out by the perfect conditions how will those strengths ever grow?
In the England Rugby example, they have some supremely gifted players with ball in hand, so the only way to harness that strength is ultimately to give them the ball. Yes, space and the quality of the ball help, but if you only focus on creating the conditions for our strengths to come out could we not at least apply our strengths to creating those conditions?
If space and the quality of the ball, maximise the strengths of these gifted players with ball in hand, how can they create that space and quality ball with ball in hand?
Or in a non-rugby context, how can we use our strengths to create the conditions to maximise our strengths even further?
What happens if we don’t own our strengths?
We’ve all been in situations where we or others haven’t played to their strengths. How did it go?
No doubt it could have been better or easier if they had used their strengths.
How easy is it to use those strengths if we don’t know what they are?
If we don’t know and can’t take ownership of our strengths what does the world miss out on?
We’ve shared the Buckminster Fuller quote before and it feels pertinent here:
What is my job on the planet? What is it that needs doing, that I know something about, that probably won't happen unless I take responsibility for it?
If our job on the planet is bringing our strengths as fully as possible to our lives, because frankly they are the things that when harnessed create what probably wont happen unless we take responsibility for them, it comes down to knowing our strengths.
What would it be like to live not only knowing your strengths, but in knowing them, applying them to your whole life?
What would it be like for everyone to take ownership of their strengths? What world would we create?
