When was the last time you stepped back and asked yourself: “What am I good at?” or “What are my strengths?” For many of us, we usually don’t take the time to recognize what value we bring to our work worlds or personal lives. We go through our daily routines, never focusing on how we shine or make a difference. We aren’t serving ourselves well or sharing our best side, if we are unaware of the skills and strengths we can offer.
One manager in one of my workshops had some extraordinary ideas about developing a project for his team. He was a talented designer and had the ability to see the big picture. But instead of communicating his additions or changes to the team, he just let the project continue in the same direction. He couldn’t see how essential it was for him to speak up and share his ideas and strengths.
Has this ever happened to you? Are you aware of your gifts and how they can impact an outcome?
[Tweet “When we lead with our gifts, we create magical outcomes.”]
Five valuable questions to locate your leadership gifts:
1. What excites you?
Although keying into what gets us out of bed in the morning may be difficult to pinpoint or feel not relevant, it is oil that gets our motors running. Think about what you value most and enjoy doing. Does this relate to your daily routine in any way? If the answer is yes, then you are on the right path. If your answer is no, then it may be time to re-evaluate some of your choices.
2. What have you always excelled at?
Take a look back through your childhood to the present and notice patterns of where you really shined.
- Are you strong in analyzing situations deeply?
- Can you step back easily and see what is the essential problem without getting caught up in the details?
- Is your talent being able to connect people with different perspectives?
- Are you artistic and still looking for a place in your career to share that side?
3. What do other people ask your advice about?
This question can be the critical one to see how we make a difference. In your workplace, what questions and issues seem to land in your lap most often? Are you the keeper of certain specialties that the people around you rely on? Do your boss and co-workers touch base first with you before finalizing a decision on a specific area? Be aware and see how your expertise is being depended on.
4. What comes naturally?
It is said that the strengths and abilities that seem to come easy to each of us may be our true gifts. Look at all your accomplishments along the way and recognize what seems to just roll out of your mind freely. When we can pinpoint our natural gifts and talents, we can play to them, rather than dwell on our weaknesses or blind spots.
[Tweet “Strengths that come naturally to us are our true leadership gifts.”]
5. Where have you made the greatest impact?
We all may have many jobs or even careers in our lifetime, yet we probably will leave our mark in just some of those places.
- Can you remember a person who grew because of you?
- Is there a particular type of project or assignment you changed for the better?
- Are there people or a team who modeled your direction and as a result achieved great heights?
- Is there a cause that you found meaningful and spent many hours volunteering?
How do you locate your leadership gifts?
Knowing your gifts is so important – life get so much better when you’re working in your sweet spot.
One of the ways my gifts became clear to me over the years is when I did work that was as far away from my gift-zone as I could get. I was responsible for analytics for a large division. It was a snooze for me after I got past some initial meaty challenges but other I supervised loved it and lit up talking about it. My gift was to shine the light on them, encourage them, stretch them, give them opportunities to step up. That’s when what was boring became oh-so-fun.
Will share! Thanks, Terri!
~Alli
You are so right Alli that when we are able to use our gifts we can move from feeling unmotivated to having a great amount of energy. I experienced a similar situation when I launched my career initially as a banker. That was definitely not an area that I was playing to my strengths. It wasn’t until I switched to a more people focused HR department that I could see my true value.
Thanks Alli!
This is a hard task for most people, but I really like the way you break it down for folks—all are excellent points! Like you, I think our interests and skills start to blossom in our younger years, but then school and parents come along and push in directions which may, or may not, allow us to truly follow our heart!
Great post!
Following our hearts is so important in realizing our true north. But even if we can’t do exactly what we want in our current jobs, we can try to offer some of our untapped skills.
And yes children are so authentic that when we see where we really shined, we know that is who we are meant to be.
Thanks LaRae!