Courtesy of Andrea Denner
UNDERSTANDING NATURAL GIFTS AND TALENTS
I am surprised by how little self-awareness many people have. My surprise is not an indictment of these individuals. It is an indictment of our education system, in general, and of our training of leaders, in specific.
In his book, StrengthsFinder 2.0, author Tom Rath states, “At its fundamentally flawed core, the aim of almost any adult learning program is to help us become who we are not…If you’re not very empathetic, you get sent to a course designed to infuse empathy into your personality.
From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to our shortcomings than to our strengths.”
What a travesty. How much time have people wasted, banging their heads against a wall trying to become something they are not? How many people out there are chasing dreams they are not equipped to achieve?
INVEST THE TIME AND ENERGY
I am not saying that it doesn’t take a lot of hard work and energy to become the best you can be.
Too many people are trying to mix oil and water and wondering why they are so frustrated and drained of all their energy and life and have little to show for it, or have no sense of genuine fulfillment from all that they have been able to achieve.
TIME TO MOVE FORWARD
It’s time to figure out who you really are and who were meant to be. What raw materials exist within you? How can you invest significant time and energy into turning those raw materials into a high quality finished product – i.e. strength?
Anybody have a match?
I highly recommend the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment tool (that comes with the book mentioned above) as a way to start. Click on the book title to purchase. You read 31 pages and then spend 30-45 minutes taking the online assessment. As soon as you are done you get a great report that clearly lays out your natural talents and then gives you suggestions on how to invest time and energy into them. I use this tool with all of my coaching clients and have seen how beneficial it is when properly applied.
0 Comments