Work With What You've Got -- Unlocking the Potential Within

Performance Reviews and development plans often identify a person's opportunities for improvement and create goals to grow in those areas.  As a result, people sometimes spend a lot of time trying to turn weaknesses into strengths, which research shows doesn't work as well as strength-based planning and goal setting.   

A different way of helping people grow would be identifying their strengths, talents, and motivators, and developing plans to leverage those and make them even stronger.  

We all have talents that we were born with or developed over time.  Think about the things you do well, naturally.  Consider what others often tell you about yourself.  You might be analytical with numbers. Perhaps you converse easily with strangers. Maybe you are creative or love taking things apart and figure out how they work.  You might be good at proofreading or very well organized.   These aren't just habits or personality traits, they are talents.  Those talents can be leveraged to make you more productive and effective.  When we leverage our talents in this way, they become our strengths. 

So, why not work on your weaknesses instead?  Research --  including Clifton's StrengthsFinders and Buckingham's First Break All The Rules  -- shows those weaknesses will likely get a little better but not significantly.  The expenditure of time and energy wont generate efficacy. 

To demonstrate this, try this exercise:

Write your name three times using your non-dominant hand.  Then write it again three times with your dominant hand.   Compare the quality of the writing and track how long it takes you to do it.  You can work on your writing skills using your non-dominant hand everyday and eventually it might be better and faster.  Or, you could work on improving your penmanship and speed while writing with your dominant hand.  The latter, will have more significant and timely results.  

The exception to the rule is when your weakness could be a career killer. You'll want to manage that weakness to insure it doesn't cause damage to you and/or those around you. For example, if  your position requiring examination of critical safety data and you have limited attention to detail and you struggle with accuracy, that could be detrimental.  You would want to work toward improving that weakness; or consider a position better suited to your naturals strengths and talents. 

Your strengths are the key to unlocking hidden potential.  

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