Discussing the notion of strengths and talents recently, an acquaintance was adamant that she had no talents. “What would you do with people like me?” she asked. Great question! First of all, I don’t believe anyone has no talents at all. In fact, I was pretty sure that anyone who knew her would be able to call out at least one strength that they had observed in her recently. Even I could and I had only met her 2 hours previously.
But it did raise some interesting questions. Why is it that some people do not recognise their own strengths? How can you help those who are convinced of their own inconspicuousness identify their talents? Is it even important to know your talents?
Talents are your innate abilities that can be developed into strengths with practice and application. You may have a talent such as strategic thinking that you have not yet had the opportunity to fully utilise due to circumstances of work or life. By knowing that this is a talent however, you can begin to seek out situations in which you can make use of this particular talent, grow it, and learn how to use it to your full advantage. This is a process that takes time, but since you are using a skill you have a natural pre-disposition for, it will come naturally to you and will most likely even be fun!
While there are some great assessments out there that make sense to take if you want to get deeper into the subject matter, there are a few basic questions that can help you figure out where your talents lie…
- What were you doing the last time you were enjoying yourself and lost track of time? Chances are that you were exercising one of your talents. Losing yourself in the “flow” of a task is a strong sign that the task is meaningful to you and that it comes naturally to you.
- What do your friends appreciate about you? False modesty is inappropriate 🙂 I am sure your friends have called out traits that they admire in you – your creativity, your self confidence, your ability to chat to strangers about anything 30 seconds after meeting them, your listening skills, your organisational skills, your humour and so on. “I don’t know how you do it” or “I wish I could do that” is always a good hint.
- What comes easily to you? What do you find really easy to do that others seem to struggle with? When have you been surprised that another person struggled to do something that you find simple? Your “normal” talent is very likely another person’s development need!
- Last but not least (the bonus question!) – ask somebody who knows you! Ideally, somebody you trust who has seen you operate in a variety of situations – ask them what skill they most value in you. You might be surprised!
Once you have your list of talents, take a moment to reflect on them. Any surprises? How much do you really use these strengths in your daily life? And finally, how can you grow and apply these skills every day to help you become even more successful at what you do? I challenge you to try out one idea this week…!
Have a great day!
Sarah
