Re-Aim Your Strengths
Aim your strengths so they work for you!
Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash
I can often leverage my strengths to do well in the workplace, yet when things go wrong, I sometimes realize that I have overleveraged my strengths and gone to the shadow side. One of my top 5 strengths in the CliftonStrengths Assessment is Developer. The Developer theme helps me to manage direct reports effectively and invest in their growth. I can see where people have strong skills that will help the team and where they need to keep growing. The Developer’s strength also made me an effective educator in the classroom. When I did not pay attention to my shadow side, ‘Developer’ led me to make mistakes in my career when I leaned in too hard to the muscle I built in this area. At times, I overinvested in people who did not seem as invested in themselves. I also might ignore developing my own skill set because I was so focused on others. At times when things go sideways for my clients, I see this same overuse of a certain strength. We become so good at working in a certain way, and we receive feedback for doing it well. It is important to pay attention and observe when this feedback changes, no matter how subtle. When we lean in too strongly or too heavily to the strength, we cross to the shadow side and end up with some negative side effects.
The Shadow Side
Each of our strengths has a shadow side. This typically happens when we lean into this muscle without enough self-awareness or reflection. Another one of my strengths is ‘Belief’. I have a strong belief system, and this helps me stay grounded in my choices and make decisions effectively. A shadow side I have to pay attention to is possibly judging others for having different beliefs or assuming people hold similar beliefs. This happens when I leverage this strength too heavily.
We all have strengths that show up in a variety of ways that make us effective leaders, parents, friends, and humans. It is important to pay attention to how we use them. Observe and reflect occasionally to note the impact we have on others. Pay attention to patterns and feedback. The feedback can show up from others, in patterns of behavior, and even in our own bodies somatically. Do not ignore the feedback.
The Bright Side
While you are leveraging your strengths, if you notice an impact that is negative or ineffective, it is time to re-aim your strength. Keep using your strength and develop that muscle; just find a path that works in this moment and this situation. Name, Claim, Re-aim your strengths! Try to create small, subtle shifts that will make your strengths more effective. How can I use my strength differently and be effective in this new moment with the people in front of me? Managing your strengths is not a one-and-done effort. It is a changing landscape that requires reflection, shifts, and a re-aiming of goals and behaviors. This is a thoughtful and intentional experiment that takes time and effort and is worth it all when the impact lands well!
