How to Discover, Utilize and Replicate Strengths to Achieve Success in the Workplace  

I recently started in a new company within my industry and accepted a role that was very similar to positions I had held in the past.  Many people have experienced accepting a lateral move with a new company and may have had similar thoughts to mine running through their brains:  This is going to be different, but I can leverage my strengths. I can work in a new place and adapt quickly.  Take a moment to reflect and think about what “strength” is and what it means to “leverage one’s strengths”.

What does it mean to have a “strength” and how does one determine her own individual strengths?  If a person is proud of how she trains her employees, an evaluation or inventory of staff turnover and performance should be done to justify the feeling. Another person may see herself as a great delegator with the ability to get the job quickly and efficiently. She should ask herself if she was the sole creator of these systems of delegation or has just mastered good habits with experience. Many people mistake “strength” with “experience”.  Doing a job well due to experience is not necessarily strength. With that in mind, let’s define “strength” as something that drives a person to great results, can be replicated, and is a passion.

As a woman advances in her career, it is important to have a clear picture of not only what is loved about the work, but what is done well. Businesses want a prospective employee to be able to go into an interview and sell them on why she should be part of their culture. The employer wants to see passion as well as an indication of what will be brought to the table to make their company more successful.  Excelling in a job in one company over the span of many years isn’t necessarily productive if one’s strengths cannot be replicated elsewhere.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty, and this number is projected to grow.  This means figuring out what one’s strengths are is much more crucial today because chances are, employees will not stay in one place for too long.

Many professional women have been in a situation where they are ready to move on to a new company or brand and want to ensure that they leverage their individual strengths and experiences for utmost success. Remember, it is important to leverage one’s strengths, but looking at new ways to build those same strengths in a new setting is equally important.

Discovering one’s passion, strengths, and being able to replicate these qualities in a new environment successfully requires thought, reflection, and honesty.  Finding one’s drive, learning how to replicate strengths, and creating a document that tracks the results of drive and leveraging of strengths will assist in helping to create an ideal work environment and success.

• Finding One’s Inner Drive. This is the first step in really honing in on what one’s strengths are and leveraging them. Knowing why you do what you do allows one to see what strengths require continued work.  Looking deep to find one’s inner drive is a great practice when feeling stuck at the same job or looking to make a minor change in the workplace.

• Learning How to Replicate Strengths. Challenging oneself in different environments and varied social situations is critical to working on strengths.  Working in one company for a long period of time, in reality, can actually weaken your strengths. Compare this to professional athletes who thrive on when put on a different team. Or take a look at an organization where people who have been able to move around in different positions and continue to succeed. The reality is, successful people who know what they do well can be put in more than one environment and still thrive because they know how to leverage their strengths.

• Create a Playbook. Creating a document that exhibits one’s strength and ability will allow reflection and a sense of ownership. In order to be able to continue to grow and leverage one’s strengths, a “playbook” allows one to reflect upon and perhaps even update the skills that are considered one’s strengths.  This could mean writing a book, publishing an article, or simply creating a personal document updated weekly, monthly or quarterly.

In this day and age, knowing who you are and what you do well in the workplace is critical to enhancing your career. Leveraging one’s strengths in order to grow professionally will ultimately benefit all involved.