Grow Faster and Easier Using Your Top Strengths
I appreciate you taking the time for yourself to visit this space and get some Strengths Insights. This blog is a collection of my thoughts around CliftonStrengths and their power to bring ease, connection, and happiness to your life.
I collaborate with entrepreneurs to find ease and develop flow in your business to make more space for YOU to exist.
In a world of endless pathways and options, I encourage entrepreneurs to observe what truly makes them come alive, even if that is a different path than the person next to them.
(hint: if you’re doing it right, it often will be).
Organizations and leaders are always talking about GROWTH.
How can they grow faster?
What is their next big goal?
How will you improve next year?
We are always talking about our goals, but something that does not get enough screen time and deserves it is, “What Prevents Growth?”
Admit it; you have experienced a time when you hit a growth plateau. A growth plateau is where you cannot seem to go higher. Improvement seems near impossible.
There are four challenges that prevent growth. The four things you might be saying are:
1. There is not enough time!
2. I don’t have enough energy!
3. I am not good enough.
4. I need to be good at everything.
Raise your hand if this has been you (I know I have said a few of these… or maybe all of them).
If you have said one of the above statements, it is time we discuss your next steps to strategic development. For each statement, we will talk about strategy and approach to remove each statement from your vocabulary and help you take a right next steps.
1. There is not enough time!
Growth takes time and effort. I have seen development plans and strategic visions that go anywhere from six months into the future to six years in the future. It makes sense why you might think there is not enough time.
But here is the thing, it does not have to take six years. It takes six years because you are following someone else’s method. You are working towards someone else’s goals.
You need to step into your own strategy for success.
If you are looking to save time on development, you need to start with Strengths.
You can step into ease and flow when you work with your top CliftonStrengths. Your development becomes easier because you are doing it in a natural way.
If you start your development journey from a place of STRENGTHS, you will find that time is on your side.
Traditional development can take so long and be painful because the focus comes from a place of weakness. If you start your development journey from a place of STRENGTHS, you will find that time is on your side. You grow faster and easier when you are using your Strengths.
Start by using the formula Talent x Investment = Strength. This will be your roadmap for development. Identify your top Talents/Strengths/Themes and keep track of how you use them. We develop by intentionally using our strengths. Growth does not happen by chance. This is where you take control of your journey and make it happen.
Growth does not happen by chance.
2. I don’t have enough energy!
I hear you; we are always trying to fit more and more into our day. Doing more seems to be a top answer for how we grow. But there are only so many minutes a day and hours a week. Sometimes it feels like we can either choose to work 60 hours a week to reach our goals or work our 40 hours and stay stagnant.
You don’t have energy because you use someone else’s formula for success.
When you are using someone else’s formula for success, it leaves you feeling drained. Succinctly put, you are tired because you are not using your Strengths.
To find energy, start by using your Strengths. Your Strengths are your direct path to ease.
Try starting your day with your Strengths. That looks different for each person (because we each have unique strengths). Here is how you can do this.
1. Idenfity one of your top Strengths (Here is a list to help you out)
2. Think of an activity that engages you with this Strength.
3. Schedule 5-15 minutes to do this each day
Over time, this practice will give you more energy so that you can put in the time to grow like you want to.
3. I Am Not Good Enough
I hear this all the time. We are talking about our worth daily. We think we cannot reach our goals and grow because we are not good enough. But here is the thing “good enough” if following someone else’s standards. It is time to set your own standards.
It is time to set your standards.
This is an easy trap to fall into because we are watching our favorite Instagramers, LinkedIn Leaders, or TikTokkers and comparing ourselves to them. Hold up; their success and growth did not happen overnight. Their growth happened daily, not in a day.
Growth happens daily, not in a day.
Next time you think, “I am not good enough,” write some wins for the day. I break my wins into two categories.
Things I am grateful for.
Moments I am celebrating.
I love to write about three events or moments that feel like a win. Once you have those wins, identify what helped you get there. Was it a Strength? Did a friend support you?
Finally, write about the impact that had on you or someone else. Did it bring a smile to your face? Did it make your day go smoothly?
Next time you think, “I am not good enough,” write some wins for the day.
We celebrate wins because it reminds us that you are enough, exactly as you are. Your strengths are what make you unique. And you are going to have an impact on this world.
4. I Need To Be Good At Everything
I grew up hearing this all the time. In high school we were expected to be a three-sport athlete, in the top 10% of the class, and in all the drama performances (or at least one). There was an expectation or hope that we could do it all, but that was unrealistic.
There was an expectation or hope that we could do it all, but that was unrealistic.
That perfectionism has had a tight hold on me personally for a long time, and I am releasing it. I am no longer trying to be good at everything. Instead, I will focus on what I do best and use that as a way to catapult myself into the future.
We are talking about your professional brand here, and you should be allowed to shine for the unique human being that you are. Let’s be honest, you are not good at everything (and that is okay).
Let’s be honest, you are not good at everything (and that is okay).
To reach your goals, you need to cut out distractions. The corporate world has taught just that growth happens when we focus on our weaknesses. I am here to shift that belief. Growth happens when we focus on our Strengths and use that as a primary strategy to find success.
Your professional brand is in your Strengths. When I talk about “Professional Brand,” I mean your leadership that you are known for. Here are some examples of what could be included in your professional brand.
- The way you speak in front of a room and inspire others to act.
- Your ability to allow your team to freely talk about challenges and motivate them to grow.
- How you are able to stay on task and get your work done even with the distractions that happen day in and day out.
- The method you use to make sense of a confusing mass of information.
Any of these can be part of your professional brand. The quickest way to discover your brand is by deeply understanding your top Strengths and asking others where they see you doing your best work.
Instead of trying to be a well-rounded individual, be someone who is recognized for your superior excellence in one (maybe two) areas of your work and excel in this.
Long story short…
When you are faced with a challenge and you want to grow professionally, you can look to your top Strengths to find a way to move forward with ease, energy, and a way that is uniquely YOU.
In Strength & WellBeing,
Kyle Johann-Baker
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