Strengths to Bring Out Your Best
By Gloria Miele, Optimal Development Coaching
What I love about working with women entrepreneurs is that they typically follow their passion – what they love to do – and turn it into a career. Whether it’s massage, design, writing, photography or helping people in one way or another, women tend to pursue careers that speak to them deeply and personally.
There’s no coincidence that there is a substantial overlap between your passions and your unique strengths. Strengths are not only the activities in which you excel, but are the activities that energize, excite and engage you most. Have you even had the experience when you’re so completely focused on what you’re doing that you totally lose track of time? Those times when you’re just in the zone? Most likely you were using your strengths and doing what you love. Your strengths are integral aspects of your personality that you can leverage in your business and personal life.
The Gallup Organization, in its long-standing research on employee engagement and success, has found that people who have the opportunity to do what they do best (i.e., use their strengths) at their jobs on a daily basis are more emotionally engaged in their work, more productive and more successful than those who do not use their strengths every day.
But the Gallup findings go beyond productivity and success. They also show that people who are using their strengths every day are three times more likely to report a better quality of life than those who do not play do their strengths. When using your strengths, you are more self-confident, satisfied and sure of yourself. And you are letting your best self and unique personality shine through.
What are your greatest strengths? The things you do well and that feel right, that you want to do as much as possible? Are you an achiever? An excellent communicator? Do you bring harmony to stressful situations? Do you have impressive self-discipline and focus? Can you analyze a situation and come up with creative solutions to difficult problems? The first step to maximizing your strengths is to become aware of them.
Think about the favorite activities in your business. Is it talking to clients? Making a sale? Crunching numbers? What do you love to do? Start writing down your strengths and reflect on how you’ve used them in achieving your greatest successes? How can you apply them now to move your business forward?
A number of excellent tools exist to help you get clarity on your strengths. Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath is a widely used book that includes an online assessment to determine your top 5 of 34 signature strengths and talents. The book includes in depth descriptions of each theme and ideas for taking action in those areas.
An online resource that helps you hone in on your strengths and values is Dr. Martin Seligman’s Values in Action (VIA) Survey of Character Strengths, a free assessment found at www.authentichappiness.com (how can you argue with a web site like that??).
You can also contact me directly ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to receive the “Optimize Your Strengths” tool that I’ve developed to clarify and learn how to leverage your unique strengths, talents and gifts that help you and your business thrive. Just put “Strengths Tool” in the subject line, and I’ll be happy to send it to you.
To your strengths, passion and success.
Gloria Miele, Ph.D. is a business development and leadership coach who has been helping people leverage their strengths and reach their goals for nearly 25 years. You can reach her at www.optimaldevelopmentcoaching.com.