Dusting Off My Strengths
Marcus Buckingham, my self professed man-crush would tell you to play to your strengths. He would tell you to do everything in your power to make certain you’re spending most of your day doing the things that land in your sweet spot of giftedness.
Today I randomly pulled out my top five strengths based on his earliest version of Strengths Finder. Every time I read these and their descriptions I get a renewed sense of vision and purpose. I think to myself, Oh yes, THIS is what I’m driving towards. THIS is how I’m wired up. THIS is how I can best be of use. THIS is why I’m so weird.
Below are my top five. I’d love to know what yours are. Do they describe you well? Are they helpful? Why?
- IDEATION - You are fascinated by ideas. You revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle.
- INPUT - You are inquisitive. You collect things. You keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.
- FUTURISTIC - “Wouldn’t it be great if …” You conjure up visions of the future and they energize you. Very often people look to you to describe your visions of the future. They want a picture that can raise their sights and thereby their spirits. People will want to latch on to the hope you bring.
- ACTIVATOR - “When can we start?” This is a recurring question in your life. The bottom line is this: You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done. This does not frighten you. It pleases you.
- COMMAND - Command leads you to take charge. Unlike some people, you feel no discomfort with imposing your views on others. On the contrary, once your opinion is formed, you need to share it with others. People are drawn toward those who take a stance and ask them to move in a certain direction. Therefore, people will be drawn to you. You have presence. You have Command.
