Most of us just sat through our end of the year reviews. I bet you had to talk about your strengths and weaknesses didn’t you. You may have even left that meeting with instruction to work on your weaknesses. Please don’t! I mean it. Working on your weaknesses is a waste of time.

And how do you really know what your strengths are? Did you or your employer really analyze data to come to this conclusion? Are your “strengths” just what you hope or want them to be?

“People who do focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs. They are more productive too, both individually and in teams. And they are more than three times as likely to say they have an excellent quality of life.” Gallup Strength Finder

I always felt I had a good handle on what my strengths were. I’ve know for a while that improving a weakness was a losing battle. But one day I was reading about Gallup Strength Finder. So I dove in and bought the book from Amazon.

There was an access code included for you to take a test. The format of the test was very interesting.

The test will identify your signature themes. Once you know them you can build on them and focus on them.

Here’s my strenghts:

• Arranger
• Input
• Learner
• Maximizer
• Responsibility

Yours will be different.

What I also found out is what traits I pair well with. This is useful for team building. I would recommend you have your team consider taking the test.

I had a good intuitive sense for my strengths but once these 5 where identified I found they really resonated with me. I’m not sure on your own if anyone could really identify and define their strengths. Instead o f making something up you can base it on real research and on an objective test.

If you want to succeed, you need to identify your strengths. Then you need to focus like a laser beam on them.

What are your strengths?