Five things that help you discover your strengths

The finest employees provide valuable talents and capabilities that no one else can, yet occasionally we fail to recognize or capitalize on them, or we mistake them for deficiencies. When we don't know each other's abilities, we can't have more fruitful interactions with each other or make the best use of our individual skills.

Taking the time to explore each of our strengths helps us understand why people communicate in certain ways and what information they need to make appropriate decisions. Doing so gives us insight into how we can adjust our communication styles to be more effective and helps us find out why we underestimate the opinions of certain people while we cooperate with others.

Have you ever encountered one of these scenarios at work?

• Have you been to a brainstorming session and noticed that some people bring up a lot of ideas, while others listen silently?
• Did you have a supervisor who was always looking for more data and facts before determining whether to start a new project, even if you were ready to start it before you met with them?
• Have you had a colleague who interrupted meetings and walked around the room to see if anyone else had something to say, causing the meeting to drag on for too long?
• Have you had a colleague who always tries to be ten steps ahead of others while thinking about a project, while you try to focus only on what you have to do by the end of the day?

These are just a few examples of the various strengths that apply in the workplace. The mindset and actions differ from one person to another, and although some actions may be frustrating for you, they are not necessarily bad. This is how others use their power to provide benefits in their work, and it should not be perceived as right or wrong. In fact, the way you behave in business meetings can be frustrating to others. If you don't know what the other person wants to convey or why they're completing their tasks that way, it can make you angry.

For example, in a brainstorming session, silent people might think about what to say and how to say it. They might not talk much, but when they do, their thoughts are logical and well thought out, and they can be things no one has thought of before.

Also, that supervisor, who always wants data to support his decisions, may seem like they’re holding you back, but they often try to understand potential pitfalls and manage risks for the success of the project. They worry about getting things done right and calculated from the start.

Whereas the annoying colleague who spends extra time wandering around the boardroom getting feedback is keen to hear everyone's opinions. Doing so may prolong the meeting. Whereas all they really want is to make sure the group doesn't miss a single detail and that everyone feels valued and is given the opportunity to offer their ideas and perspectives.

As for your colleague, who is already 10 steps ahead of the others, they do this because they are planning for the future and what the project they are working on will look like. It is important for them to be a source of inspiration by thinking about what it could be and how what they accomplish will positively affect the overall picture.

Identify strengths:

When we think about previous scenarios in this way, we can see how employees, co-workers, and supervisors use their strengths to support their teams, but when we encounter such cases, it seems that the people we work with are trying as hard as they can to make our work more difficult, when in fact they are applying their strengths to the business on their own.

Strength is innate and gives us great satisfaction with the results we achieve. We all have strengths. Even if you don't realize it, you unconsciously act in certain ways because of your strengths, and although it's great that we all have them, how can we proactively identify them for ourselves and others? How can identifying these strengths give us perspectives on how to apply them? Likewise, how can they be employed to better understand our colleagues?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Take care of yourself

It can be difficult to do this—to identify what makes you unique and to know what talents and experiences you can bring. You have to go beyond the basics of asking, "What are my strengths?" And ask yourself specific questions like:

• Why do my colleagues depend on me more?
• What tasks do I waste a lot of time on?
• What am I working on right now that I am most excited about?
• What achievement am I most proud of, and why?

2. Ask directly

When trying to identify the strengths of your teammates or employees, rephrase the above questions and ask them directly:

• In what matters do your colleagues depend on you the most?
• What tasks waste your time?
• What are you working on right now that you are excited about?
• What is the achievement you are the proudest of and why?

"It may make a big impact when we can notice people's strengths and start recognizing them."

3. Ask others

Another way to gain perspective on your co-workers' strengths is to question the people with whom you work steadily and continuously. For example, if you have a colleague you share the office with or an employee in another department, ask them:

• What kind of work do they tend to get done?
• What excites them?
• What tasks make them happy?
• When do they seem most interactive?

4. Observe

Take the time to notice other people's strengths at work. It is not necessarily about what they do, but how they do it. Two people can accomplish the same task, but the way they do it is different. While one person collects data to make a decision, another person might talk to colleagues and collect  past experiences. Observe how others accomplish their tasks successfully, and don't turn this into a research task; just do it informally to see your co-workers act naturally.

5. Assess:

Many assessments help us determine how and why we work the way we do. By implementing some assessments in your organization, you will make it possible for everyone to have a common language of understanding. They will understand each other's strengths more easily.

When we are able to recognize people by their strengths and value them, it can make a real difference. Consequently, we will notice how employees look forward to going to work, having more positive interactions with others, and coming up with innovative solutions to complex tasks.