“Play to your distinctive strengths.” We sure hear that a lot – after all, it’s one of our seven accelerants of growth along the S Curve. There are entire businesses built around discovering and nurturing your unique strengths. But – how often do you consciously plan your approach to a problem around your strengths?
Sometimes, it’s because we’re unaware of our specific strengths. Sometimes, we know what those strengths are but don’t value them – at least, not as much as you’ll see we should. And sometimes, it’s because we’re afraid to, well, humblebrag.
And sometimes, it’s because we’re too focused on our weaknesses. From an evolutionary perspective, we have more of a stake in figuring out what went wrong, than giving ourselves credit for what went right. Our brains, in large part, are dedicated to threat recognition and learning from mistakes because one failure could mean the end of our genetic line. Our brains are wired to say – pay attention to this! We feel smarter when we point out what went wrong. Success? Well, that’s just the cherry on top of the survival sundae.
So, what does focusing on our strengths look like? There’s plenty of research out there on the power of visualization. Our neural pathways have a way of reinforcing themselves over time, and regularly imagining what we want is a strong method of building habits.
When you look at Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall’s research, they found that when a manager credits an employee with something they did that worked, that employee is 30 times more likely to be engaged at work. 30x!
This serves to underscore the significant impact of focusing on our successes – and how our unique strengths led to that moment – rather than our weaknesses, when it comes to driving engagement and motivation in the workplace.
What you pay attention to, you get more of. Focusing our energy on our weaknesses might scratch that evolutionary itch in our hindbrains, but the research backs up that this is ultimately a distraction from our distinctive strengths.
So, this month, make it a personal journey to disrupt that negative pattern. Is there a particular weakness that’s taking up your brain space when you walk into the office? Take a moment to feel how much that overwhelms everything else. Then, ask yourself, is this useful for your movement along the S Curve?
More importantly, let’s make time for reflecting on the sweet spot. Notice when you feel particularly engaged, when you slide into a flow state, and figure out what distinctive strengths you’re playing to. Applaud yourself, speak it out loud, and deepen those neural grooves. What you pay attention to, you get more of.
My best,
Whitney
P.S. Are you looking to both accelerate your growth, and invest in the people you care about? Our Smart Growth Certification program gives you the tools to start meaningful conversations around growth with your employees, teams, coaching clients –– and yes, even your family. Certified Smart Growth Advisors also have exclusive access to the S Curve Insight Tool––a diagnostic that provides powerful insights into an individual’s experience of growth.
Register for an upcoming webinar and learn more about how the Smart Growth Certification can help you and your business grow!
