I'm using "Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Buckingham and Clifton, for career coaching for clients with marvelous results. It was published this year and based on a survey done by The Gallup Organization of over 2,000,000 people who were excellent at what they do.
The usual premises in business and elsewhere are:
1. Each person can learn to be competent in almost anything.
2. Each person's greatest room for growth is in his or her area of greatest weakness.
Buckingham and Clifton agree that a good person can learn almost anything, but their premises are:
1. Each person's talents are enduring, unique
and innate.
2. Each person's greatest room for growth is in the area of his or her greatest strengths.
A strength is defined as "consistent, near perfect performance in an activity." When we're working in our strength area we will be energized, not drained, and will feel a sort of deep pleasure that makes it almost effortless and very soul-satisfying.
These talents show up early ask yourself (or your parents) what you "always liked to do" when you were young, and what you dreamed of doing. Ask yourself what you could envision doing for 12-14 hours in a row. What puts you in the zone?
Also pay close attention if you're asked to do something new and you 'take to it like a duck to water.' This is a signal that it's tapped an innate talent.
You can also buy the book and take the excellent StrengthsFinder (tm) Profile (online) to find out your 5 signature themes.
The authors came up with 34 names for strengths and filled a real gap in our collective vocabulary. These are not terms like "trustworthy" or "dependable," but rather: Activator, WOO (Winning Others Over), Relator, Empathy, Strategic, Deliberativeness and Harmony.
We can become very good at something that isn't a strength, but can never reach excellence at it, and it will never give us the perfect life we want and deserve. It will also be far more stressful.
About the Author
Susan Dunn is a personal and professional development coach, spexializing in emotional intelligence, strengths, and life balance. visit her on the web at http://www.susandunn.cc.