5 Ways to Lead with Your Strengths

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Angela Joyner, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

The approach of leveraging one’s strengths has been passed down over millennia starting as far back as the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE). Aristotle challenged people to be the best they could be through living in accordance with their strengths (Aristotle, 355 B.C.E.; Ross, 1998). The distinctive feature of the strengths movement is that it leads us to a philosophy of human development that focuses on what is “right” with people, and the best that they have to offer (Hill, J. 2001).
Signature strengths are character strengths that are expressed the majority of the time. The strengths are easily named and embraced by the individual and others tend to describe the individual based on their strength (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Signature strengths typically have an accelerated learning curve, are energizing when in use and involve a sense of authenticity (Seligman, 2002). While it has been thought that people typically embrace between three and seven strengths as signature, this is only a rule of thumb and additional research is ongoing to determine how many signature strengths individuals typically have.

Several leadership experts have promoted character strengths theories and strengths-based leadership. A growing number of organizational leaders believe that leveraging one’s strength can be beneficial to the growth of an organization. Peter Drucker asserts that, “The effective executive builds on strengths – their own strengths, the strengths of superiors, colleagues, subordinates; and on the strengths of the situation. To achieve results, one has to use all the available strengths and these strengths are the true opportunities” (Drucker, 1967).
Leaders can shape their job activities to incorporate their strengths (Buckingham, 2007). They can rebalance their day to be more filled with activities that leverage their signature strengths.

People who use their strengths are more likely to be happier, more fulfilled, and have a greater feeling of positive energy. High levels of optimism, courage, and ambition can be observed when you play to an area of strength (Buckingham, 2007). Your strengths are like a multiplier to your engagement and performance. When you are consistently leveraging your strengths, your strengths magnify who you are.

There are several tell-tale signs of when you discover your “strengths”. When you are using your strength you are highly energized and engaged (Linley, 2008). You can become so engrossed in an activity that you lose track of time. Being totally engrossed in an activity might suggest that you are leveraging your strength and are in a state of flow –a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

How do I know when I am using a strength?
1. You learn new information at an accelerated pace
2. You prioritize activities that maximizes your strengths over those that don’t
3. Feelings such as contentment, acceptance and value occur when using strengths.
4. You “lose time” or “get lost” in an activity when you are using your strengths. This is also referred to as “flow.”

3 Steps to Lead with your strengths

1. Identify your strengths
a. Assessments -Use assessments such as Gallup’s Strengthsfinder or Values in Action (VIA).
b. Ask people to share what skiils they belive you demonstrate well and consistently
2. Develop your strengths
a. Continuous Learning – Take classes or practice the skills associated with your strength
b. Practice – Identify one way to use your strength every day
3. Promote your strengths
a. Share your strengths in development discussions with your boss and team
b. Highlight how you use your strengths to deliver results
c. Volunteer for projects that best leverage your strengths
d. Identify mentors who can help your further develop and leverage your strengths at work. Mentors can serve as both and advocate and a filter for how you use your strengths at work.