Tips For Capitalizing on Your Strengths

Investments shape our future by impacting our businesses and financial lives. Surely, those who invested in companies like Facebook and Amazon are sitting pretty. However, stock markets never tell you that one of the best investments you can make is in your strengths. How do we identify and capitalize on those strengths?

Identifying strengths

How do you solve problems? Do you collaborate with others? If so, one of your strengths may be teamwork. Do you you offer new ways of thinking in complicated situations? Creative problem-solving could be a strength as well. Brainstorm ways in which you solve problems. It’s likely that whatever you come up with is a strength.

What makes you different in the workplace? In other words, what makes you stand out? You’ve heard this question before. If you have trouble finding an answer, it can be a frustrating one. However, there always is an answer. It just depends on you being less critical and more honest with yourself.

How have others complimented me? If you have do have a lot of trouble answering the above, think about what your coworkers have said about you. When they’ve thanked you, what was the context? If you’ve had self-evaluations with your boss, what have they said? If you still find yourself in a hole, simply ask around. Ask your boss, coworkers, friends or even your family their opinion on your strengths. Their answer may surprise you.

Capitalizing on strengths

While you’re job-hunting: If you’re in the middle of a job hunt, applying for jobs where you can put your strengths to good use is an obvious way to capitalize on them. Selling those strengths in an interview is beneficial to both your job search and career. Once you land your dream job, you can also continue to use them your advantage within the daily workplace.

Within the workplace: the best way to capitalize on your strengths is to remember to actively use them. When problems arise, identify your strengths again and put them to work. Suggest methods of problem solving that you can contribute to.

Self-discovery seems daunting, but it’s a necessary process worth pursuing to both find the best career and thrive doing it. When you know what you can bring to the table, you can confidently approach problems in and out of the workplace. Capitalizing on your strengths will help you do your job even better, as well as enjoy it more.