How important it is to be happy and engaged at work? Are you one of the many employees who would be happier and more engaged if your manager allowed you to focus on what you do best?
In the 2015 Strengths @ Work Survey, employees report that only 34 percent of their managers can name their top five strengths. Yet 71 percent of these employees report they do feel engaged and energized at work, and 58 percent describe themselves as flourishing in their jobs.
The author of the study, Michelle McQuaid, a workplace well-being expert, speaker and author of “Your Strengths Blueprint ,” notes: “The good news is, even when employees have neither organizational nor supervisor support for focusing on their strengths, 49 percent of employees are still able to name their strengths, and 26 percent still find the opportunity to do what they do best each day, leaving them feeling happier, more engaged and more energized at work.”
If your boss isn’t talking to you about how to develop your strengths, consider McQuaid’s suggestions for taking it into your own hands:
Discover your strengths. If you don’t know what you offer, who will? Consider tapping into an online tool to help you identify your strengths. You can also contact a coach to conduct more in-depth assessments or personality tests to help hone in on what you offer and what you enjoy.
McQuaid adds: “Pay attention to your best moments at work — when you feel really engaged, energized and enjoying what you’re doing — to see which of your top strengths are in play, so you know how to apply them in your role and in your organization.”
Many people have strengths they do not enjoy employing at work. For example, maybe you are great at mediating disputes, but the stress keeps you up at night, and you don’t relish the idea of using that skill ever again. If you’re especially talented in an area that you are not interested in pursuing, note the skill, but make a point not to focus on it. You don’t want to pursue strengths you don’t enjoy.
Imagine your future fueled by strengths. Once you’ve discovered your strengths and determined which ones appeal to you as part of your work life, “you can boost your levels of optimism and self-belief by imagining what might be possible in the year ahead if everything went as well as possible and you were using your strengths each day,” McQuaid says.
She suggests you journal whatever comes to mind for about 15 to 20 minutes a day, for three days in a row, and try to detail what you’d spend your time doing, what your colleagues or clients might say and which strengths you’d be using.
Create a habit of developing your strengths. Choose one strength to develop. How can you choose just one? Identify which skill or strength will help you get on the professional path you’d like to take. Then, move ahead and develop it into a marketable asset.
“Think about how you could use this strength for at least 10 minutes each day as you go about your job,” McQuaid says. “For example, use your strength of curiosity to learn one new thing, your strength of gratitude to genuinely thank a client or a colleague, or your strength of persistence to power through on a task you’ve been putting off.”
Miriam Salpeter, owner of Keppie Careers, is often quoted in major media outlets for her job search and social media expertise. Author of three books and a sought-after speaker and coach, she leverages her extensive background and successes to teach job seekers and entrepreneurs how to easily use social media marketing to accomplish their career and business goals. Salpeter also provides strategic advice and support regarding interviewing, résumé writing and personal branding.
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How to Develop Your Strengths at Work originally appeared on usnews.com
