The Power of Strengths-Awareness
Bringing your best self to work in an age of uncertainty
Kristina Mercier, CPC | PCC
2020 ushered in unprecedented changes to our work and whole life experience. While we feel relief from the ravages of the pandemic and political unrest, 2021 is delivering us into a new though quickly evolving norm.
Essentially, we live in a work life filled with shifting expectations and possibilities from changing work from home policies to stress and burnout to decisions about significant career transitions. Employees, managers, and leaders have been turned upside down, inside out, and tossed around the past 18 months.
"We are, or will be, going through the most radical transformation the world has ever seen; people are justly terrified, excited, depressed, heartbroken and hopeful, all at once." - Heather Marsh, Philosopher
While some of us carry on during significant change, many of us struggle to find our footing in the elusive new normal. It is taking its toll, making us feel more on edge than at ease. Day-to-day stressors, uncertainty, and the specter of what will happen next hang over us, impacting our engagement, productivity, and fulfillment.
It is natural in times of uncertainty to search for ways we can feel grounded again. We long for something positive, assured, and reliable. Interestingly, many people look for this outside of themselves, not knowing the answer lies within them.
The answer shows up most powerfully by choosing to become more self-aware.
One powerful way to exercise self-awareness is to appreciate what makes us unique in the workplace – our personal set of strengths. To become a student of our strengths, we learn how to optimize them, apply them, and rely on them.
"When employees know and use their strengths, they are more engaged -- nearly 6xs more -- have higher performance and are much less likely to leave their company." - Gallup
Through self-awareness of our strengths, we discover perhaps for the first time what we can be and do without focusing on our weaknesses or compare ourselves to others—which can feel defeating. To set ourselves up for success, self-awareness is key.
Being strengths-aware gives us a clear and present understanding of what drives us to achieve, progress, and grow. Strengths-awareness provides the framework to know:
The projects that tap or repel our strengths
How culture can energize or deplete us
What we value in a work-life experience
What inspires, motivates, and engages us
Who complements our strengths and can fill gaps to achieve goals
Why some people uplifted our spirits, and others drain us
When you embrace your strengths and get skilled at applying them in real-life situations, you have more choices, opportunities, and you learn when to say yes and how to say no. Our strengths-awareness acts as a buffer to the highs and lows of work, change, and uncertainty. We feel a renewed sense of purpose, our mindset positively shifts, and we begin to look at our work experience as a new opportunity, a challenge, even a gift.
Regardless of our role, we each have a responsibility to take ownership of our strengths to improve our experience. Doing this with individuals leads to cultivating a culture of belonging and well-being where we purposefully support each other, adapt more calmly to change as teams, and become successful examples of organizational resilience.
Our leaders can support strengths-awareness by providing opportunities for managers and teams to learn and apply strengths-awareness at every level to augment our ability to achieve goals, improve team collaboration and increase performance. As an outcome, strengths-awareness facilitates work life fulfillment for the individual and increases a company's organic growth and outlook, too.
Introduce strengths-awareness to leaders, managers, and teams by engaging Boon coaches!