Tap Into Your Strengths

“As the youngest of seven siblings, I tend to be fiesty and react impulsively, especially when an older sibling is dismissive or condescending.  My eldest brother and I love each other dearly, but we disagree on a number of matters. My reactions to his comments can take me from a fifty-five-year-old to a seven-year-old in moments. 

Leading up to a recent family gathering, I was initially apprehensive, but having learned to identify and lean into my strengths in the C101 Workshop, I was determined to be prepared, and spent the preceding week thinking about what strengths might come in handy. I intentionally dialed down zest, focusing instead on forgiveness, social intelligence, and self-regulation. By focusing on self-regulation I became a better listener, able to zip my mouth and let things unfold where before I would have interrupted. 

Approaching the family gathering with the intention to leverage specific strengths, I was far more “tuned-in” — noticing not only my strengths but also the strengths of those around me. I noticed, for instance, that my brother had been exercising more self-regulation in his own personal life, and throughout our conversation he was clearly tapping into curiosity. We had the most amazing conversation — perhaps the best one in our entire relationship —  my love for my brother shone through, and I leaned into gratitude to appreciate him and the moment. 

My self-awareness is becoming more second-nature. And the more I consciously lean into my strengths, and notice and appreciate them in others, the more my subconscious seems to follow.”

- Cindy Pierce, Author, Educator, and Speaker & C-Labs Participant

The importance of knowing and using one's strengths, alongside recognizing strengths in others,  is backed by evidence-based research and is foundational to our work at Connection Labs.

Did you know?

An active awareness of your strengths makes you nine times more likely to flourish. People who use their strengths daily are three times more likely to report an excellent quality of life, six times more likely to be engaged, 8% more productive, and 15% less likely to quit their jobs. 

But, despite these massive benefits, only about one-third of people can name their own trait-like strengths. As a Connection 101 Workshop participant, you have already taken the first step by learning your strengths. We used VIA’s Character Strengths Survey to introduce the language of character strengths and to help us understand our specific strengths. (For a refresher on your strengths, revisit your personalized Via Report from the Connection 101 workshop, or look at a list here.)

 The benefits of knowing your strengths do not stop with yourself. As Trang Chu tells us in her Forbes article, Know Your Strengths To Be A More Effective And Successful Leader, “Leaders are also able to use this skill to identify strengths in others.” The numbers support this trend — teams that focus on strengths have 12.5% greater productivity and 8.9% greater profitability. 

Awareness, context, intention

Building Awareness: How actively aware of your signature strengths are you in your everyday life? Has this awareness helped you better identify strengths in others?

Considering Context: Are your strengths useful in different contexts? Do you tap into different strengths at home versus at work?

Creating Intention: What is one strength you could use more of to strengthen a relationship with a friend or family member?

Tap into your strengths

Signature strengths often allow you to exercise your middle and lesser strengths - those that you might not use as frequently. Here are some examples:

• Use love for yourself and others to exercise appreciation of beauty and excellence (to notice where others excel)

• Use hope for a better future to exercise perseverance in the present (to work harder to attain a better future)

• Use perspective to better understand context to exercise more social intelligence (to better anticipate the needs of those around you)

How do your signature strengths impact how your other strengths show up in your life?