In order to develop a career that really suits you, it’s important to have a basic knowledge of your key strengths. Unlike skills or knowledge you can acquire through education, your strengths are more basic talents. For the most part you were born with them. You can certainly continue to develop new talents, but in the area of your strengths you have an almost unfair advantage.
Your strengths are things that come naturally and easily to you. Your brain is just wired to be good at them. You couldn’t really teach someone to be as good as you are unless they’re predisposed to have a strength in that area.
Assess your strengths
There are many tests you can take to help assess your personal strengths. The one I recommend most is the Strengths Finder Test, which can be accessed online with a key from the books Now, Discover Your Strengths or Strengths Finder 2.0. The test helps you identify your top 5 strengths with an emphasis on career-related abilities.
I took this test more than a year ago. The results for my top 5 strengths were, in order:
- Strategic - good at strategic thinking and planning.
- Input - can efficiently process and integrate large amounts of information.
- Learner - good at acquiring new knowledge and skills.
- Focus - able to concentrate well and tune out distractions.
- Significance - drawn to work on important things and avoid succumbing to trivialities.
I wasn’t surprised by these results. My strengths are predominantly mental as opposed to social or emotional.
Understand your strengths
Once you assess your strengths, it’s important to understand what they mean on a practical level. What kinds of tasks are well-suited to you? What kinds of tasks are a struggle for you?
Because of my strengths, I’m very good at understanding and working with abstract concepts. Contradictory or ambiguous information doesn’t faze me. I see patterns where others see only complexity. I’m also very good at making intelligent, strategically sound decisions. This way of thinking comes naturally to me. I don’t really know how I do it.
Apply your strengths
You’ll be happiest working in a career that allows you to take advantage of your strengths on a daily basis. This will enable you to make a significant contribution to your field.
Based on my strengths, an ideal career for me would be one that leverages my strategic thinking ability and has me working on complex and meaningful challenges, especially in a field that people find complicated or confusing. This suggests I could perform well as an entrepreneur, business consultant, writer, psychologist, theoretical physicist, mathematician, software designer, criminal profiler, and many other possibilities.
Similarly, my core strengths also allow me to rule out careers that wouldn’t fit me too well, such as a professional athlete, salesperson, musician, or nightclub manager.
I suggest you take at least one assessment test to gain clarity about your in-born strengths. Working from your strengths will help you (1) be far more productive, (2) get better results, (3) contribute more value, (4) attract higher compensation, (5) enjoy your work, and (6) experience greater fulfillment.
If you’d like to share other strength assessment tests you’ve found helpful, please share them in the forums.
译文:
发现你的优势
为了找到真正适合你的职业，很重要的一点是对你的主要优势有基本了解。和可以通过学习得到的技术和知识不同，优势是更为基本的才能，大部分是天生的。你当然可以培养新的才能,但是在你的优势方面你拥有几乎对他人不公平的有利条件。
你的优势是指对你来说轻松自如的事情。你不可能教会某人使他和你一样出色，除非他本身在那个领域就有优势。
分析你的优势
有许多测试可以帮助你分析自己的优势。我最为推荐的是优势识别器测试，通过《现在，发现你的优势》和《优势识别器2.0》两本书内的密码你可以进行在线测试。这个测试将帮助你发现与职业相关的5个最重要的优势。
我一年前作了这个测试。我的前五个优势依次为：
1. 策略 – 擅长有策略地思考和计划
2. 输入 – 能高效地分析和整合大量的信息
3. 学习 – 擅长学习新知识和新技术
4. 集中力- 能集中精神，排除干扰
5. 重要性 – 优先处理重要问题，避免忙于琐碎
对于结果我并不感到吃惊。相对于社交和情感我的优势完全倾向于思维方面。
理解你的优势
一旦你分析了自己的优势，接下来最重要的就是理解它们在实际层面的意义。什么样的任务适合你？什么样的任务对你来说很艰难？
由于我的优势，我擅长理解和处理抽象概念。矛盾或不明确的信息不会吓住我。别人认为复杂的地方我能发现规律。我也擅长做明智正确的决定。这种思维方式对我来说非常自然。我自己都不明白我是怎么做到的。
运用你的优势
如果你可以每天在工作中运用你的优势，那你将会非常开心。你可以对你所从事的那一行做出巨大的贡献。
根据我的优势，我的理想职业应该可以运用我的策略思维、面对复杂而有意义的挑战，特别是人们认为复杂、迷惑不解的领域。也就是说我有能力从事的职业包括企业家、商业顾问、作家、心理学家、理论物理学家、数学家、软件设计师、犯罪心理分析师和其他许多种可能。
同样我的优势也让我可以排除不适合我的职业，比如职业运动员、销售员、音乐家或夜总会经理。
为了明白你天生的优势，我建议你至少做一个测试。运用你的优势可以帮助你(1) 效率更高, (2) 效果更好, (3) 贡献更多价值, (4) 得到更高的薪水, (5) 更好地享受工作, 以及 (6) 体验更多的成就感。如果你发现有其他你认为有帮助的优势测试，请在论坛上与大家分享。