Upload
megan-leatherman-ms-phr
View
321
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
DISCOVER YOURSTRENGTHS . . .
HOW TO
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
In aDead End
Job
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Hi!
My name is MeganLeatherman, and I'm a
Career Coach & HumanResources Consultant.
A LOT OFPEOPLE ARE
IN"DEAD END"
JOBS
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Meaning: jobs that don't provide opportunitiesfor the use of their unique strengths.
IN FACT . . .
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Only 20% of employees surveyed in
a major Gallup poll reported that
they regularly get to use their
strengths on the job.
THAT'S TRAGIC!
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
It's tragic because discovering
and using your strengths in your
career is one of the greatest gifts
you can give.
BUT THAT DOESN'T HAVETO BE THE END OF THE
STORY
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Just because you're in a job
that's not the right fit doesn't
mean you can't begin to live out
your strengths.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A GREATOPPORTUNITY
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
A dead end job can act as a
reflection, showing you what
you like and don't like.
We learn so much about
ourselves when something
isn't working.
AS MICHAEL CARROLLSAYS . . .
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Maybe problems arise at
work not as interruptions or
intrusions, but as invitations
to gain real wisdom.
SO HOW CANYOU DISCOVER
YOURSTRENGTHS?
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
...starting today, in this job that
may not feel very good...
FIRST, WE SHOULD DEFINE"STRENGTH"
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
I'll use Marcus Buckingham's definition, which breaks astrength into 3 parts:
Raw talent (what you were born with)Knowledge (experiential and factbased)
Skills (what it takes to complete an activity)
A LOT OF PEOPLE FORGETTHE "RAW TALENT" PART
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Many of us assumethat with enough
degrees, training, andexperience, we can
develop ANY strengthwe want.
AND SURE , HUMANS AREGREAT AT LEARNING. . .
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
But without tapping intoour natural abilities, ourcareers are going to feel
totally forced and, well, likedead ends.
OK, BACK TO DISCOVERINGTHOSE STRENGTHS:
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Here are 3 things you can do today, in
this job, to start learning about and
nurturing your unique set of strengths
(those special combinations of talent,
knowledge, and skills you have).
1 : BE MINDFUL
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Start getting to know what feels like
the right fit, and what feels like the
wrong fit.
Practice being more present so that you
can hear your inner "yes" and "no."
BE MINDFUL
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
In order for you to sense what you're
naturally good at, you have to be able
to think, feel, and see clearly.
BE MINDFUL
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Many of us are going a million miles a minute
in ever-changing workplaces. and we miss so
much by working frenetically.
Today, practice being more mindful - pay
attention to what your intuition is trying to tell
you.
HERE'S A MINDFULNESS TRICK:
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
The next time you get a cup of
coffee, tea or water, simply observe
the action. What does the mug look
and feel like in your hand? What do
you hear around you? How does
the drink taste and smell?
Just start training your brain to be in
the present moment.
2 : FEEL IT IN YOUR BODY
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
Discovering and living out your strengths isn't just an
intellectual exercise.
For this to work, you have to FEEL it...it has to be a visceral
experience.
WHEN HAVE YOU FELTGOOD?
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
When was the last time you felt good at work?
How did you feel when you nailed that presentation?
How about when you really got through to that employee?
Strengths feel good.
So find what feels good in your job today and do more of it.
3 : STRENGTHS V .COMPETENCIES
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
It can be hard to figure out what's a true strength and what's
a competency, which is more knowledge and skill-based.
For example, if you're an Excel whiz but don't really enjoy
editing everyone else's spreadsheets, is that a strength?
IT DEPENDS . . .
WWW . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
It depends on whether it feels good.
Marcus Buckingham says that a strength is something you feel
STRENGTHENED by.
So unless you feel like a better, healthier person when you're
working in Excel, it needs to stay put as a competency.
A TOOL: THE STRENGTHSQUADRANT
I've developed a quick little exercise to help people parse out
the work that really doesn't feel good, feels okay, and feels
awesome.
It's called the Strengths Quadrant, and you're welcome to
download it today by visiting this link:
http://eepurl.com/bWEchX
IN SUMMARY
Just because you're in a "dead end
job" doesn't mean you can't begin
to discover and live out your
strengths.
In fact, this is a great opportunity
to dive deep and learn about what
lights you up.
W W W . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
IN SUMMARY
Three things you can start doing today to make the most of
this experience are:
- Attune yourself by getting present.
- Feel it in your body.
- Parse out what's a strength v. what's a competency (you can
use the exercise in the link below)
http://eepurl.com/bWEchX
W W W . M E G A N L E A T H E R M A N . C O M
WANNA LEARN MORE?
This was a deep-dive into the topic of a blog post that I wrote
recently titled, 5 Ways to Discover Your Strengths.
You can click on the title above to read the post in its entirety!
Thanks for joining me!
Megan Leatherman, MS, PHR
web: www.meganleatherman.com
blog: www.theintegratedworkplace.com
linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/meganleatherman