“What do you do well?”
“What are your strengths?”
These are two common interview questions that most people would either be unable to answer, or be almost totally clueless about the answer.
But flip the question around and ask “What are you bad at?” or “What are your weaknesses?” And you would probably get a bunch of answers pretty quickly.
This lopsided self-awareness stems from a culture of “weakness-fixing” that many of us are familiar with, and Gallup’s research shows that “weakness-fixing” can help prevent failure, but it is unlikely to generate success or excellence.
Think with me for a moment, what this lopsided self-awareness does for a person’s psyche and self-esteem. Imagine knowing all your weaknesses but few of your strengths – even if one could come to accept the weaknesses he has, that probably still doesn’t paint a very attractive picture.
“A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don’t know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox’s or bear’s, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.” ― Meister Eckhart
The reality is that few people are self-aware. Those who are, are probably people who consistently take time out to reflect and also have a journal that they write in on a regular basis. The majority of us probably don’t even know ourselves very well!
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”– Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)
I have come to acknowledge that knowing myself is a journey that I’m still undergoing, and it is a process that takes time. And having some tools that gives us some idea of ourselves would be helpful. This is why personality tests and other inventory tools are so popular. But of the many tools, few focus on our strengths to correct our lopsided self-awareness – StrengthsFinder is one of them.
I love the other tools like MBTI and DISC, but StrengthsFinder is unique in its ability to be so granular and detailed. While the StrengthsFinder tool may threaten to overwhelm if one tried to absorb everything in one seating, if one takes the time to really digest what the report says, it would be very enlightening.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” ― Carl R. Rogers
“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” ― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
“Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.” ― G.I. Gurdjieff
Ok, I realised I’m probably overusing quotes in this post, but the point I’m trying to make is important – Our level of self-awareness determines our level of freedom.
I wouldn’t restrict myself to just StrengthsFinder in generating more self-awareness, but I find that it is an amazingly powerful tool in that self-discovery process, and it’s actually cheaper than most other tools around. Why not give it a shot, if you haven’t already?
