Do you know what your strengths are when it comes to your business and life? Does your network see and share these strengths with others? The Reflected Best Self™ exercise is a simple, structured process that helps you identify, and make the most of your strengths.
Step 1: Survey Others About Your Strengths
Identify around 10 people who are in a position to give you accurate feedback about your strengths. Include current colleagues, but also, ideally, former colleagues, friends and family members. Then, ask them to think about what your strengths are, and to give an example to back up every strength they identify.
Step 2: Identify Themes
Once you have all of the responses in from your survey group, start to group the responses together into themes. Some of the themes may reflect strengths you were aware of, but they may also identify things that you hadn’t realised were strengths because they come so naturally to you. Don’t focus solely on work – find the overall themes first – then , they will undoubtedly come full circle because how you show up in Life is how you show up at work.
Step 3: Write Your Strengths Profile
Next, draw together the key strengths that have emerged from your analysis, and tie them together in a few paragraphs that summarize what you’re really good at. Then, take a look at how these overlap and apply to your business. You’ll be able to use this in endless ways, to guide future actions and choices, to shore up your confidence, and while building your network.
Step 4: Identify How You Can Play to Your Strengths
With a clear idea of your strengths, take a long, hard look at how they interact within your business. In what ways are you playing to your strengths? If you’re not, can you adapt the focus and nature of your work to make more of your strengths?
** This “Reflected Best Self” Exercise is a copyrighted instrument of the Regents of the University of Michigan, USA.