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For example, it may be they are trying to do well as an engineer when they are more gifted at sales.

Or they think they might be a good accountant when they are more talented in teaching others.

Other times people believe they can do well in any job regardless of the skills required to excel in that job. As long as the job is a “promotion” they want the job.

The problem is we try to make ourselves good at something God did not design us to do well. Part of this is the value we place on certain types of work or certain skills. We would rather be a mediocre attorney than an exceptional plumber.

This can come from family pressure, societal pressure, or a host of other influences that shape our thinking about the value of certain types of work.

The key to overcoming this sort of thinking is to focus on the special skills, talents, and abilities you have rather than trying to shoe horn ourselves into a particular role.

Work that is out of alignment with your best skills and abilities will eventually be unfulfilling and you’ll never experience the level of success in a job you otherwise would have.

This quote attributed to Albert Einstein sums up what will happen:

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

We certainly don’t want that, so take some time to inventory what you do well – maybe better than anyone you know.

Ask yourself what special skills and natural abilities has God given you? What desires keep coming up in your heart of hearts? Do you find yourself most attracted to working with people, things, or data? Do you like to create something new or use an established method to solve a problem?

It can be difficulty to view our career choices without the filter of our family, culture, religion, or philosophical viewpoints.

But what if no one was watching? What if you could be a florist and no one cared? What if you could sell your drawings on ebay and no one would think you’re crazy?

What possibilities would that open up for your work and your life?

Question: Imagine you wake up tomorrow and you were doing work that was an absolute perfect fit with your best skills and abilities. What would be the first thing you notice that’s different for you?

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Then your immediate response was something like, “oh thank you, but it really wasn’t anything special.”

I know I’ve certainly responded that way at times.

In addition to maybe some false humility, I responded this way because I was unaware of my strengths.

Many of us are unaware of our strengths and what we do well.

This could be due to a variety of factors, but one factor I’m sure of is the influence of our culture’s focus on improving our weaknesses.

We have been told from a very young age to work on making our weaknesses better.

In elementary school through high school what gets circled or checked off on a test? The incorrect answers.

What happens when a child gets a low grade in one or more subjects? Parents pay for tutoring in that subject.

What do many employers focus on during performance reviews? Opportunities for growth (a.k.a. getting better at weaknesses).

I thought this was just the way it was – a necessary evil. You work on some weak area in order to bring it up to par with the areas where you’re doing well.

You’ll be on your way to a happy, healthy, “well-rounded” life.

Then I read Strengthsfinder 2.0 by Tom Rath.

Through the research done by the Gallup organization, Rath found that people who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times more likely to enjoy their jobs and more than three times as likely to report they have an excellent quality of life in general.

That’s amazing, especially in light of our culture’s obsession with improving weaknesses.

Admittedly when I first took the Strengthsfinder 2.0 I really liked it and found it fascinating. However, I read my top five strengths, agreed that I’m generally good in those areas, and didn’t look at them again for a couple of years.

Now, I just recently printed out my top five strengths and taped them to the wall in my office where I will see them every day. When I’m faced with a decision about a career opportunity to pursue I check it against my strengths to make sure I would be honoring those areas.

My top five strengths are:

1. Learner – People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

2. Context – People who are especially talented in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.

3. Belief – People who are especially talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

4. Responsibility – People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

5. Consistency – People who are especially talented in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world with consistency by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.

What about you? What are you strengths? Are you able to focus on your strengths every day in your work?

You can begin operating in your strengths in your work by taking these three steps:

1. Buy the Strengthsfinder 2.0 book, read it, and take the test.

2. Check your top five strengths against your current job. How do the responsibilities of your job compare to your strengths? Are you utilizing your best talents everyday?

3. Develop an action plan to maximize your strengths in your current job. Or find another opportunity that is more in alignment with your strengths.

The more you know about yourself and what you do well you will be able to make better informed decisions. Which will in turn provide you with more opportunities to be intentional about your life and career.

Question: If you’ve taken the Strengthsfinder 2.0 what are your strengths? If you haven’t taken it, what questions do you have about the instrument?

However, sometimes it can feel like personality assessments raise more questions than provide answers.

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Which is the best one to take? Is it going to say I have the worst personality you can have? How in the world will this help me get a better job? Don’t circumstances dictate how I behave sometimes?

In 2005 I was really struggling with not enjoying my job (actually I was struggling prior to that but I didn’t take any action until 2005) so I quit. I went to see a career coach and one of the things she had me do was take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

The results showed my type as INFJ and after a lot of thought and self-observation I determined the INFJ type fit me exactly.

Taking the MBTI was the cornerstone I needed to begin to figure out who I was, my strengths, my weaknesses and how I could apply those in a work setting.

Now I provide all my clients with a personality assessment depending on their needs. It may be the MBTI, DISC, or Strengthsfinder 2.0. Sometimes all three.

If you’re struggling to figure out the kind of work you’ll love I really recommend starting with a personality assessment.

Even if you’re not struggling with your work I highly recommend taking a personality assessment.

Here are five reasons you should take a personality assessment:

1. It will increase your self-awareness. Self-awareness is the key to unlocking the type of work that fits you best. In addition, self-awareness allows you to be able to more effectively communicate with and influence others. Those who lead truly successful lives, and not just at work, are highly self-aware. They’ve taken the time to figure out exactly who they are and how to leverage their design in all aspects of their lives.

2. It will help you know your strengths. We live in a culture that promotes improving things you’re not very good at. Don’t believe me? Ask any elementary school student what gets pointed out on their papers? Their mistakes or their correct answers? Yet, we are all good at something or many things. If we know what those things are we can put our energy and time into being exceptional in those areas instead of being mediocre in an area we struggle with.

3. It will help you know your weaknesses. We all have blind spots. No matter how you slice it, we just aren’t good at everything and we aren’t always objective in judging our own actions. When you know your weaknesses you can avoid situations, jobs, and relationships that prevent you from using the very best parts of you. Then you can find others who excel in the area of your weaknesses to help you out.

4. It will help you create a filter to find the right type of work for you. Knowing your personality helps you edit and filter the infinite number of opportunities and paths you can choose in your work. Although we may not be able to be anything we want to be we can be more of who we already are. Having the results of a personality assessment is like having a compass. It doesn’t tell you where to go but you can use it to make sure you’re heading in the right direction.

5. You will be better able to read other people. The first step is to understand yourself. The next step is to understand others. When you begin to understand how other personality types operate you can communicate more effectively with them, predict their typical behavior, and understand why they do that thing that drives you crazy (hint: it’s not personal).

Although a personality assessment can’t explain everything you’d want to know about yourself it can explain a lot. The path to enjoying your work begins with understanding who you are. A personality assessment is a great tool to help you do just that.

Question: What other benefits do you think a personality assessment might provide?

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