Your Manager and Your Strengths
We began this discussion at Are You a Martian – Like From Mars? For you to get the most out of work, you need to be plugged into what you’re best at. For your manager to be effective, he needs to plug you into what you’re best at. The problem, as stated in the referenced article, is managers seem to have a difficult time in trying to identify your strengths. Instead of your manager agonizing over this, attending seminars, reading books, taking surveys, performing Vulcan mind probes with management gurus and burning up the Internet, why not just tell him what your strengths are?
We think you should. But identifying your own strengths in an objective way and talking about them is not an easy thing to do. There are books, seminars, Web sites, life coaches and a pack of gurus out there who can help you discover your strengths. In the spirit of our small step philosophy however, we suggest you simply start with: what do you like to do at work? Your strengths are usually going to be closely related to what you like to do.
So that’s where you start. Sit down with your manager and tell him what work you enjoy doing. Ask him about the possibility of doing more work like that. Ask him how that might fit in with the company’s big picture and how it might fit in with your team. Ask him what type of training you’ll need. Ask him how he might be able to help with the training that you’ll require. And be sure to tell him how much you are doing on your own.
Your manager needs productive results and you need to be doing stuff that utilizes your strengths. A conversation with your manager is a great place to start.
You’re right Dave. It is not much of a stretch to get aligned with the strengths revolution, and buy in to this belief that you should be working within the realm of your strengths and not your weaknesses. However actually working that way day in and day out, AND doing so in partnership with your manager can be a huge leap for way too many people.
I think you are on the right track here in suggesting that we just go with our gut instead of with the gurus, or with the strength labeling suggested by StrengthsFinder or anyone else (and you know me to be a fan of both Gallup and Marcus Buckingham). And men, bear with me here, but you’ve got to get in touch with your feelings: What are you doing, when you feel pretty damn strong while doing it? Figure out how you can do more of that, and your manager will notice, because chances are that’s when you’ll look pretty damn strong to him or her too.
The strengths we have which are most attractive to our bosses have to do with whatever makes their job easier too – once you both figure out what that is, there will probably be no stopping you.
Rosa Say´s last blog ..In Search of a Tray Table
Thanks for weighing in Rosa…so very very true!
I know from time to time some managers are dropping in to The Technician Shop. You guys care. You’re looking to better understand your coworkers and to develop your own skills and talent. If you get a chance, follow the link to Rosa’s blog. You’ll be glad you did!