An Introduction toThe Playing to Strengths Approach

Strengths are those activities that make you feel strong.

Strengths are made up of three things:

1. Talents. Talents are innate
Because you are so close to your own talents, they are most effectively measured by profiles such as the Extended DISC Personal Analysis. These profiles give you a way to step back from yourself and identify your recurring talents, such as competitiveness, or what-if thinking, or altruism, or whatever your talent happens to be.

Profiles can identify your innate strengths and guide you to the specific activities that make you feel strong - and those that don’t. Marcus Buckingham 2005

2. Skills. Skills are developed

3. Knowledge. Knowledge is acquired or learned.

What does playing to one of your strengths actually feel like?

Before you do it, you actively look forward to it.
When you do it, you feel effective.
While you are doing it, you feel inquisitive and focused.
After you’ve done it, you feel fulfilled and really you.

It feels easy or natural, like you are not trying very hard. You’ve found the activity simple to pick up, and most likely, you learnt to do it quickly. It holds your interest and you don’t feel a need to concentrate as you are absorbed in what you are doing. The final proof is in the pudding -- you are focused and time speeds up!

When I am doing an activity that strengthens me, I am thinking:

So, how often are you playing to your strengths at work?

If you want to find out how to turn the best of your job into the most of your job, I invite you to contact me now.

For more information about how Positive Psychology @ Work can help you or your organisation, please contact Sharon Hudson, the organisational psychologist with a positive and practical twist.

"I want to!"
"I can’t wait to start!"
"This is fun!"
"I could do this forever."
"This is my calling."
"This is perfect for me."
"Just try and stop me."

I am feeling:

Powerful, Passionate
Euphoric, Enthusiastic
Natural, Authentic
Smooth, Confident

When I am doing an activity that strengthens me I want to :

Find a way to do more of it.
Learn more about it.
Find role models and . people that I can learn from
Look for people that are really good at it.

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