It’s one thing to tell someone to “work with your strengths” and another for them to do so. How do you do it? There are many methods, some of which depend on what your strengths are, but some of them are universal. Here are three of the best ones.
Ask for Tasks That Play to Your Strengths
That’s right -one of the simplest and most effective ways to lean into your strengths at work is to simply ask for more things that let you use them. Go to your supervisor or another person in charge of assigning work and ask for things you are good at doing.
How do you ask? You can say things such as “I’m really good at X, do we have anything else similar right now? If not, could I have more tasks like that when we get them in?”
Or you could propose something like this: “My strengths in this position are primarily x, y, and z. Is there a way for me to arrange to do more things that require them?”
Volunteer for Things You Are Strong At
Another method is to volunteer for things you are good at doing. Often, companies or teams will be parceling out tasks to the group. Instead of waiting for someone to assign you something, speak up and ask for things you know you will excel at. Step forward and let your team know they can rely on you for things in your wheelhouse.
This will not only get you more tasks that cater to your strengths, but it will get you noticed as someone who takes the initiative and is willing to help out.
Find a Mentor
A mentor is someone who is in a higher position than you at work, has more experience than you, does things similar to what you want to do, and would be willing to help you improve your career. A mentor can be any age and gender as long as he or she meets these requirements.
Your mentor will likely be able to guide you to more ways you can utilize your strengths at work. A mentor’s greater experience means he or she knows who needs what kinds of work, what roles will give you greater exposure to your strengths, and who else might be able to help you.
Finding a mentor can take a bit of work, but it’s worth it!