Strengths Profiling — Assessing Your Strengths to Optimize Performance
Strengths profiling is a tool to help identify your strengths and weaknesses. This information can be used to make adjustments to optimize performance. The idea behind this strength-based development is simple: If you understand someone’s underlying strengths, then you can better utilize them in their work.
What Is a Strengths Profile and Why Should I Take the Test
A strengths profile is an assessment that can be used to help identify individuals’ strengths to optimize performance. Strength profiles are popular with parents who want their child to find the right career, but they are also popular among adults who want to explore career options or evaluate career decisions.
There are many reasons why you should take the strengths profile test. These reasons include career advice, career options advice, career assessment advice, career exploration advice, and career decisions.
How to Prepare for the Strengths Profiling Assessment
You'll need to think about the following questions:
- * What career should I pursue?
- * What type of career do I want to have five years from now?
- * Who should I be working with?
- * Where should I be working?
Also, try to remember the following things:
- * Make a list of all your strengths and skills. This can be a really hard list to make! You might feel that you don't have any strengths or skills, but just keep going — it will get easier. It can also help to ask family members or friends for input if you're having trouble identifying them.
- * Write down how each strength has helped you in your career so far.
- Think about the career that you want to have five years from now. What strengths and skills do you need for this career? These might not be the same as your current job, so think carefully! Do any of them overlap with what is on your list?
- * Write down all the questions that are driving you crazy right now (e.g. whether or not to go back to school, if you should make a career change, etc.)
- * Who can help me answer these questions? If you are struggling to answer these questions, you can consider finding a mentor or a career consultant in Sydney.
The four types of profiles — Driver, Coach, Thinker, and Achiever
Driver
People who have a driver profile enjoy being in control, leading other people through change and growth.
Their career paths are likely to be in the field of law enforcement or as a manager at any company, especially those with fast-paced environments like technology companies.
Coach
Coaches thrive on working with other people to help them grow and develop their skill set. They do not need to be in charge because they get satisfaction from supporting others in achieving their goals.
Coaches often serve as mentors and team leaders. Their career paths include teaching or mentoring.
Thinker
Thinkers are analytical, objective, and logical in their decision-making process. They often enjoy problem-solving through brainstorming sessions where they can share ideas with others who have different perspectives.
Their careers are likely to allow them the freedom of working alone on their ideas.
Achiever
Achievers are motivated by getting things done, achieving goals, and seeing immediate results from their efforts. They often enjoy being in charge of a situation so they can prioritize tasks and see them completed quickly.
Their career paths are likely to include sales, sports, and business management.
Tips for Working with People Who Have Different Strengths than Yours
One of the best things to do when working with someone who has different strengths than you is to identify their strengths and then work with them in a way that allows them to use those strengths for tasks for which they excel.
By considering the strengths of your coworkers, you can take a step back from what seems like a conflict and from what appears as an obstacle to success, and instead see it as an opportunity for growth.
For example, imagine working with someone who is extremely detail-oriented. If you are not as detail-oriented yourself and instead focus on the big picture, perhaps this person can be responsible for collecting all of the information that pertains to details while you look at the bigger picture. By letting them use their strengths in a way that helps you, everyone wins.
Conclusion
It is important to learn about yourself and what you are good at before you start looking for a career. More organizations are discovering the benefits of this method of understanding what makes an individual tick.
Keep this in mind as you work to determine your path. Using strengths profiling is a good tool for developing strategies that will allow you to succeed at what you want to do and enjoy doing it. Remember, success comes from knowing yourself and then making the right career choices based on those insights!