Written by: Trudy Bateman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Are you ready to find a job that gives you real career satisfaction? Something you find purposeful or perhaps more impactful for you? Finding a career tailored to your strengths could hold the answer.
We’ve all been there, we have a job, it pays well, it has an impressive sounding title and it’s for a good company, but it just doesn’t fill us with a feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day. We’ve done a good job, perhaps even been successful but there is a feeling of emptiness we just can’t put our finger on.
Millennials and Gen Z are very much leading the way in redefining what they’re looking for from their career, with high profile stars like tennis champion Ash Barty declaring her retirement from the sport because ‘There was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite satisfied, wasn’t quite fulfilled.’ (The Guardian, 2022).
So how can we all get more satisfaction from the careers we choose? Strengths hold the answer for many.
What is a strength?
Strengths are the things we are naturally good at and enjoy. We know that performance and confidence have been proven to increase when we are using our strengths because we are doing something we love to do.
Finding a career that suits our strengths can redefine how we feel about work. When we talk about having a great career, it means going to work and loving what we do because we’re using our strengths. It means coming home at the end of the day still energised.
How to realign your career to suit your strengths
A third of our day is spent at work, so whatever job you have, you deserve a little time to think about where you are.
For those already enjoying what they do: Even if you love your job, you’ll be amazed to find that strengths can help you achieve even more to make your role more purposeful, impactful or to reach your goals quicker.
Consider taking on more responsibility in the areas of your strengths. What could you get involved with, purely for the love of it?
If your strengths use is at 70%, how could you make it 80%?
For those taking it easy: It’s most likely tempting to stay where you are because it’s not bad, maybe even good most of the time – but is it enough? It might not take a lot to transform your energy in the role.
Use your Strengths Profile to identify which learned behaviours you are using too much of. Which weaknesses do you have to compensate for a bit too often and which strengths would you love to use more of? This is often the lightbulb moment for many. You can use this insight to identify things you want to work on, to talk to someone about or to investigate more.
For promotion seekers: Consider the reasons behind why you want to make this move. Is it for more money, more autonomy or more joy?
Most people won’t say ‘I want to use my strengths more,’ but when we get to be our authentic self we build trust as a leader and effortlessly achieve our goals, because we are doing what we do best.
Often, we go for a promotion because it seems a natural next step in what we are already doing but consider your key strengths – the ones that always seem to make a difference – and use them even more, even better, with more skill and energy – just imagine the results then.
Are you ready to shape a career that suits your strengths?
If you’re ready to take the next step in your strengths and career journey, you can find out more by using our Expert Profile to identify your strengths, along with further suggestions and ideas on how to match strengths to job roles.
You can also download a copy of our latest eBook, ’10 Tips to Reach Your Goals with Energy’ for more ideas on how to use your strengths to get the career you want and release your hidden potential.
Trudy Bateman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Trudy Bateman is an expert in strengths and their applications. As Director of Strengths Profile, Trudy works with coaches, organisations and universities to help them understand the strengths of their people, so they can develop them – ensuring not just a successful career, but one they love. Having led the team responsible for the implementation of successful product strategy and delivery of strengths-based assessments for over 13 years, Trudy has delivered thousands of strengths solutions through coaching, facilitating and consulting, including the accreditation of over 3,000 Strengths Profile practitioners. She is a key speaker, author of The Strengths Profile Book and resident expert in strengths.
