Personal Strength Assessment

You're not winning because your focus is in the wrong place. You're focusing on the person who's on their... • Second exit • Third round of funding • Fourth promotion You feel like you're losing. Constantly consuming others' success stories will drown out your own chances of winning. While their wins fill up your feed, your potential goes untapped. You feel like you're not measuring up. But, their accomplishments can't be defining your metrics for success. Your focus needs to turn inward, to the only competition that really matters - yourself. Here's the actual winning formula. A. Stop comparing yourself to others. B. Start comparing yourself to your potential. C. Potential = the gap between where you are and where you could be. Here's how you execute. Rule One: Eyes Forward Your journey isn't about one-upping others. It's about carving a unique path fueled by your untapped potential. What we're talking about is a shift - from competition to an inward journey scaling your capabilities. Tool One: Build Your Internal Compass • Self-reflect regularly to evaluate your path • Assess feedback through your goals' lens • Seek mentors who push you to realize your strengths Rule Two: Question Everything • Dive deeper. Find unexplored undercurrents • Develop a perpetually curious mindset • Invest in personal R&D, engage with diverse thinkers, increase learning agility Rule Three: Craft Your Authentic Narrative • Use storytelling to share your authentic journey • Be real in both your victories and struggles • Invest in personal development This isn't about being the next 'somebody'. It's about becoming the unprecedented 'you' - delving into your potential's rich mines and coming out with gems uniquely yours. Your true competition is your untapped potential. Unleash it.

I recommended this FREE tool for years to my MBA students at the Stanford Business School given how useful I found it and how consistently students confirmed it had also been helpful to them. When current executive clients feel “stuck” I often recommend it to gather data that might point to paths that can help them get “unstuck” – since feeling stuck is often a function of incongruence between what we value and where we are spending our time and energy. I decided to take the survey again, before posting about it since it has been over a decade since I first took it. The results remain wonderfully (and not surprisingly) consistent. My top signature strengths are 1) love/humanity 2) perspective/wisdom 3) social intelligence/humanity, 4) leadership/justice, and 5) honesty/courage. This clarifies why it so important to me to have close relations with others in which sharing and caring are reciprocated, why I am so happy when providing counsel and have ways of looking at the world that make sense to both me and others, love the part of my job that depends heavily on understanding what makes people tick, love leading (and teaching about leadership) and so value speaking the truth. The VIA Character Personality Assessment is a scientific instrument measuring our strengths, and it’s widely used in academic, corporate, and other settings (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). VIA stands for Values in Action. It is free and takes roughly 20 minutes to complete. Check it out and LMK what you learned! https://lnkd.in/gWi2Zt6b

"The only comparison worth making is to yourself from yesterday" We've all been there. Scrolling through social media, seeing someone's achievement, and feeling a pang of inadequacy. The comparison trap is a constant threat, especially early in our careers: - One person made a killing last year. - Another's a rising star, recognized by Forbes. - It seems like everyone else is winning. It's natural to compare ourselves, but it's a dangerous game. Here's the truth: you're likely comparing your Chapter 1 to someone else's epic finale. They've put in the years, the work, the failures that led to their success. Focus on your own story Instead of getting sucked into the comparison vortex, turn your attention inward. Ask yourself these powerful questions: What knowledge have I gained? Growth thrives on learning. Reflect on the new skills you've acquired, the information you've absorbed, and how they've shaped your perspective. What perspectives have I shifted? Growth often involves evolving your thinking. Acknowledge areas where your views have changed and celebrate the flexibility that allows you to learn and adapt. How have I grown? Growth isn't always a straight line. Take stock of your personal development, whether it's becoming more confident, building better habits, or simply feeling more comfortable in your own skin. What positive impact have I made? Contributing to something bigger is a fulfilling part of growth. Reflect on how you've used your skills and knowledge to make a difference for others. By focusing on these internal questions, you shift your focus from external validation to internal progress. This empowers you to take ownership of your journey and celebrate your unique path to success. Your only competition is yourself Life isn't a race against others. It's about becoming a better version of yourself each day. Focus on what you can control: your effort, your attitude, and your commitment to continuous improvement. Embrace the journey, celebrate your wins (big and small), and learn from your setbacks. By looking inward and focusing on your own growth, you'll find the motivation and fulfillment that comes from steady, sustainable progress. Ready to learn more? Share this post with others and follow me, Addy Osmani, for more insights in the future. Illustrated by Michael J Boorman - definitely worth a follow-up! #motivation #productivity #growth

Do you know what you're good at and what makes you, you? If you are early in your career, here’s how to find and use your strengths to make the right career decisions. After years of reflecting on this and talking to others, I’ve realized that the moment you start focusing on your strengths, you feel less confused about your career path 😌 , more confident about the value you bring to the table 💪, and ultimately, are better positioned for success. 🚀 So here are some tips and questions to help you unlock your superpowers. Use them and let me know if they help you discover what’s unique about you. 1️⃣ What are some past experiences and hobbies where you lost track of time and excelled effortlessly? Those skills and qualities can translate to professional strengths. 2️⃣ What projects, internships, or online courses have you tried and enjoyed? New things can uncover hidden talents and strengths you weren't aware of. 3️⃣ What do people often praise you for? These compliments might point to your hidden strengths. 4️⃣ What are some challenging tasks you can attempt outside your comfort zone that can reveal dormant strengths or areas for growth? 5️⃣ Finally, you can spark self-reflection by talking to a wise friend/coach or taking a personality test. What you uncover may surprise you! Remember, strengths can be found in personal / professional settings. Translating them is key. You may have many strengths, and their importance may vary depending on the context. They are also dynamic and can be developed throughout your life. Don’t lose heart if it takes some self exploration and learning to figure out! Own it. Build your career and brand around it. ✨ If this isn't quite answering your question, tell me your scenario below and I’ll try to respond with something helpful. 💬

Success looks different for everybody. Here’s a story that defines what it means for me.😊👇🏻 Early in my adult life, I encountered the concept of the 7 pillars of success: Physical environment, Mental health, Financial stability, Network, Physical health, Spiritual well-being, and Family life. Yet, striving for 80% success in each area often led to stress and overwhelm. Balancing these aspects was a challenge for years — I was consistently falling short of my own expectations. I took help from coaches and extensively researched mindset, vision boards, action plans, thoughts, attitudes, and exercise. All this left me overwhelmed — ultimately causing me to lose sight of myself. So, I took a step back and contemplated what success truly meant to me. Because our definition of success is influenced by our experiences and personal perspectives. For me, genuine success centers around 3 key areas of my life: 🫀 Health: A sharp mind and a disease-free, vibrant body. To achieve this, I learned how to prioritize my self-care habits. 🫂 Relationships: Love, trust, and support from my loved ones, along with meaningful connections in the community are important to me. To have successful relationships, I prioritize them. 😄 Mindset: One that fosters personal growth and fulfillment — getting out of the comparison trap, and growing in gratitude. This perspective is deeply personal, yet I have found it to resonate with those who have achieved both personal peace and success. This is my journey to finding what success means to me. Now, I'd like to hear from you: What does success look like for you? #success #lifelessons #wellbeing #health #worklifebalance

Personal branding is one of the buzzwords that keeps cropping up. As an executive coach who wants to help people reconnect with their purpose and passions and as a lifelong marketer, I can get behind it. A personal brand builds your credibility, helps you establish yourself as an expert in your field and communicates your experience and value to your audience and potential future employers. But how do you develop your personal brand? If your go-to answer was, “Start developing content and publishing it on social media platforms”, please continue reading. To truly develop your personal brand, the first step is to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery. Only once you know your purpose, passions, skills and strengths can you share your authentic self with your audience. Follow these six steps to develop your personal brand: 1. Understand your purpose (and values) 2. Create a long-term mission and vision for your life 3. Construct your narrative – remember to be authentic! 4. Identify your target audience (key stakeholders) 5. Share your story (now this is where social media can be involved) 6. Monitor and assess how your brand equity Creating your personal brand requires a great deal of introspection and is not a quick exercise, but I promise you the benefit is worth the effort! Here’s a quick teaser. Grab a pen and paper and: ➡️ Write down activities which make you feel energized and fulfilled ➡️ Jot down your strengths by thinking about areas you excel in ➡️ Make a list of your accomplishments ➡️ Analyze and write out the skills you mastered to achieve your accomplishments ➡️ Map out your strengths, skills and passions to determine what makes you unique. The above exercise allows you to align your personal brand with what you genuinely enjoy, what you’re good at and what skills you already have, which will all lead to greater authenticity and confidence in how you present yourself. Determining your passions and purpose isn’t always a straightforward exercise, so if you need help reconnecting with yourself, I can help: https://lnkd.in/gWdegTdU #PersonalBranding #PersonalDevelopment #Learning #Development

Do you feel like you're not accomplishing as much as your peers? That you're falling behind? It's a common sentiment, and let me tell you: you're not alone! I used to feel the same way until I realized that the best comparison is: YOU VERSUS YOU When we compare our progress to others, it can: ❌ Undermine Self-Esteem: Constantly comparing oneself to peers can lead to feelings of inadequacy and lower self-esteem. If individuals perceive their peers as more successful or accomplished, it may erode their confidence and self-worth. ❌ Create Unhealthy Competition: Healthy competition can be motivating, but excessive comparison can lead to unhealthy competition. This may result in individuals making decisions based on outdoing others rather than pursuing their genuine interests and passions. ❌ Overlook Individual Progress: Everyone has a unique journey, and progress is not always linear. Comparing oneself to others might overshadow personal achievements and growth. It's important to appreciate individual progress and acknowledge personal milestones. ❌ Generate Anxiety and Stress: Constant comparisons can contribute to heightened anxiety and stress. Fear of falling behind or not measuring up to peers can be emotionally draining and detrimental to mental health. ❌ Diminish Collaboration and Support: Constant comparison can create an environment where collaboration and mutual support are overshadowed by a sense of rivalry. Fostering a supportive community where individuals can learn from each other's strengths is more conducive to overall success. ❌ Neglect Personal Values and Passions: Comparisons may drive individuals to pursue paths that align with external expectations rather than their own values and passions. This can result in a lack of fulfillment and satisfaction in one's chosen endeavors. 💡 Your path is distinct, your goals are personal, and your achievements are a testament to your efforts. Your journey is uniquely yours. You get to determine how you define your success, not anyone else. 📢 If you found this post helpful, please share it with others. #phdstudent #mentoring #progress ➖ ➖ ➖ ➖ I'm Joseph Rios, the founder of Grad Student Academy. Follow me if you enjoyed this. I write about graduate school and professional development issues for PhD students. My mission is to unveil the hidden PhD curriculum to all, not just the privileged few. Learn the strategies I used to go from being rejected by nearly every PhD program to: ✅ obtaining a top-notch industry job ✅ landing a tenure-track faculty position ✅ becoming an award-winning researcher

Sarah and I have been working together for 3 months clarifying her personal brand and specifically her superpower. This week I encouraged Sarah to email 10 co-workers, family members and friends to get more feedback and clarity on her impact on others. Sarah texted this morning, “Morning Jennifer, I had my first bit of feedback from one of my teammates last night, and I'm too excited about it not to share. I won't ping everything to you! But I wanted to share this, 'I’ve really been impressed with the growth I’ve seen you have over time and how you’ve overcome certain challenges. I also want to share that in general, you’re a complete superstar. The best teammate I’ve ever had, no exaggeration.' So really Jennifer, without your encouragement to do this, I wouldn't know that this is the impact I'd had in my team! Thank you so much!” Despite 15 years in a successful Fortune 500 environment with numerous 360 feedback cycles, Sarah NEVER received feedback in this way. Here are the questions I provided Sarah. Maybe it’s a good time for you to get some fresh feedback? 👩💼 Identify 10 people from different contexts in your life who have seen you at your best. ⭐ Send them an email asking, “Can you please describe a time or times when you've seen me at my best?" You can explain you're working on your professional and personal growth and value their insights. 💪 Read through responses and take notes on themes about how you show up and your strengths. ✍ Write a summary in one to two paragraphs using the feedback you receive, starting with the phrase: “When I am at my best, I…” #leadershipcoaching #personaldevelopment #superpower #strengths #personalbrand

The arrival of the Fall season inspires self reflection (and perhaps a few pumpkin spice lattes). Although mid-year reviews have long passed, I bring them back up as self reflection and mid-year reviews go hand in hand. Mid-year reviews are great because they offer an intentional pause that allows us to take stock of where we are mentally, emotionally, and developmentally in our professional journeys. Over the years, I've developed my own personal professional mid-year review process, and it has proven to be invaluable. It's not just about aligning with company goals but also about measuring progress toward the objectives I've set for myself professionally. Here's what my mid-year review involves: 1️⃣ Goal Check-In: I revisit the goals I set at the beginning of the year. Have I made progress toward them? Am I on track? Do I need to adjust any of these goals? 2️⃣ Skills and Development: I assess my professional development efforts. Have I acquired new skills? What have I learned so far this year? What skills do I want to focus on in the coming months? 3️⃣ Mental and Emotional Well-being: I take a moment to reflect on my mental and emotional state. How am I feeling about my work? Am I managing stress effectively? Do I need to prioritize self care? 4️⃣ Feedback and Support: I seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, and supervisors. What are my strengths, and where can I improve? Do I need additional support or resources to excel in my role? 5️⃣ Reframing Opportunities: I identify areas where I may need to adjust my mindset or perspective. Sometimes, a simple shift in thinking can lead to breakthroughs. Remember, the mid-year review isn't about self-criticism but about growth and self-awareness. It's a chance to celebrate your achievements, acknowledge areas for improvement, and chart a clear course for the rest of the year. If you're interested in accessing my personal worksheet for the mid-year review, feel free to send me a direct message. I'd be more than happy to share it with you.

While looking for new strength assessment tools to support a client interested in finding a more fulfilling job, I came across the (free) VIA Character Strengths Survey. I hadn't seen it before and didn't take the time to read what it was about before jumping quickly into the actual survey to test it out. 10 minutes later, I received a copy with my results listing "love" as my # 1 strength. What? "Love"? My mind didn't like it. It sounded fluffy. I thought I was going to get a list of "real" strengths like strategic thinking, analytical skills, or project management. But I then read about the methodology and intention behind this survey: it's meant to uncover *character* strengths, the positive parts of our personalities that impact how we think, feel, and behave, not just a list of our top skills.  25 million people have taken the assessment, and, according to the researchers, "workers who use four or more of their signature strengths at work, have more positive work experiences and report seeing their work as part of their life calling." And while we don't often use the word "love" at work (a topic for another conversation), it absolutely makes sense that it's at the top of my list, and "Love of learning" my # 2, is currently guiding my next big project in a very specific way. As a self-awareness "nerd," I have to say I actually enjoyed reading the report. All the data points we can gather can be significant when it comes to the ongoing process of getting to know ourselves better. If you have 10 minutes and an interest in seeing your own results, check out the free survey at: https://lnkd.in/gz82qrig (and feel free to DM me if you'd like to share any insights from your report). Also, if you have other strength assessment tool recommendations, let me know, please 🤓 .