17 | Quick Tip: How to identify your strengths

Hi there!

Today's episode is all about identifying your strengths.

I'm going to give you some insight into a very effective - if slightly terrifying - method.

Ask someone.

Stick with me, I'll give you the who, what, where, why, when & how of it all.

xo

Liz

Well, Hey there, friend. Welcome to this week's episode. This week, we are doing a quick tip. So it's going to be a shorter episode, mostly focused on one tip in one area. Now I pulled the Facebook group and yes, there is a Facebook group. If you want to join, check out the show notes. There's a link to join.

I pulled the Facebook group and the winner was how to identify your strengths. Now I could go on about this for days and I'll do more episodes. But for this quick tip, what we're going to focus on is a quick way to find out, which is also a little bit scary. We're going to ask someone. We're going to ask someone.

So stay tuned. I'm going through the whole method that who, what, where, when, why of it all, and I'll give you a solid way to ask other people about your strengths. So let's get to it

Well hey there, I'm Liz St. Jean and this is unruly leadership podcast where I help subject matter experts like you design a career on your terms. It's where strategy meets intuition to help you break the rules, ignore the rules and make your own damn rules. So let's break free from perfectionism, imposter thoughts, and that inner rule keeper, that's keeping you in your career comfort zone.

It's time to become unapologetically you and step into the life you were meant to live. We're going to talk presence, productivity career, and having it all. Or as my four-year-old would say - we're going to take over the world. So let's get to it.





All right. So identifying your strengths. Now, this is a really fantastic that that was the top choice in the Facebook group poll, because it is also strengths weak for the powerful present society. For those of you who don't know powerful presence society or PPS, as I often call it is my main group program that I run. So we're running it right now and there's a group going through it and we are on strengths week.

And if you have never taken it before, I highly recommend jumping on the wait list. Even if you're not sure, you're not sure if I can join the next round or you're not sure. Get on the wait list because by being on the wait list, you'll get early bird discounts that no one else gets and you'll get some bonuses and likely as we get closer to launch date, there's going to be some some good bonus material in there as well.

So jump on the wait list. You can get on it themintambition.com slash PPS. That's the mint ambition.com/pps. Okay, so let's get into this week's quick tip it's on how to identify your strengths. And if you heard the preview. You might even already have a little bit of a knot in your stomach because this is a, is a.

It's a really effective method, but it can be a little bit scary, but I've got you. We're going to do this together. I'm going to walk you through it and it's going to be absolutely wonderful. It's a wonderful, wonderful way to identify your strengths and it's by. Asking someone. We are going to ask someone for their help and identifying your strengths.



Okay. So if you already have butterflies in your stomach, like I said, I run not in your stomach about this idea. First, just know that that is completely natural for most of us, the idea of reaching out to someone and asking them. Almost anything about ourselves. It leaves us butterflies. It leaves at night. So it's really, really natural.

And in fact there is, there was a really interesting study done several years ago. It was published in leadership quarterly. And what they did is they had a number of executives reach out to people from their past network. So these are executive level folks. These are, and in quite large organizations quite high up the ladder. And one of the more interesting findings I thought was that almost all the executives shared back that they felt.

Anxious. They felt uneasy. They felt really uncomfortable reaching out. And so my takeaway from that article was that again, it is completely natural to feel uncomfortable, to feel a bit anxious. Like I said, those butterflies or the knot in your stomach, it's absolutely completely natural. What I want you to do what I'm asking you to do.

Is to push through it, push through that discomfort, push through that fear and, and reach out, commit to yourself, commit to yourself, and to commit to doing it this week. The week that you're listening to it. If you can do it today, bonus points, but really trying to do it this week so that you don't kind of let aside and.

And talk yourself out of it. So are you with me? You're going to do it this week. Awesome. Let's do it. So, like I said, you're going to be reaching out to someone and it's you want it to be someone who does know you and I'm going to give you a few options about people that you can reach out to. What I do want to suggest is reaching out to people who, you know, are positive, who, you know, love to say nice things about others who often say nice things about others.

I mean for one, that's going to help you with that nervousness in the pit of your stomach. But also, it's just more helpful when you're talking about strengths and seeing things through a strengths view. And especially if you're not used to doing this. Reaching out to someone who already seeds sees the world to that more positive, appreciative lens.

So here's three ways to find a good person. And I would actually, I would encourage you to ask more than one, but even if it's just one, even if it's just one, I'm good with that. If you can try and reach out to more than one, but here's three ways of finding someone to reach out to. One super simple way is pull up your messenger app or your DMS, your text messaging, whatever it is you use to message people. Maybe it's boxer.

And just scroll back, scroll down and kind of have a look at people that you talk to you already, you know, the, for the people at the very top, or probably some of your BFFs or family members, and look for someone who really strikes you as someone who's generally positive, who knows you well enough and would probably, it would bring them a smile, right?

It's going to lighten them up to tell you something wonderful. So that's one very quick way to find someone who can tell you about your strengths. Then a second type of person you can think about is a BFF at work. Okay. Who's your BFF at work. And again, someone who's especially positive who even if it's something you do vent with each other, but still someone who's positive who says, generally says nice things. And again, give yourself this image in your mind.

That you are asking them to do something that will light them up. They will enjoy the love that. Honestly, I should've said this earlier, it's going to make them feel really flattered. They wouldn't feel so flattered that you came to them and that you. Both trusted them, but also that you sought out their opinion.

So you are really honoring someone by asking them. So, like I said, a BFF at work, a trusted BFF at work and someone who generally sees positive things and would really light up at the idea of telling someone something wonderful. And then the third one. This may be a bit of a stretch for some, but I would really encourage you to do this.

Is think of a leader who you worked with in the last, let's say two to three years. Maybe go someone you work with maybe more than a few months ago could be really interesting too. So it's not too, too recent. And someone who, but it's not too far away, right? Two or three years, maybe. And again, someone who you think of as a leader,

This could be a positional leader, and this could be several levels above you. It really depends on the relationship and how you worked with them, but don't be afraid to go to someone who is several levels above you. If it's someone you work with, you work closely with. It could be someone who you see as a leader in your workplace.

Or in your industry or somewhere else that you work together. Uh, someone who has leadership characteristics or someone that you see that really, really stands out as a leader, as a thought leader. As a, as a person leader, right. Positional leader. But someone who you worked with and you can ask them.

So those are the three P types of three ways that you can find someone to ask this. And. The next question then is, you know, how and where, like how, you know, what are the actual logistics of asking someone? So there's two main ways of how you can go about asking someone. Um, one, depending on the person that you are, that you're reaching out to, you can ask them in a message. You could, you could even send them a text message depending again, who it is and what your relationship is like.

You could send them a voice message for those of you who haven't done this, sending a little voice messages back and forth. Those are fantastic ways of engaging with people. Sometimes. When I'm sending messages to actually, to some people, if I, in my family, I'm calling it their own little private podcasts, which is what is funny. I think it's funny anyways.

I don't know. I think they smile as well. Um, but so you can send a voice message. You could send a text message. The other thing you can do is you can ask them to a virtual coffee and you can ask them in that situation. For some people, and I've done this in the past too. You can even ask them to a coffee or to get together and let them know that this is the reason that you're asking them.

You know, for others, depending who the person is, you can just ask them when you're at the virtual coffee about your strengths, but for those you might want to let them know that this is what you're looking for, that you're looking for that feedback. Um, and that's why you're looking for. A coffee or a virtual coffee.

So this gets us to another version of the, how, how, like, what do you even say? How do you ask. Right. Like for some of you, this is going to be fine. You might have even, maybe you're not even listening because you're already going and doing it. But for a lot of people who are thinking like, oh my goodness, how I don't even bring this up.

So here is my suggestion actually. You can blame me. You can, 100% blame me. You can say to them like, Hey, I was listening to a podcast episode about how to identify strengths. And the host suggested that I should reach out and ask my trusted friends, my trusted colleagues. Um, who know me. And so this might seem, you know, kind of weird. I know this doesn't usually happen, but I would really love to hear your perspective.

On what you see as my strengths on what you see as, as what I bring. To the workplace or into your industry or what I bring to the world. Right? If it's a, maybe you've scrolled down your text messages and you've picked someone who knows you, but maybe you don't work together. It can be more of that. Like what do I bring to the world? And what are, what are the special strengths that I have?

So, like I said, you can completely blame me. You can say, I mean, you can even say, well, I was listening to a coach on a podcast and she said, this is a really great exercise. And it's pushing me out of my comfort zone to do this. So I would really appreciate hearing from you. Hey. Now that brings us. And I hinted this earlier, but to the question of when, when should you do this?

Well right now. I want you to do it right now. Okay. Maybe you're not in a place. We can do it right now, but. I'd love for you to do it today. Tomorrow even definitely this week, this is something that's very easy. To kind of slide away for your brain to shy away from if this is making you feel nervous, this whole idea is just it very nerve wracking.

Hundred percent do it, put yourself in, into that discomfort zone. If you remember, um, for those of you who listen to last week's episode, we talked about imposter thoughts and how to cleanse them. And there's something called the imposter zone. Right. We feel like an imposter. We feeling anxious about something. This might be an example of it. I would love to see you work through that practice, practice, your.

Um, ability to push through and to put yourself into that zone, into that discomfort zone. So go out and do that. And for anyone who's listening and wants to learn more about your own strengths, you can also go back to episode number five and an episode five. I actually give you my, the full recording of my training on strengths. So, like I said, we have in PPS, we have an entire week, we devote to strengths and an episode five, I play that for you.

So you can go back, have a listen. And get a, more of a deep dive into strengths into the strengths movement. Um, even like strengths versus skills. We talk about it in there. So go back and have a look. And like I was saying earlier, This is strengths week for PPS for the current cohort going through.

I would love to see over on the waitlist. He'd love to give you some of those early bird discounts and other goodies in bonus materials. That'll send out to people on the waitlist. Head on over to the mint ambition.com/pps to jump on the wait list. And with that. Have yourself a wonderful rest of your week.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode. If this podcast helped you or inspired you in any way, I would love for you to leave me a review over on apple podcasts, it takes 20 seconds, if that, and it's, it's honestly the easiest way for you to thank me for this episode. Every time I see a review, it brings me so much joy and it just lights me up.

So if you could do that for me, I would be ever so grateful. Now, the other thing you can do is you can take a screenshot of this episode or even a screenshot of your review and send it to a friend or share it in a Facebook group or even post on your LinkedIn newsfeed to let other people know about this podcast and this episode.

Thanks again. And now get out there and start breaking some rules.