Play to Your Strengths
What is one thing you are really good at? How does that help you in your job?
I am pretty sure that the day I started walking, was the same day I began wandering off to visit with anyone who would listen to me. I was born to be a "social butterfly." Whenever our family would go to the beach, it was inevitable that a stranger would eventually walk me back to our blanket after having plopped myself down on their blanket to chat. On the rare occasion that we would go out to dinner in a restaurant, I would again wander over to another table to meet new people. For the life of me, I cannot figure out the need to meet anyone new when there were already 12 people in our very own household.
Now that I am grown up, it is clear that this need to socialize is a strength that has been put to good use in a variety of ways. As a connector: I get to know business owners through networking events and in turn, connect them to others based on their services or products. As a leader: I have been an active member of various organizations such as local school boards, Rotary International, local teacher's union, Toastmaster's, women in business networking group, etc. As a team player: I check in daily with colleagues to gauge the overall tenor of my peers, as well as listen for any thing good or bad that may need to be addressed during the day.
Because I am a generally curious person, socializing comes easy to me. It has served me well and is ingrained in how I go about my everyday life. However, there have been times that I questioned its value when people have characterized me as scary or overconfident. When I realized that it could also be construed as a compliment to my social prowess and ability to intermingle with colleagues and higher-level administrators/managers, my focus shifted to harnessing it to mentoring others to speak up for themselves and to take risks when stepping out of their comfort zones.
What are your strengths and how do you lean into them in your work and personal life?
