Discover Your Purpose at Work by Leveraging Your Strengths
With the amount of people talking about it, finding purpose at work has become quite a hot topic. Yes, it’s commonly believed to be important, but how do managers actually go about discovering or creating purpose? What practical steps can we take to reconnect to our larger meaning?
At a recent leadership conference, I had the opportunity to hear a keynote speech from best-selling author and purpose coach Jay Shetty. In his talk, he dove into his own experience of finding purpose in both his work, and, overall in his life. In all, the primary takeaway was that purpose is built on the foundation of four pillars: habits, passion, strengths, and service. When these pieces are put together, they infuse a greater sense of self-awareness into individuals’ lives, making them more receptive to understanding and living their greater purpose at work.
Consider these four pillars when you need to find purpose at work: habits, passion, strengths, and service
Read also: What Does it Take to Be a Happy Leader? as well as, How to Find Joy at Work Again
One of Shetty’s most impactful points was how critical strengths are for finding purpose at work. Shetty shared how we’re told two lies in our lives, “the first being that we’re nothing to this world. The second being that we can be anything we want.” The truth, he explains, is that “we can be everything we already are.”
Shetty mirrors our love for strengths-based development by stating the power of this tool to recognize the superpowers inherently inside of us. Comparing a strengths-based team to the Avengers, he advocated how when we combine our unique strengths, we become unstoppable even to the mightiest challenges.
As you begin to reflect on how your strengths can contribute to your driving purpose, we recommend the following:
Asking for feedback from those you trust
Understanding your strengths should not be confined to the opinions of coworkers, as gathering input from a variety of sources can help you to develop a much broader and richer understanding of yourself.
Recognizing patterns
Even with feedback from a diverse group (your partner, family, friends, coworkers), it can be beneficial to go deeper into understanding your unique talents by taking the CliftonStrengths assessment. Through this tool, you can find helpful themes and advice to aim your strengths at success in both your personal and professional life. Already taken the CliftonStrengths assessment? Dive deeper into your Top 5 strengths with Leadology’s 21-Day Strengths Challenge.
Composing a self-portrait
Finally, using this insight, you’ll be able to craft a description of yourself that weaves together themes from your collected feedback and own observations to help you envision and communicate who you are at your best.
Tapping into our strengths is a vital part of personal and professional development, especially when it comes to finding purpose as a leader in the workplace.
Whether you’re looking to confidently identify your strengths for the first time or meaningfully deepen your understanding of them, Leadology’s leadership and communication program Activate has the resources you need to be able to use them to your advantage in your leadership.
Excited to embrace your strengths, and with them, a newfound purpose at work? Contact us today for a free assessment of you and your team and how we can help them find their purpose at work.
P.S How sweet is this reminder from @itslennie on finding purpose?!
