Identifying and Leveraging Your Professional Strengths

In this episode of Before Breakfast, host Laura Vanderkam explores the vital importance of self-awareness in professional development. She argues that the ability to clearly articulate one’s strengths and provide concrete examples is not just a confidence booster, but a strategic tool for career advancement, performance reviews, and job hunting.

The Power of External Feedback

Vanderkam highlights a proactive strategy employed by a job seeker who asked colleagues to identify her "greatest professional strengths." This exercise serves as a powerful reminder that our peers often see our capabilities more clearly than we do ourselves. By soliciting this feedback, the individual gained a "ready list of strengths and examples" that she could confidently present during interviews.

Listening and Documentation: The Art of Capturing Insights

For those who may not have a formal opportunity to ask colleagues for feedback, Vanderkam suggests a more organic approach: paying attention to daily interactions. She emphasizes that "people often tell us what we are good at if we listen." Key takeaways include:

• Don't deflect compliments: When a colleague praises your work—such as calling you a "great presenter" or noting you are a "natural at connecting with a crowd"—do not "explain it away." Instead, acknowledge and internalize the feedback.
• Maintain a record: Whether it is a "notes file," a "journal," or an "email to yourself," keeping a written log of positive reinforcement is crucial. For instance, if a principal notes that they "can count on you to produce a great event" after a school bazaar, that recognition of "event production" as a skill should be documented.
• Leverage management insights: When a boss assigns you a project due to your "strength in gathering stakeholder feedback," they are explicitly identifying a core competency. Once the project succeeds, this becomes a verifiable example of how you "excel at this."

Strategic Application in Career Advancement

Having a documented list of strengths acts as a force multiplier in two specific professional scenarios:

1. Annual Performance Reviews: When presenting your accomplishments to a manager, quoting their own past "positive feedback" or citing praise from "people she respects" reinforces your value and demonstrates a high level of self-awareness.

2. Job Hunting: Many candidates struggle when asked about their "greatest strengths" during interviews. Vanderkam suggests that if you have been "making a list of strengths," you can cross-reference these with the "skills required in the job posting." By aligning your documented strengths with the specific "job description" and backing them up with personal examples of feedback, you are far more likely to "stand out" and "land this opportunity."

Conclusion

Ultimately, the practice of identifying what you are good at is about more than just boosting self-esteem; it is about building a portfolio of evidence that defines your professional identity. By listening closely to the feedback provided by others and diligently recording these moments, you empower yourself to present your best self in any professional setting.