Spent $50 to Discover My Strengths — Was It Worth It?
By: Alice Greschkow
Tags: Work, Self-awareness, Careers, Professional Development, Self Improvement

Life-long learning has become a popular concept against unemployment and economic crises. But what are you supposed to learn? It is crucial to understand your strengths and cultivate them properly instead of leaning into your weaknesses.

Stop focusing on your shortcomings!

When it comes to being successful, there is a myth that you need to work on your weaknesses and overcome your shortcomings. That, however, is not true. The authors Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall have dedicated a chapter on this myth in their book “Nine Lies About Work. A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World”. The lie, they say, is that “the best people are well-rounded”.

In reality, it requires plenty of time and energy to become well-rounded and to cover your weaknesses. Instead, they claim, the most successful people have learned to develop their talents and cultivate them conscientiously. Regardless if sports or business — achievers know what they are good at and they dive into those talents that not only generate good results but create joy.

In their book, they mention Gallup’s CliftonStrengths 34 test. It’s a sort of personality test with 117 items that tells you which are your core strengths out of 34 different items. I was intrigued.

Like many people, I’ve come across the question “What are your biggest strengths?” in job interviews. Usually, I’d come up with standard phrases out of lack of understanding and framing. I always considered this question to be just a test to see how you sell yourself and if you are rather a humble or bragging character.

It seems that knowing your strengths specifically can help you. Not only in job interviews, but in focusing on what matters for your individual career path.

Would you prefer talking to a historian or a futurist?

The test looks quite typical. It includes 117 questions, which you can answer within 20 seconds. You have a scale with two extremes like “I like to talk to others” and “I like to spend time alone”. Then you need to decide which option at the spectrum describes you best. Sometimes, the statements appear to have little in common or to be of equal quality. To me, the question if I’d rather prefer talking to a futurist or a historian, was hard to answer. In practice, I’d love to hear both people.

The strengths finder is based on the work of psychologist Donald Clifton. In his view, psychologists and assessments usually focused on what was wrong in people and not what makes them excel. Therefore, he has dedicated his research to develop a tool to help people teach them what their talents are.

Struggling with labeling and reflecting on your strengths, it can be a gamechanger to finally know what to really focus on. So, I gave it a shot. I paid roughly 50 US-Dollars to access the assessment and answered all questions in roughly 35 minutes.

Then, the results poured in. You get a strengths report after completing your test and it shows you your 10 talents and highlights the top 5. The talents fall into four categories: Execution (e.g. discipline and consistency), Influencing (e.g. communication and activating), Relationship Building (e.g. empathy and harmony), and Strategic Thinking (e.g. futurist and analyst).

My profile was dominated by strategic thinking with five talents and influencing with four skills. My top 5 reflect this pattern:

Source: Screenshot by author; Gallup.com

What’s fairly useful is what you receive in the end. You receive a report with your 10 main strengths, descriptions of what they entail, and how to strengthen them. Additionally, there are short explanatory videos with some insights on how to progress with each talent.

Was it worth the 50 Dollars?

Were the results surprising? Yes and no. I’ve known that I’m inclined into thinking strategically and preferring the big picture than completing precise and detailed tasks. However, what I find useful is that the results provide me with the right vocabulary to describe my strengths and generate insights on how to become a better version of myself.

After all, each person has individual strengths and a unique path and there is no use in trying to adapt and copy somebody else’s ways. For instance, it is no surprise that I’d love to speak both with the historian and the futurist as apparently, my main talent is input — collecting information. Moreover, I will follow the advice that I was given for my main talent — input: I will be more selective and careful regarding the information and media I consume as I want to focus on fruitful insights in my mind.

Additionally, the test results help me to look for a career development that fits me. I will clearly try to avoid jobs with a large chunk of administrative tasks.

In comparison to Jordan Peterson’s self-assessment which I’ve done in the past, the CliftonStregths test gives you a specific vocabulary and indication for your professional life. Peterson’s self-assessment delivers a broader picture on the path of understanding yourself in all areas of life.

If you have some spare money, it’s worth investing that in yourself. I’m a firm believer that understanding yourself is a crucial step to carving the life that is right for you.

Gain Access to Expert View — Subscribe to DDI Intel