By Rebecca Potts and Susan Britton Whitcomb
Do you remember the days when you sat in class, staring at math problems or a dissected frog, holding your chin in your palms, thinking, “when am I ever gonna use this?” I learned a lot during childhood that I never ended up using, but something I didn’t learn from school was what my strengths were and how to use them. If I did, if we ALL did, we could equip our next generation (and ourselves) with the skills to navigate life from a position of confidence and creativity. Instead we got Calculus.
Much has been written about using strengths for determining career direction or managing teams, but we can do so much more with strengths. For example, using strengths to help us:
Navigate uncertainty
Tackle tough projects
Resolve conflict
Raise children
Motivate ourselves/others
Deepen relationships
Manage time
Manage health
When you’re faced with a situation that can have many outcomes, rely on your strengths. Choose one of your top strengths, and lean into it. Use it as a strategy to, for example, navigate the uncertainty. It will likely help you choose the correct proverbial door. One of my top strengths is Learner, and as a result I tend to research a topic tirelessly until I know everything there is to know about it – which means I’m the person at the party who usually brings up something completely out of the blue and unrelated. But, besides how fun my Learner strength makes me, it can also make me highly prepared to navigate uncertainty. I can gather information about the situation and make decisions to act based on fundamental knowledge and preparedness. No Calculus involved.
