Unleashing your Inner Leader: Exploring the power of character strengths

© Michalsuszycki

A character strength is a positive personality trait that reflects an individual’s core values and motivations. Character strengths are consistently associated with positive outcomes in life, such as greater well-being, stronger relationships, and more meaningful work. These make us feel emotionally fulfilled, happy and energetic.

As a leader its not possible for one to be master in all avenues/areas. Likewise, all members in team cannot ace different skills, it is the collective strengths of the team that make them effective. As Rath quotes in his book, Strengths-Based Leadership,

You cannot be anything you want to be — but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are.

Suggesting leaders to instead focus on learning their strengths, developing the strengths of others, and hiring people who have strengths that fill in the gaps on their teams. Effective leaders practice on using one’s strengths to build proficiency than fixing their weaknesses, as it’s easier to multiply the effect of skill that one is naturally good at. It is said that one takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice to master any skill as per Malcolm Gladwell’s blockbuster book “Outliers.” So, it’s well worth enhancing the strength which comes naturally. I recollect the famous quote from Bruce Lee

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

A character strengths-based approach (or practice) in leadership is empowering, energizing, and connecting in which practitioners, in their own uniquely personal way and with their own orientation/approach to helping, embody and exhibit their character strengths as they educate team on strengths and support in building effective teams.

Exploring one’s own Character Strength

There are multiple different models of personality tests available which help in identifying an individual’s streghts and weakness. I personally preferred using https://www.viacharacter.org/

In the field of positive psychology, 24 character strengths have been identified and organised into six broader virtues:

1. Wisdom and Knowledge: This virtue encompasses the strengths of curiosity, creativity, love of learning, open-mindedness, and perspective-taking.
2. Courage: This virtue encompasses the strengths of bravery, perseverance, resilience, and vitality.
3. Humanity: This virtue encompasses the strengths of kindness, love, social intelligence, and empathy.
4. Justice: This virtue encompasses the strengths of fairness, citizenship, leadership, and teamwork.
5. Temperance: This virtue encompasses the strengths of self-control, forgiveness, humility, and prudence.
6. Transcendence: This virtue encompasses the strengths of appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, optimism, and spirituality.

Each individual possesses all 24 character strengths in varying degrees, creating a unique character strengths profile. By identifying and developing their signature strengths, individuals can enhance their well-being, achieve their goals, and make a positive impact on the world around them.

Ways To Use Your Strengths

It's important to note that having strengths in one area doesn't necessarily mean that a person is competent. Begin with reflecting on the top three to five strengths, does that resonate with one’s understanding, your core beliefs and centre of motivation. For example, if one has a key strength as Judgement doesn’t necessarily mean that person will always make the right decisions for the team or in life. Applying a similar approach with a team member, by understanding individual strengths and assigning tasks that enhance their strengths allows them to continuously improve. This simply improves their performance and hence overall team’s efficiency.

If you want to tap into the source of energy that comes from utilizing your strengths, there are a few steps you can follow. These steps will help you identify and leverage your unique abilities in order to achieve success and fulfillment.

1. Select one of your highest strengths, one that is core to who you are, is easy for you to use and gives you energy
2. Consider a new way to express the strength each day
3. Express the strength in a new way each day for at least one week
4. Journal the experience and share insights on how you felt through the week, in terms of energy and motivation

For example, consider “Teamwork” as one of the top 5 strengths. Think of how you and your closest friend or partner or workmate are a “team” who can work together and use one another’s strengths to solve problems. Approach your next challenge with this perspective.

While focusing on the top strengths doesn’t mean one has to discount or ignore building on lesser strengths, if you feel a strong desire to explore lesser significant strengths, you should definitely invest in improving in the area.

Dimensions of Character Strengths

Expression Map is a tool that measures strengths across four dimensions: Head, Heart, Relational, and Inward. By using this tool, individuals can gain perspective on their signature strengths in two key dimensions of their personality. It's important to note that there is no "ideal" strengths profile that dictates how many strengths one should have in each quadrant. The goal of the Expression Map is to help individuals think about their life and assess whether they feel they have balance in how their strengths are expressed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, character strengths play a vital role in personal and professional development. They help individuals to understand their core values, motivations and unique abilities, which in turn empowers them to achieve success and fulfilment. Effective leaders understand the importance of character strengths and focus on developing their own strengths as well as those of their team members. By identifying and leveraging their signature strengths, individuals can enhance their overall well-being, build stronger relationships, and make a positive impact on the people around them.

References
https://www.viacharacter.org
https://leaders.com/articles/leadership/strengths-based-leadership/
Strengths-Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie