Tips for Capitalizing on Your Strengths

People have made critical investments that had major impacts on their business and financial lives. (Surely, the people who invested in Facebook years ago are sitting pretty now.) But, something the stock markets won’t tell you is that the best investment you can make is in yourself and your strengths. How do you identify and capitalize on your strengths?

• A good way to identify your strengths is to think about how you solve problems. If you solve problems by collaborating with others, your strengths might include teamwork. Or, if you find you offer a new way of thinking to a complicated situation, creative problem solving is probably a strength of yours.
• Another way of identifying your strengths is to recognize how you most enjoy solving problems. Whatever method suits you best is probably an asset of yours. Pay attention to what you enjoy doing most and you will probably stumble across something you are truly great at.

So now you know your strengths … how do you capitalize on them?

• If you’re in the middle of a job hunt, applying for jobs where you can put your strengths to good use is an obvious way to capitalize on your strengths. Selling those strengths in an interview is beneficial to both your job search and career.
• Within the workplace, the best way to capitalize on your strengths is to use them. When a problem arises, put your skills to work. Suggest methods of problem solving that you can contribute to.

Knowing yourself and your strongest skills can be hugely helpful to your career. When you know what you uniquely bring to the table, you can confidently approach problems in (and out of) the workplace. Capitalizing on your strengths will help you do your job even better, as well as enjoy it more.